Respirable mine dust sample-processing laboratory
The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 established mandatory dust standards for coal mines. Sampling procedures prescribed in the Mandatory Health Standards, Title 30, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 70 and Part 71, were published in the Federal Register on April 3, 1970, and March 28, 1972, respectively. A laboratory was established in the then Pittsburgh Field Health Group of the Bureau of Mines to process the coal mine dust samples collected by the mine operators. This paper describes the laboratory, located at the Mining Enforcement and Safety Administration's (MESA) Pittsburgh Technical Support Center, and the equipment and procedures used by MESA's Dust Branch in processing these samples. As specified in section 202(a) of Title II of the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, each operator of a coal mine shall take accurate samples of the amount of respirable dust in the mine atmosphere. To enable the operator to fulfill his obligation, detailed instructions pertaining to dust sampling procedures are prescribed in the Mandatory Health Standards - Underground Coal Mines, and in the Mandatory Health Standards - Surface Work Areas of Underground Coal Mines and Surface Coal Mines, Title 30, Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 70 and 71, respectively. Section 202(b) of Title II establishes allowable limits of dustiness. Dustiness means the average concentration of respirable dust in the mine atmosphere during each shift to which each miner in the active workings of the mine is exposed. Effective December 30, 1972, the standard became 2.0 milligrams of dust per cubic meter of air, except where an operator had obtained a permit for noncompliance. The methods of processing the samples in the MESA laboratory are described in detail.
- Research Organization:
- Mining Enforcement and Safety Administration, Denver, CO (USA). Health and Safety Analysis Center
- OSTI ID:
- 5950762
- Report Number(s):
- MESA-IR-1045; ON: DE83903038
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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