Inspector General to MSHA: Publish silica rule

Washington — The Department of Labor Office of Inspector General is calling on the Mine Safety and Health Administration to publish a final rule – currently in the works – that lowers the silica exposure limit for miners.

The recommendation is part of a recently released annual report from DOL OIG.

MSHA’s proposed rule, published July 13, would lower the permissible exposure limit for respirable crystalline silica to 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air – half the current limit – over an 8-hour time-weighted average. It also would increase silica sampling and enforcement at mines.

In addition, DOL OIG recommends that MSHA:

• Improve the internal control system for the agency’s mandatory inspections program.
• Provide additional training to inspectors and improve internal controls related to its violation process.
• Add machinery incident prevention to its efforts to lower powered haulage incidents.

A final rule that would require mines to have written safety programs for powered haulage and surface mobile equipment is under review by the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs – one of the final steps in the regulatory process. The report notes MSHA’s initiative aimed at decreasing powered haulage incidents, adding that it “needs to be a top priority as they are the leading causes of mine fatalities.”