ISSUE DATE: 07/23/08 

PROGRAM INFORMATION BULLETIN NO. P08-16 

FROM: KEVIN G. STRICKLIN

Administrator for 

Coal Mine Safety and Health 

MARK E. SKILES 

Director of Technical Support 

SUBJECT: Clarification of Procedures to Use When Reporting SCSR Inventories 

Who needs this information? 

This Program Information Bulletin (PIB) is intended for underground coal mine 

operators, independent contractors, miners’ representatives, Mine Safety and Health 

Administration (MSHA) personnel, and other interested parties. 

What is the purpose of this PIB? 

This PIB informs the coal mining industry regarding the proper procedures to use to 

report Self-Contained Self-Rescuers (SCSRs) using the MSHA database accessed 

through the MSHA home page at www.msha.gov. Since the development of the 

database in 2007, over 100,000 SCSRs have been entered into the system. During this 

period, MSHA has made several improvements to facilitate the entry of SCSRs into the 

database by mine operators and identified problems with some inventory submittals. 

A malfunction in the Department of Labor (DOL) mail server for a period of time in the 

past year prevented some e-mailed inventories that were sent to 

SCSR.Inventory@dol.gov from being delivered to MSHA. Operators should check their 

inventories on-line at http://www.msha.gov to confirm that their SCSRs have been 

added to the database. If not, we request that you resend your SCSR inventory to the 

same address (or submit it on-line using the electronic form) so that MSHA can 

accurately update the SCSR database as required by Title 30, Code of Federal 

Regulations (30 C.F.R.) § 75.1714-8. 
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Information 

Section 75.1714–8(a) requires mine operators to provide MSHA with a complete 

inventory of all SCSRs as defined in 30 C.F.R. § 75.1714-1 at each mine. Operators were 

required to submit the inventory within the first quarter of 2007 for existing mines and 

within 3 months of beginning operation at new mines. Section 75.1714–8(a) (1) requires 

that the inventory include the mine name, MSHA mine ID number, mine location, and, 

for each SCSR unit, the manufacturer, the model type, the date of manufacture, and the 

serial number. Section 75.1714–8(a) (2) requires mine operators to update the inventory. 

Operators must report only the change to the inventory to MSHA within the quarter 

that the change occurred. This requirement keeps the database current and assists mine 

operators in complying with 30 C.F.R. § 75.1714–3. Also, consistent with other sections 

of this regulation, this provision specifies calendar quarters for reporting, i.e., Jan–Mar, 

Apr–Jun, Jul–Sep, and Oct–Dec. 

Detailed instructions are provided to users when accessing the SCSR Inventory/Report 

on the MSHA web page, using their eGov password and Mine ID. Users can input their 

inventory on the optional electronic form and file on-line (preferred method and fastest 

submission option). Using the electronic form, users can add one or more SCSRs to 

their inventory, modify an SCSR entry in the inventory, remove SCSRs from the 

inventory, or import several SCSRs using a spreadsheet. Any electronic submissions 

will be certified and updated in the database within two (2) business days. 

Multiple SCSRs can also be added to the inventory database utilizing a properly 

formatted spreadsheet attached to an e-mail and submit to: zzMSHA-Scsr.Inventory. In 

addition, mine operators can also print a form and either fax it to: (412) 386-6928, or 

mail it to: 

Mine Safety and Health Administration 

Technical Support 

Pittsburgh Safety and Health Technology Center 

Attn: SCSR Coordinator 

Cochrans Mill Road 

P.O. Box 18233 

Pittsburgh, PA 15236 

However, these options can take much more time to process than electronic submittals, 

and several problems have been identified as outlined below. 

Key problems encountered by mine operators in submitting SCSR inventories by e-mail 

or fax to MSHA include the following: 

1. E-mails with attachments sent to SCSR.Inventory@dol.gov may have 

unintentionally been blocked, so inventory lists were never delivered to MSHA. 
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Solution: Operators need to check their on-line SCSR inventory (for detailed 

instructions, go to http://www.msha.gov, click on SCSR Inventory/Report, click 

on Detailed Instructions). If previously submitted SCSR data is not found in the 

database, you will need to resend your inventory, either to 

SCSR.Inventory@dol.gov, or using the electronic form. 

2. Inventories submitted by e-mail or fax are often missing contact information; all 

incomplete inventories are returned to the operator for correction and need to be 

resubmitted. 

Solution: Use the electronic form. When submitting SCSR data on-line, the 

inventory system will not allow incomplete information to be entered. When 

submitting information by email or fax, make sure that you include: 1) mine 

name, 2) mine ID, 3) company name, 4) address, 5) contact name, and 5) the 

telephone number for your contact. Submitted inventories that are handwritten 

are often not legible; faxed copies can be smeared and not readable; and typing 

or handwriting is sometimes small and hard to read. These types of inventories 

are also returned to the operator for correction and need to be resubmitted. 

Use the electronic form. The use of the on-line system will minimize errors and 

is a more efficient way to submit SCSR data. 

