Mine Safety and Health Administration MSHA

Mica mining is subjected to local, state, and federal laws. The Mining, Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) regularly monitors mica mining operations for safety violations. 

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducts research on occupational diseases and injuries, responds to requests for assistance by investigating problems of health and safety in the workplace, recommends standards to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), and trains professionals in occupational safety and health. Contact NIOSH, 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20201 Phone 800-356-4674 or NIOSH Technical Information Branch, Robert A. Taft Eaboratory, Mailstop C-19, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cinciimati, OH 45226-1998 Phone 800-35-NIOSH. 

A Type 10 enclosure is designed to meet the explosion proof requirements of the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). It is suitable for use in gaseous coal mines. 

The resilience of gum neoprene vulcanizates is little lower than natural rubber but it decreases with increased filler incorporation. Therefore, the resilience of most practical neoprene compounds is higher than that of natural rubber with comparable volume loading. Because of the presence of chlorine in the neoprene molecule, products made from neoprene resist combustion to a greater degree than products made from non-halogen bearing rubbers. This means neoprene can be compounded to meet the flammability requirements of the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) USA or similar requirements as might be stipulated by any other countries,... 

Fire safety of mine conveyor belts is covered by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), subsidiary to the Department of Labor (responsible for the safety of miners). It has instituted some requirements, in accordance with a 1969 Act, which then became the 1977 Federal Mine Safety and Health Act. This regulation mandates the use of flame-resistant conveyor belts. The follow-up legislation was introduced in 2007. 

Recommended exposure limit (REL) is the name used by the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) for the occupational exposure limits (OELs) it recommends to protect workers from hazardous substances and conditions in the workplace. RELs are not regulations. While they are intended primarily as recommendations to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) for use in promulgating legal standards, they also may help employers, workers, and health professionals to recognize and control occupational hazards. Most RELs have been developed for chemical air contaminants, usually... 

Note The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) PEL for respirable coal mine dust with < 5% silica is 2.0 mg/m or (10 mg/m ) / (% respirable quartz + 2) for coal dust with > 5% silica.]... 

ERA recommends that all homes should be monitored for radon. If testing shows levels less than 4 picocuries radon per liter of air, then no action is necessary. For levels above this, follow-up measurements should be taken. If follow-up levels are 20 picocuries radon per liter of air or higher, the home owner should consider some type of procedure to decrease indoor radon levels. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) uses a standard of 4 Working Level Months (WLM) per year for people who work in mines. (Working Level Months combine the amount with length of exposure.) You will find more information on guidelines and standards in Chapter 7. 

A statistical study of mine-hoist wire ropes showed that 66% of the ropes exhibited greatest loss in strength in the portion of the rope in contact with the shaft environment during its service life (26). The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) of the US Department of Labor requires that wire ropes in service be visually examined for structural damage, corrosion, and improper lubrication or dressing (27). MSHA also requires performance of careful nondestructive testing (NDT) every 6 months and cites one instance where a contractor reported that four ropes were in acceptable condition for use in an elevator shaft. However, less than 6 weeks later, one of the four 12.7 mm (0.5 in.) diameter ropes broke and another was severely corroded with several broken wires (28). 

Mine Safety and Health Administration, MSHA, www.msha.gov, Oct 2000. 

The association between job tenure and accidents in the mining industry is also apparent in more recent studies. Groves et al. (2007) examined Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and Current Population Survey (CPS) data for equipment-related injuries over the period 1995-2004. Of the 86,398 injuries examined, 28 % occurred to employees in their first year of job tenure, and of the 597 fatalities examined, 31 % occurred to employees in their first year of job tenure. Furthermore, for both injuries and fatahties, the percentages associated with the first year of tenure in a job were by far the greatest identified. At this point, it is important to note that the above studies are not focusing on people in their first job, rather the statistics relate to job tenure, not the participants overall employment tenure. 

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