Control of Airborne Respirable Dust Hazards: A Training Program for Underground Coal Miners

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Control of Airborne Respirable Dust HazardsA
Training Program for Underground Coal Miners
Penn State
The Penn State Miner Training
Program University Park, PA 16802 Raja V.
Ramani, Ph.D., P.E, C.M.S.P. Mark C. Radomsky,
Ph.D. MPA, C.M.S.P. Joseph P. Flick, M.S.,
C.M.S.P.
March 31, 2003
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CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION
NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR OCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND
HEALTH
GENERIC MINERAL TECHNOLOGY CENTER ON RESPIRABLE
DUST
PENNSYLVANIA BUREAU OF DEEP MINE SAFETY
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RESPIRABLE DUST TRAINING PROGRAM

• Section 4
• RESPIRABLE COAL MINE DUST STANDARDS
• (30 CFR PART 70)

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Incidence Rates for Pneumoconiosis
Concentration (mg/m³) Incidence Rate Per 1000 Miners After 35 Years Exposure
Simple Pneumoconiosis 7.0 360
4.5 150
3.0 50
2.0 20
Complicated Pneumoconiosis 7.0 130
4.5 40
3.0 30
Source Committee on Education and Labor (1970).
U. S. Government Printing Office
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Coal Mine Respirable Dust Standards

• 8-Hour TLV-TWA 2 mg/m3
• If Silica Content in the Dust is gt 5,
• 8-Hour TLV-TWA 10/( Silica) mg/m3
• Measured with an Approved Personal Sampler Unit
  PSU
• Convert the PSU Measured Concentration to an
  Equivalent Concentration as measured with an MRE
  instrument

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The National Standard
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Respirable Dust Standard for Quartz
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Summary of Respirable Coal Mine Dust Samples
Collected by MSHA Inspectors for Underground
Occupations (1988-92)
MSHA code and occupation
060. Longwall (return face worker) 044. Shearer/plow operator 064. Longwall operator (headgate) 041. Jack setter (longwall) 052. Tailgate operator 036. Continuous miner operator 014. Roofbolter (twin-head return) 046. Roofbolter Average for all occupations
MSHA Samples
Number of Samples Arithmetic mean Standard deviation Geometric mean Geometric standard deviation
95 1,183 705 2,238 105 9,990 2,474 6,664 61,697 1.95 1.79 1.78 1.67 1.66 1.28 1.12 1.03 1.05 1.10 1.19 3.22 2.27 1.78 1.75 1.21 1.69 1.63 1.58 1.50 1.37 1.35 1.00 0.84 0.79 0.63 0.67 3.21 1.84 1.88 1.85 3.08 2.55 2.38 2.70 2.65
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Summary of Respirable Coal Mine Dust Samples
Collected by Mine Operators for Underground
Occupations (1988-92)
MSHA code and occupation
060. Longwall (return face worker) 044. Shearer/plow operator 064. Longwall operator (headgate) 041. Jack setter (longwall) 052. Tailgate operator 036. Continuous miner operator 014. Roofbolter (twin-head return) 046. Roofbolter Average for all occupations
Operator Samples
Number of Samples Arithmetic mean Standard deviation Geometric mean Geometric standard deviation
702 11,581 145 1,685 582 211,266 1,597 3,656 286,931 1.94 1.67 1.39 1.66 1.34 1.01 0.88 0.85 0.97 1.31 1.17 0.96 1.23 1.22 1.15 0.87 1.01 1.12 1.58 1.33 1.11 1.28 0.81 0.62 0.58 0.52 0.58 1.99 2.08 2.12 2.17 3.12 2.83 2.63 2.80 2.91
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Average Dust Concentrations in Continuous and
Longwall Mining Sections from 1970 to 2000
Longwall Mining
Continuous Mining
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Three Important Documents

• Title 30 CFR Mineral Resources 2002. This
  contains the relevant Dust laws and regulations.
• NIOSH Criteria Document 1995. This Document
  reviews health effects, engineering and medical
  control, and recommends additional measures to
  protect miners health.
• Report of the Secretary of Labors Advisory
  Committee 1996. The Committees Report has
  made extensive recommendations to MSHA, operators
  and miners for more effective health and safety
  control for Pneumoconiosis.

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Proceed to Section 5 Miners Rights and
Operators Responsibilities