The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) issued a final rule to “better protect the nation’s miners from health hazards associated with exposure to respirable crystalline silica, also known as silica dust or quartz dust.” The final rule lowers the permissible exposure limit of respirable crystalline silica to 50 micrograms per cu. meter of air for…
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Welcome to The Aggregates Almanac, 2023 Edition
Welcome to the 2023 edition of the “Aggregates Almanac: The Ultimate Information Resource for Quarry Operators.” Published now for the seventh year in a row, feedback from our readers indicates that this publication is widely used and valued; and retained as a go-to information source. Rock Products’ Benchmark 2023 survey indicates that aggregates operators are highly interested in: Equipment upgrades.…
Read MoreThe Mine Silica Health Administration
It Looks Like MSHA Started With The OSHA Rule And Proceeded To Cut Everything That Looked Even Remotely Reasonable. By Brian Hendrix Way back in 2019, we heard that MSHA intended to put the “H” back in MSHA. MSHA Assistant Secretary David Zatezalo, told Congress that MSHA would to “put the ‘H’ back in ‘MSHA,’” by “aggressively enforc[ing] existing standards…
Read MoreMSHA Will Extend Public Comment Period for Silica Rule
The U.S. Department of Labor announced that its Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) will extend the public comment period on proposed amendments to existing federal standards that protect the nation’s miners from health hazards related to workplace exposure of respirable crystalline silica or silica dust. MSHA will extend the comment period from Aug. 28 to Sept. 11, adding 15…
Read MoreCrystalline Silica Rule Now in Federal Register
July 13, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Labor published a notice of proposed rulemaking by its Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to amend existing Federal standards to better protect the nation’s miners from health hazards related to occupational exposure of respirable crystalline silica, or silica dust. The proposed rule change will ensure miners have at least the same…
Read MoreIAC Recommends Crystalline Silica Actions
MSHA announced an increase in enforcement of the Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) dust standard at mining sites and other facilities involved in processing, cutting, drilling and grinding rock and stone. This includes the manufacturing of cement, artificial stone, glass, steel, brick, ceramics, and industrial sands (including frac sand).
Read MoreRules, Rules and More Rules
There Are Four Rules On MSHA’s Agenda Right Now, And It Is Laying The Groundwork For More. By Brian Hendrix
Read MoreNew NIOSH Software Monitors Respirable Crystalline Silica
Mines can now monitor worker exposure to hazardous respirable crystalline silica (RCS) more effectively thanks to new software developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Mining Program in beta version. This novel, field-based tool called the Field Analysis of Silica Tool (FAST), works together with commercially available Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analyzers to determine a worker’s…
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