40800 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 146/Thursday, July 30, 1998 / Proposed Rules

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Mine Safety and Health Administration

30 CFR Parts 56, 57, and 77

Safety Standards for Surface Haulage

AGENCY: Mine Safety and Health

Administration (MSHA), Labor.

ACTION: Advance notice of proposed

rulemaking.

SUMMARY: MSHA is considering

rulemaking to address factors believed

to cause or contribute to the occurrence

or severity of surface haulage accidents.

Surface haulage equipment accidents

are a leading safety concern in the

mining industry. MSHA is sharing its

ideas and seeking suggestions to reduce

these accidents.

DATES: Submit comments and requests

for meetings on or before August 31,

1998.

ADDRESSES: A copy of this notice may be

obtained from the Office of Standards,

Regulations and Variances, Mine Safety

and Health Administration, 4015

Wilson Boulevard, Room 627,

Arlington, Virginia 22203 and from any

MSHA district office. Send mail

comments to MSHA, Office of

Standards, Regulations, and Variances,

at the above address. Commenters are

encouraged to submit comments on a

computer disk along with an original

hard copy. Send comments by

electronic mail to comments@msha.gov

or by facsimile to 703–235–5551.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Patricia W. Silvey, Director; MSHA,

Office of Standards, Regulations, and

Variances; 703–235-1910.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

Thirty percent of fatal mining

accidents at surface mines and surface

areas of underground mines over the

past three years involved surface

haulage equipment. Further, this

equipment was cited as the primary

cause in 40 percent of the fatalities last

year in the metal and nonmetal mining

industry.

MSHA examined approximately 8,000

surface accidents (from 1987 to 1996)

involving powered haulage equipment

which resulted in either fatalities or lost

work days. During that time, 120 miners

were killed and 1,377 were injured due

to three causes or contributing factors:

unused or inadequate occupant restraint

systems on the equipment; blind areas

on self-propelled mobile equipment;

and lack of adequate illumination.

II. Discussion of the Contributing

Factors

Restraint Systems

The Agency is considering a

requirement for all vehicles to have

restraint systems for the lower torso

(seat belts) for both equipment operators

and passengers, whether or not the

vehicle has Roll Over Protective

Structures (ROPS).

For newly manufactured equipment,

except for on-highway trucks, the

Agency is considering requiring upper

torso restraint systems (e.g., harnesses or

equivalent) and an interlock system to

prevent movement of the vehicle unless

the equipment operator’s restraint

system is engaged. As an added safety

feature, a light on the cab exterior could

indicate when the equipment operator’s

restraint system is engaged. The Agency

is also considering whether to extend

the metal/nonmetal requirement that

grader operators wear safety lines and a

harness when operating the grader from

a standing position to coal mines,

instead of a restraint system with

interlock.

Issues to be considered include (1)

requiring use of an interlock system

together with a mandated seat belt rule;

(2) whether it is safe to use restraint

systems on vehicles not equipped with

ROPS; (3) whether there is a need to

require restraint systems for passenger

seats; and (4) whether upper torso

restraints would result in more neck

injuries. Specific examples, including

documented evidence, if available,

would be useful.

Illumination

Illumination deficiencies contributed

to a number of surface haulage accidents

because of problems associated with

inability to see victims, judge distances,

clearly see berms and slope edges, and

restricted vision during inclement

weather such as fog.

MSHA is considering the following

requirements for illumination:

• Permanently mounted lighting for

pre-operational examination of

equipment;

• Automatic backup lights that

illuminate the rear-tire-to-ground

contact area;

• Ground surface lighting for certain

excavating equipment operating in areas

with uneven or irregular surfaces;

• Lighting necessary to see the road

ahead and objects in blind areas; and

• For off-highway equipment only,

lighting on steps and hand grip areas

used to get in and out of the operator’s

compartment, and to illuminate the

ground area at the base of the steps.

Blind Areas

Surface haulage equipment involved

in most fatal accidents include rear

dump trucks and articulated front-end

loaders; they are also the most used. The

Agency is considering that this surface

haulage equipment should: (1) Have a

system, such as video cameras, to enable

the operator to see blind areas; (2) have

an automatic sensor to detect objects or

people in the blind area; (3) have a

signal to alert people that they are in

blind areas; and (4) provide a signal to

the operator when objects or people

have been sensed. The sensor could use

infrared, radio frequency, Doppler radar,

or equivalent technology, so long as it

emits a signal. In order to be effective,

object sensors would have to

automatically activate a viewing device

(such as a video camera) and monitor

when an object is sensed. When a

spotter is used to assist a rear dump

truck operator, two-way electronic

communication between the spotter and

the operator is necessary for adequate

protection.

MSHA is considering a performance

approach where mine operators would

be required to eliminate left, right, and

front blind areas on all rear dump trucks

and articulated front-end loaders. The

Agency is considering a requirement

that all blind areas, including the rear,

must be eliminated on off-highway rear

dump trucks and articulated front-end

loaders.

To enhance the visibility of smaller

vehicles, such as service trucks, pickups, and other vehicles that may operate

in close proximity to large surface

haulage equipment, MSHA is

considering a requirement for flashing

lights and pole or antenna-mounted

flags on these vehicles. Experience has

shown that these smaller vehicles are

often obscured from the field of view of

operators of larger equipment.

List of Subjects in 30 CFR Parts 56, 57,

and 77

Mine safety and health, Surface

mining.

Dated: July 24, 1998.

J. Davitt McAteer,

Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and

Health.

[FR Doc. 98–20351 Filed 7–29–98; 8:45 am]

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