Coal Age

MAR 2018

Coal Age Magazine - For more than 100 years, Coal Age has been the magazine that readers can trust for guidance and insight on this important industry.

Issue link: https://coal.epubxp.com/i/961722

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 37 of 51

36 www.coalage.com March 2018 dust compliance Miners Implement Corrective Actions in Response to CPDM Dust Data NIOSH seeks to learn what individual miners learned from exposure levels by emily j. haas and jay f. colinet In 2014, the Mine Safety and Health Ad- ministration (MSHA) enacted a new reg- ulation, "Lowering Miners' Exposure to Respirable Coal Mine Dust, Including Continuous Personal Dust Monitors" (30 CFR Parts 70, 71, 72, 75, and 90) that contained several progressive phases. One phase required mine operators to use a continuous personal dust monitor (CPDM) for compliance sampling, with another phase reducing the permissible exposure limit of respirable coal mine dust to 1.5 mg/m 3 over the working shift. It has been more than one year since mine oper- ations have had to use the CPDM. The National Institute for Occupa- tional Safety and Health (NIOSH) has tak- en a particular interest in how mines have adapted and integrated the CPDM into job tasks for at least 30 sampling shifts per quarter per mechanized mining unit (MMU), all while complying with this low- er standard. NIOSH's efforts have sought to identify what individual miners have learned about their exposure based on CPDM use, the corrective actions iden- tified, and their responsive, behavioral changes to reduce personal exposure to respirable coal mine dust. To this end, NIOSH researchers ob- tained Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval to visit six mines during 2016 and 2017 to talk with miners, mem- bers of management, and dust techni- cians. Three of the mines were consid- ered normal seam height and three were considered low coal (MSHA, 2009). About 50 miners shared their feedback, with 35 being those who have had to wear and respond to the dust data provided via the CPDM sampling technology. Corrective actions were identified through interviews and focus groups with individuals at these six mines. Although not an exhaustive list, these shared, repeated situations and common corrective actions taken are dis- cussed to provide ideas for how operations might respond to the CPDM dust data. Overview of the CPDM, Dust Data Cards The CPDM records dust exposure data every minute, in addition to displaying dust infor- mation on an instrument screen. The data are stored internally and are later down- loaded as a CSV file. The CPDM also produc- es a dust data card (Figure 1) that shows a time-related record of dust exposure. These dust data cards are to be posted within 12 hours, in a known location for employees to refer to and examine. The exception to this rule is Part 90 miners, who must be given their dust data cards within the first hour of their next work shift (30 CFR Part 90). When this information is coupled with operational information provided by min- ers shortly after their shift, unknown dust sources can be hypothesized and later evaluated. However, it is important to not only document the dust sources identi- fied, but also the corrective actions taken to lower respirable coal dust exposure, and the effectiveness of these actions in ad- dressing that exposure. Because mine op- erations are required to employ corrective actions whenever non-compliant samples are rendered during a sampling period, it is useful for the industry to have a working list of common sources and actions. Per Part 70.207 of the 30 CFR, continu- ous mining operators (CMOs) and roof bolt- er operators (RBOs) are the most common designated occupations (DOs) and other designated occupations (ODOs) sampled for compliance purposes. Therefore, actions identified and taken on behalf of workers in these job roles are discussed below. Sources of Dust and Corrective Actions for CMOs Based on interviews with NIOSH research- ers, CMOs reported noticing higher ex- posure peaks on their dust data cards at times and attributed increases in exposure to the following activities: • After rock dusting in the mine and when working close to the recently dusted area. • When turning a crosscut, due to dif- ficulty in finding a position to mini- Figure 1—Portion of dust data card provided through the CPDM.

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Coal Age - MAR 2018