The federal push comes after a May Congressional hearing in West Virginia related to issues at Massey Energy’s upper Big Branch mine, where 29 workers died in an April explosion.
The new PIBs were released this week to remind operators, miner representatives, federal enforcement staff and others about the mine safety standard mandates for inadequate ventilation as well as making intentional changes to a mine’s ventilation system.
Other topics included in the regulations include the maintenance of face ventilation control devices and methane monitors to keep them in permissible and proper operating condition for mining equipment.
MSHA said it decided to release the alert after serious questions were raised in a May 2010 House Education and Labor Committee hearing in southern West Virginia as to whether or not the UBB mine was properly complying with ventilation standards prior to the blast.
Testimonies received from the families of victims have indicated, according to the agency, that there were concerns over safety conditions prior to the incident.
“This announcement serves to remind all mine operators of their obligation to comply with all federal regulations to ensure the health and safety of their employees,” assistant secretary for mine safety and health Joseph Main said.
“Failure to follow the ventilation standards can lead to illness, injury and death. These standards are not voluntary, and every mine operator in the country is on notice that MSHA will not tolerate violations of ventilation standards.”
Federal officials said that, in addition to the reminder to operators through the PIBs, MSHA inspectors have also been instructed to step up enforcement efforts related to ventilation standard violations.
“Providing adequate ventilation in an underground mine is the principal means of ensuring that flammable, explosive, noxious and harmful gases, dusts, smoke and fumes are continuously diluted, rendered harmless and carried away,” the agency said.
“Insufficient air quantity allows methane and dust to accumulate, potentially resulting in a mine fire or explosion.
“Dust accumulations can also cause miners to be exposed to harmful levels of respirable dust, which can lead to black lung.”
MSHA also outlined the definition of intentional changes to a mine’s ventilation system. Not only does that include the addition of a new shaft or brining a fan online, but also the adjustment of air direction in an air course, changing the direction of air in a bleeder system and shutting down one fan in a multiple fan system.
“Any intentional change to the ventilation system that alters the main air current or any split of the main air current in a manner that could materially affect the safety and health of miners must be approved by MSHA before it is implemented,” Main stressed.
MSHA also reminded operations that face ventilation controls are critical to maintaining reliable ventilation underground, and failure to maintain controls or make prompt repairs to restore that proper ventilation placed workers at risk due to increased chances of a methane ignition and elevated respirable dust.
While most miners on a working section do not have a means to determine air qualities, they can conclude when the controls in use for ventilation could have an adverse impact on air quantity.
“Methane monitors on mining equipment must be maintained in permissible and proper operating condition,” federal officials said.
“Their effectiveness, however, can be defeated in a number of ways, either by placing material over the sensor head of the monitor or ‘bridging out’ the electrical safety components of the monitors.”
Any material placed over the head of the sensor will prevent the monitor from preventing excessive or dangerous methane concentrations, and “bridging out” the monitors’ electrical components will prevent the equipment from powering off when methane reaches the 2% threshold limit.
“MSHA does not tolerate bridging out or tampering with methane monitors,” Main said.
