Federal agencies Injury prevention Coal Mining_Oil_Gas

MSHA extends comment period for proposed rule on proximity detection systems

Hanging helmets

Photo: Madzia71/iStockphoto

Arlington, VA – The Mine Safety and Health Administration has extended the comment period for a proposed rule that would require underground coal mine operators to equip coal-hauling machines and scoops with proximity detection systems.

The devices would assist in reducing the risk of pinning, crushing and striking incidents that miners encounter, MSHA says.

Comments are due April 10. The original comment period, reopened in early January, was slated to close Feb. 8.

MSHA stated that it is extending the comment period after receiving a request for more time for stakeholders to provide feedback.

Post a comment to this article

Safety+Health welcomes comments that promote respectful dialogue. Please stay on topic. Comments that contain personal attacks, profanity or abusive language – or those aggressively promoting products or services – will be removed. We reserve the right to determine which comments violate our comment policy. (Anonymous comments are welcome; merely skip the “name” field in the comment box. An email address is required but will not be included with your comment.)