DOL issues final mine safety rule on silica dust hazards
Reprints
The U.S. Department of Labor said Tuesday that its Mine Safety and Health Administration has issued a final rule designed to better protect miners from hazards associated with exposure to respirable crystalline silica, a known carcinogen.
The final rule lowers permissible exposure limits of respirable crystalline silica, also known as silica dust and quartz dust, to 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air.
If the exposure limit is exceeded, mine operators would be required to take corrective actions to come into compliance.
The DOL said inhalation of respirable crystalline silica can lead to lung and kidney diseases, chronic bronchitis, black lung disease and progressive massive fibrosis, a condition typically found in coal workers that involves the development of masses of dense fibrosis in the upper lungs.
The DOL said these diseases are irreversible and potentially fatal.
The final rule requires mine operators to use engineering controls to prevent overexposure to silica dust, requires metal and nonmetal mine operators to establish medical surveillance programs to provide periodic health exams to miners at no charge, and institutes a new respiratory protection standard reflecting updates in best practices.
In a statement, Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su said, “We estimate that this final rule will save more than a thousand lives and prevent severe illness for thousands more.”
