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Timestamp: 2019-12-11 04:41:48
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What Is an MSHA Part 46 Training Program? | Convergence Training
The MSHA Part 46 training requirements for US surface mines requires mine operators create specific training programs to particular groups of workers at a surface mine site.
Each mandatory training program covers one or more mining safety topics-some of the training programs cover quite a few topics, as you’ll learn below.
In addition to requiring the training cover certain topics, MSHA’s Part 46 also specifies which workers/miners should receive the training, how long the training should last, and when the workers should complete the training.
What Different Part 46 Training Programs Does MSHA Require?
Here’s how the Part 46 regulations in the CFR put this in 46.3:
You must develop and implement a written plan, approved by us under either paragraph (b) or (c) of this section, that contains effective programs for training new miners and newly hired experienced miners, training miners for new tasks, annual refresher training, and site-specific hazard awareness training.
So the training programs that MSHA requires at a surface mine are:
The New Miner Training Program
The New Miner training program is explained fully in 46.5.
As you might have guessed, this training program is required for newly hired miners who have not completed this kind of training at a previous job.
The newly hired miner must complete four hours of new miner training before working in any way and at least 24 hours of new miner training before he or she can begin work under the observation of an experienced miner.
Read more about the MSHA Part 46 New Miner training program requirements here.
The Newly Hired Experienced Miner Training Program
The Newly Hired Experienced Miner training program is explained in 46.6 and is similar to the New Miner program, but it’s for new hires who have already received this kind of training in a past job.
Quick side-note: Here’s how MSHA defines x in 46.2:
The training required for newly hired experienced miners is similar to the training required for new miners, and there’s overlap between the two training programs. But in general, a newly hired experienced miner will have to complete less mining safety training than a new miner will.
Newly hired experienced miners have to complete four hours of the required Newly Hired Experienced Miner training program before beginning work and the balance of the training program within the first 60 days on the job. This additional training must include training on self-rescue and respiratory devices if they are used at the mine.
The New Task Training Programs
The requirements for New Task training programs is spelled out by MSHA in 46.7.
The basic idea here is that before any miner can perform a new task on the job, that miner must receive new task safety training that matches the hazards of that task.
Plus, a miner must receive safety training “if a chance occurs in a miner’s assigned task that affects the health and safety risks” the miner will face when performing the task.
It’s worth reviewing the definition of task in MSHA’s Part 46 for this training program:
The Annual Refresher Training Program
The Annual Refresher training program is spelled out in MSHA’s 46.8.
And you’ve probably already guessed the basics of this one: After a miner has been hired, and has completed that New Miner or Newly Hired Experienced Miner training program, the miner will have to complete additional refresher safety training every year for Part 46.
According to 46.8, all miners must complete 8 hours of annual refresher training. The annual refresher training must be provided “No later than 12 months after the miner begins work at the mine” and “Thereafter, no later than 12 months after the previous annual refresher training was completed.”
The Site-Specific Hazard Awareness Training Program
The Site-Specific Hazard Awareness training program is discussed in 46.11 (it’s a little hidden down there).
As explained in 46.11(d), “Site-specific hazard awareness training is information or instructions on the hazards a person could be exposed to while at the mine, as well as applicable emergency procedures.”
There are two groups of people who have to receive the Site-Specific Hazard Awareness training called for in MSHA Part 46.
The first group is made up of the miners performing mining operations. Often, these miners will receive site-specific hazard awareness training as part of their New Miner training program, Newly Hired Experienced Miner training program, various New Task training programs, and their Annual Refresher training programs.
MSHA describes the second group of people who must receive the Site-Specific Hazard Awareness training program this way: “any person who is not a miner as defined by 46.2 of this part but is present at a mine site.” So for example, that includes:
Making MSHA Part 46 Training Compliance Easier
As you see, there’s a lot to do to comply with the MSHA Part 46 training requirements at surface mines. You’ve got to create training programs and a training plan; you’ve got to deliver a lot of training; you’ve got to keep track of new tasks and training expiration dates; and you’ve got to create a lot of certificates and documentations and store them securely; and more.
Why not partner with a company to help with your MSHA Part 46 training compliance needs? We’ve got a learning management system (LMS) that’s specially designed for MSHA Part 46 training compliance. Plus we’ve got a huge collection of online mining safety training courses to help you deliver training matching the MSHA Part 46 training programs we just discussed. And on top of that, we offer general health and safety training online courses as well as an incident management system for workplace safety management.
Putting Your Training Programs Together to Create a MSHA Part 46 Training Plan
Remember, once you’re designed and assembled your MSHA Part 46 training programs, you’ve got to:
Compile them into a MSHA Part 46 training plan for MSHA documentation requirements
Deliver the training in those training programs
Create certificates for that training and get those certificates to miners
Keep records of that training
We’ll write more about the training plan soon, so hang tight for that.
And this article explains the MSHA Part 46 training documentation requirements more fully.
Conclusion: Understanding MSHA Part 46 Training Programs Is Essential
If you’re the owner/operator of a surface mine in the US, it’s critical that you understand the MSHA Part 46 training requirements, including knowing what a training program is, what training must be provided in each training program, when that training should be provided, and to whom.
However, as we hope this article helped explain, understanding all of this about MSHA Part 46 training programs really isn’t that hard. And as we also mentioned, complying with the MSHA training requirements for Part 46 is much easier if you partner with a company like Convergence Training, who has online safety training courses specially designed for compliance with MSHA Part 46 as well as a MSHA-specific LMS for creating all the documentation, certificates, and records.
We hope this article provided some valuable information to you. Before you go, please download our free guide to MSHA Training Compliance and Online Training Tools.