Additional guidance on what should and should not be submitted to the SCSR 

inventory: 

 1. Submitted inventories should only include SCSRs used in the mine, including those 

units on mantrips and mobile equipment. 

Clarification: SCSRs not in use, such as those in warehouses, do not have to be 

reported. 

2. Submitted inventories, including those utilizing properly formatted spreadsheets, 

should only include the information required on the MSHA Form 2000-222. 

Suggestion: Use the electronic form. The on-line system will not permit entry of 

data that is not required. 

3. Operators should only submit one MSHA Form 2000-222 per mine ID inventory, and 

attach a list of any additional units if there is more than one SCSR at that location. 

Suggestion: Use the electronic form. When submitting SCSR data on-line, the 

inventory system will allow for the entry of one unit or multiple entries by 

importing the information from any attached list. 
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4. Submitted inventories that contain SCSRs purchased or transferred from one mine to 

another mine are being recognized as duplicates by serial number, and the system will 

not accept the addition to the inventory. 

Solution: Use the electronic form. The system will immediately identify 

attempts to enter duplicates. Sold or transferred SCSRs need to be removed from 

the inventory of one mine ID before being re-entered into the database under 

another mine ID. SCSRs can readily be transferred from one mine ID inventory 

and entered into another by operators who have rights to access these mine IDs 

5. Submitted inventories that include SCSRs taken out of service need to state a reason 

for the SCSR being taken out of service. MSHA Form 2000-222 provides a list of the 

reasons. 

Suggestion: Use of the electronic form to submit will ensure that this 

requirement is not overlooked. 

6. After the initial inventory is submitted, the required quarterly updates should 

include only SCSRs that are either removed from service or new additions to the inmine inventory. 

Clarification: If there is no change to report, the operator does not have to 

submit any quarterly update to MSHA. Only changes are to be submitted each 

quarter, not entire inventories. 

7. Submission of inventories with typographical errors in the SCSR serial numbers 

frequently leads to system duplicates with SCSR serial numbers that are submitted by 

other operators. 

 Suggestion: Submittal by electronic form will immediately identify the 

duplicates. After assuring which operator has the incorrect serial number, the 

operator with the error will be contacted to remove the erroneous serial number 

from their inventory. 

8. In response to the 30 C.F.R § 75.1714-8 requirement that mines “submit to MSHA” or 

“report the change to MSHA”, mines have handed inventories to Coal Mine Safety and 

Health inspectors and considered that to be their official submittal to MSHA. 

Clarification: All SCSR inventories must be submitted ONLY to MSHA’s 

Technical Support through on-line submission, mail, or fax. Inventories 

handed to Coal Mine Safety and Health personnel will not be accepted. 
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What is the background for this PIB? 

In the past, MSHA has discovered problems with all brands of SCSRs. Sometimes, 

these problems were related to specific production runs that generated unique serial 

numbers for the SCSRs. Sometimes, the problems affected SCSRs from one 

manufacturer. During past recalls, MSHA had problems locating outdated or 

nonworking SCSRs. MSHA inspectors had to travel to each mine to examine each SCSR 

to make sure all affected devices were actually removed from service. With the 

Emergency Mine Evacuation Final Rule and the MINER Act requiring a significant 

number of additional SCSRs, a centralized database can facilitate the identification of 

problem SCSRs. MSHA can then expeditiously inform the affected mine operator and 

ensure that these SCSRs are removed from service before miners attempt to use them in 

a mine emergency. 

Several mine operators have reported difficulty inputting their SCSR inventories into 

the MSHA database. Past problems include: 1) a recently identified DOL server 

malfunction prevented delivery of inventory lists to MSHA, 2) mine operators not 

providing sufficient information, 3) unnecessary submittals of complete inventories 

when only quarterly updates are required, 4) some mine operators are not validating 

that their on-line inventory is correct, and 5) mine operator submission of inventories 

with typographical errors in the SCSR serial numbers resulting in system duplications. 

This PIB clarifies procedures to follow to assist mine operators in getting their SCSR 

inventories entered into the database, and provides examples of some typical problems 

that have been encountered in the past year in populating the database. 

What is the authority for this PIB? 

The Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977; as amended, 30 U.S.C. § 801 et seq.; 30 

C.F.R. §§ 75.1714-8. 

Who is the contact person for this PIB? 

Technical Support 

Jeffery H. Kravitz, (412) 386-6923 

E-mail: Kravitz.jeffery@dol.gov 

Coal Mine Safety and Health 

Monty Cristo (202) 693-9527 

christo.monty@dol.gov

Is this PIB on the Internet? 

This PIB may be viewed on the Internet by accessing MSHA’s home page at 

http://www.msha.gov then choosing “Compliance Info” and “Program Information 

Bulletins.” 
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Who will receive this PIB? 

MSHA Program Policy Manual Holders 

Underground Coal Mine Operators 

Miners’ Representatives 

Independent Contractors 

Special Interest Groups