Four Final Rules on MSHA Reg Agenda
As with OSHA, the Department of Labor’s Statement of Regulatory Priorities explaining the agenda in the context of its overall Good Jobs for Everyone initiative as well as its Plan/Prevent/Protect Compliance Strategy (http://www.dol.gov/regulations/2010RegNarrative.htm) can be found at http://www.dol.gov/asp/regs/Fall2011RegAgenda.pdf. MSHA’s rule list can be found at http://www.msha.gov/regsinf1.htm. In the final rule stage are rules to
- Lowering exposure to coal dust, including requiring continuous personal dust monitors, is scheduled for April, though Congress has barred MSHA from enforcing this rule during the current fiscal year.
- Requiring proximity detection systems for continuous mining machines in underground coal mines is scheduled for June.
- Revision of the existing regulation for pattern of violations is scheduled for April.
- Revision of existing rules for preshift, supplemental, on-shift, and weekly examinations to address violations of mandatory health or safety standards is due in March.