The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) passed the rule this month, dissolving their former complete responsibility for carrying out the evaluation and testing of products to ensure safe operation in the mine environment.

"This rule is good for America's mining industry," Labor for Mine Safety and Health assistant secretary Dave Lauriski said. "It increases the availability of a wider range of mining equipment with enhanced, modern safety features to the mining industry which will aid us in our goal of sending every miner home safe every day."

The new rule also allows the agency to approve products based on non-MSHA product safety standards when MSHA determines those standards adequate. Under the final rule, at the manufacturer's option, MSHA will accept testing and evaluation of various types of mining equipment performed by an independent laboratory for purposes of MSHA approval, only after certain requirements are met.

MSHA will retain its testing and evaluation program under the final rule and equipment manufacturers could still choose to have MSHA test and evaluate their products. The agency will continue to evaluate approval requests for all products regardless of the approval standard used for testing and evaluation.

The final rule will be effective mid-August.