G/TBT/N/USA/1672  
20 November 2020  
(20-8392) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member:  UNITED STATES OF AMERICA   
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible:  Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), Department of 
Labor [1700]  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers , email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notif ication shall be indicated if different from above:   
Please submit comments to: USA WTO TBT Enquiry Point, Email: usatbtep@nist.gov  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [X], 5.7.1 [   ], other :  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  
Electric  motor -driven mine equipment; Quality (ICS 03.120), Environmental protection 
(ICS 13.020), Occupational safety. Industrial hygiene (ICS 13.100), Safety of machinery 
(ICS 13.110), Protection against fire (ICS 13.220), Protection against fire in general 
(ICS 13.220.01), Fire -fighting (ICS 13.220.10), Fire protection (ICS 13.220.20), 
Ignitability and burning behaviour of materials and products (ICS 13.220.40), Fire -
resistance of building materials and elements (ICS 13.220.50), Other standards related 
to protection against fire (ICS 13.220.99), Test conditions and procedures in general 
(ICS 19.020), Electrical equipment for working in special conditions (ICS 29.260), Mining 
equipment (ICS 73.100)  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Testing, 
Evaluation, and Approval of Electric Motor -Driven Mine Equipment and A ccessories 
(12 page(s), in English)  
6. Description of content:  Proposed rule; request for comments - The Mine Safety and 
Health Administration (MSHA) proposes to revise its regulations that sets out the testing, 
evaluation, and approval requirements for e lectric motor -driven mine equipment and 
accessories intended for use in gassy mines. Under this proposal, MSHA will accept 
voluntary consensus standards (VCS) that are suitable for gassy mining environments 
and that provide protection against fire or explo sion dangers, to replace approval 
requirements in its regulations. This proposal is intended to promote the use of innovative 
and advanced technologies that lead to improvements in mine safety and health and to 
improve the efficiency and effectiveness of M SHA's approval process.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:  Protection of human health or safety; Protection of the environment; Quality 
requirements; Harmonization; Reducing trade barriers and facilitatin g trade; Cost saving 
and productivity enhancement  G/TBT/N/USA/1672  
 
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  8. Relevant documents:   
• 85 Federal Register (FR) 73656, 19 November 2020; Title 30 Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR) Parts 18 and 74:  
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2020-11-19/html/2020 -22589.htm  
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2020-11-19/pdf/2020 -22589.pdf  
This proposed rule; request for comments is identified by Docket Number MSHA -2020-
0018. The Docket Folder is available on Regulations.gov at 
https://www.regulations.gov/docket? D=MSHA -2020-0018 and provides access to 
primary and supporting documents as well as comments received. Documents are also 
accessible from Regulations.gov  by searching the Docket Number. WTO Members and 
their stakeholders are asked to submit comments to the USA TBT Enquiry Point . 
Comments received by the USA TBT Enquiry Point from WTO Members and their 
stakeholders will be shared with the regulator and will also be submitted to the Docket  
on Regulations.gov  if received wit hin the comment period.  
MSHA published on its website in 2018 a notice seeking assistance in identifying 
regulations for review. All comments are posted on the Agency's website at 
https://www.msha.gov/provide -or-view-comments -msha -regulations -repeal -replace -or-
modify . 
9. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined  
Proposed date of entry into force:  To be determined  
10. Final date for comments:  21 December 2020  
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available , of other body:   
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2020/TBT/USA/20_7200_00_e.pdf