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The agency is seeking comments regarding the proposals Examinations of Work Areas in Underground Coal Mines and Pattern of Violations.
Each hearing will involve the major issues being raised by the public with regards to each potential new law.
The first hearing has been scheduled for June 2 at the Embassy Suites in Denver, Colorado, and a few days later on June 7 the industry will have their say at the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences of West Virginia in Charleston.
On June 9, a hearing will be held at the Sheraton Birmingham in Alabama, and MSHA will wrap up its input tour at its headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.
All events will begin at 8.30am Eastern time, with input on the examinations proposal to be heard first.
“Both of these proposed rules seek to offer further protections for our nation’s miners – through complete workplace examinations aimed at eliminating conditions that can result in injury, illness or death, and through more effective means for identifying problem mines and encouraging them to improve their safety records,” assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health Joseph Main said.
He said MSHA included the general criteria for reviewing a mine for a pattern of violations in its proposed rule, however, the specific criteria was posted on the agency’s web site.
In the proposed rule’s preamble, officials requested input on how it could obtain comments during the development and revision of the specific criteria for POV.
“MSHA plans to provide any change to the specific criteria to the public for comment before we use it to review a mine for a pattern of violations,” Main said.
“MSHA will review and respond to comments, then revise, as appropriate, the specific criteria and post them on the agency’s website. MSHA is requesting comments on the proposed approach to obtaining public input for revisions to the POV specific criteria.”
The public can also make comments after the hearings; the deadline for input is June 30.
The proposed rules are available in their entirety on MSHA’s web site.
