The meeting will begin at 9am local time January 13 at the Sheraton Birmingham in Alabama and is expected to adjourn by 5pm.
The first two meetings were held at the National Mine Health and Safety Academy in Beaver, West Virginia, and at the Marriot Evansville Airport in Indiana.
The remaining hearings are:
- Jan 25, Marriott Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City, Utah
- Feb 8, The George Washington Hotel, Washington, Pennsylvania
- Feb 10, Jenny Wiley State Resort Park, Prestonsburg, Kentucky
- Feb 15, MSHA Headquarters, Arlington, Virginia
At each hearing, MSHA will make an opening statement, followed by an opportunity for members of the public to make oral presentations. A written request is not required to speak; however, individuals and representatives of organizations wishing to speak are encouraged to notify the agency in advance for scheduling purposes.
MSHA will accept post-hearing written comments and other appropriate information for the record from any interested party, including those not presenting oral statements. Comments must be received by midnight EST on February 28, 2011.
Assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health Joseph Main noted last October that the proposed rule – Lowering Miners' Exposure to Respirable Coal Mine Dust, Including Continuous Personal Dust Monitors – would significantly improve health protection for both underground and surface coal miners through the reduction of occupational exposure to respirable coal mine dust.
“It will lower the risk that they will suffer material impairment of health or functional capacity over their working lives,” he said.
The major provisions of the proposal would lower the existing respirable dust exposure limit from 2 milligrams per cubic meter to 1mg/cu.m over a 24-month phase-in period, require full-shift sampling, and redefine the term “normal production shift”
The proposed rule would also provide for the use of a single full-shift compliance sampling under the mine operator and MSHA’s inspector sampling programs, establish requirements for use of the continuous personal dust monitor to monitor exposure, and expand medical surveillance of coal miners.
The proposed rule was published on October 19, 2010, and is available at http://www.msha.gov/REGS/FEDREG/PROPOSED/2010Prop/2010-25249.pdf.
