MSHA implements 2nd phase of respirable coal dust rule
Main says rule is achieving goal
Eighteen months after its landmark rule aimed at preventing black lung disease took effect, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is implementing Phase II. Beginning today, underground coal mine operators are required to collect an increased number of coal dust samples, use a continuous personal dust monitor to measure dust levels in real time, and notify miners more quickly about the results of dust sampling. The CPDM is a belt-wearable, computerized device that measures and displays the accumulated and full-shift exposure to respirable coal mine dust
“For the first time, coal miners will know in real time how much coal mine dust they are breathing during their shift, so that immediate corrective actions can be taken,” said Joseph A. Main, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health. “This marks the next step in our efforts to end black lung disease once and for all.”