MSHA issues RFI on technologies that can improve safety in US mines

Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health, David G. Zatezalo, commented: “The Trump Administration is committed to the health and safety of America’s miners. Through the deployment of modern technologies, such as proximity detection, we can help ensure that miners return home safely at the end of their shifts,”

“MSHA is also interested in learning more about how seat belts can be more widely used in mining operations to prevent injuries.”

Mobile equipment at surface operations includes bulldozers, front-end loaders and trucks, while belt conveyors are used to transport materials in surface and underground mines. The RFI is part of a larger initiative that MSHA is undertaking to reduce accidents involving powered haulage – which includes haul trucks, front-end loaders and other large vehicles – as well as belt conveyors. 

MSHA also plans to hold stakeholder meetings as part of this effort and will provide technical assistance, and develop best practices and training materials to raise awareness of hazards related to mobile equipment and belt conveyors. The Agency also may consider engineering controls that increase the use of seatbelts, enhance equipment operators’ ability to see all areas near the machine, warn equipment operators of potential collision hazards, prevent an equipment operator from driving over the edge of a highwall or dump point, and help prevent hazards related to working near moving belt conveyors. 

The Federal Register will publish a separate notice at a later date in which MSHA will announce the dates and locations of stakeholder meetings.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/mining/27062018/msha-issues-rfi-on-technologies-that-can-improve-safety-in-us-mines/