MSHA issues coal dust sampling device rule

摘要

The US Mine Safety and Health Administration finalized a rule updating the approval process allowing new coal dust sampling devices to be used in US mines, the federal agency said on Tuesday. The Coal Mine Dust Sampling Devices Final Rule establishes criteria for the approval of the continuous personal dust monitor, which is worn by a miner and will report dust exposure levels continuously during a worker’s shift. Mine operators have been using Coal Mine Dust Personal Sampler Units as individual protection devices since the 1970s. The device draws mine air through a filter cassette that collects the dust. At the end of a full shift or eight hours, the cassette is sent to MSHA to learn how much coal mine dust workers were exposed to in the mine.