U.S. Department of Labor

Mine Safety and Health Administration 1100 Wilson Boulevard Arlington, Virginia 22209-3939

FROM:           RAY McKINNEY
                       Administrator for
                            for Coal Mine Safety and Health

SUBJECT:      Annual Review of Approved SCSR Storage Plans, Annual Survey of
                         Self-Rescue Devices and Investigating and Reporting Problems with
                         Self-Rescue Devices

Scope
This Procedure Instruction Letter (PIL) applies to all Coal Mine Safety and Health (CMS&H) compliance personnel. Furthermore, this guidance has even greater significance due to the increased numbers of SCSR and storage caches required by the March 9, 2006 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) on Emergency Mine Evacuation (71 FR 12252).

Purpose
The purpose of reissuing this procedure instruction letter is to continue guidance for district personnel responsible for: reviewing self-contained self-rescuer (SCSR) storage plans; conducting annual surveys of self-rescue devices; and investigating and reporting problems with self-rescue (SR) devices. This will help ensure the self-rescue devices provided for use at a mine-site are used, located, inspected and maintained in accordance with the regulations.

Background
In May 2003, the Mine Safety and Health Administration's (MSHA) procedures for the inspection of self-rescue devices were reapportioned from MSHA Handbook Number PH00-V-11, Coal Self-Rescuer Inspection Procedures Handbook (Self-Rescuer Handbook) to a series of locations more appropriate to the subject matter. This initial handbook was originally released in October 2000, in response to recommendations from the Office of the Inspector General upon completion of an MSHA requested review of a procurement contract and recall of certain SCSR devices. The incorporated items were subsequently determined to be more properly placed in the general inspection procedures document along with administrative instructions.

This PIL reflects the new locations of the self-rescuer inspection procedures of the Self-Rescuer Handbook into Coal Mine Safety and Health's (CMS&H) General Inspection Procedures Handbook and other accompanying SCSR directives. All of MSHA's required inspection activities will continue to be maintained through the implementation of this PIL and other directives in place of the Self-Rescuer Handbook. The integration of the provisions of the Self-Rescuer Handbook into other MSHA directives remains as set forth in the attachment.

Procedure Instruction
Annual Review of Approved SCSR Storage Plans - Each CMS&H District with underground coal mines that have an MSHA-approved SCSR storage plan, allowing miners to be further than 25 feet from their 1-hour SCSR devices, were required to implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's) for conducting a review of every MSHA-approved SCSR storage plan during each 12-month fiscal year period. When necessary, clarification and guidance will be provided by Headquarters. This review should incorporate a mine visit by the reviewer or consultation with the assigned inspector to verify the approved plan parameters.

The person conducting the annual SCSR plans review must determine if there have been any significant changes to the in-mine conditions or the mining process which impact the criteria used by the district in granting approval of the mine operator's SCSR storage plan. In making this determination, the person conducting the review must evaluate:

1) the 11 factors outlined in 30 C.F.R. § 75.1714-2(e)(1)(i) through (xi);
2) the SCSR Storage Plan Approval Guidelines in Volume V of the MSHA Program Policy Manual;
3) MSHA Form 2000-220;
4) whether commingling of different types of SCSR's will be permitted and if so, the means for ensuring that all miners are satisfactorily trained on each device;
5) any changes that have been made to the MSHA SCSR Storage Plan Approval Guidelines since the plan was approved or last reviewed: and,
6) if a separate outby SCSR storage plan is required by the March 9, 2006, Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS).

1) the mine name;
2) mine ID number;
3) name of the person(s) who conducted the review;
4) date(s)the review was conducted; and
5) any identified deficiencies that would necessitate a revision to the approved plan. A copy of this documentation must be filed with the official copy of the approved SCSR storage plan and in the Uniform Mine File.

1) the type and quantity of self-rescue devices deployed in the coal mining industry; and
2) any mine conditions that may impact the ability of miners to escape a mine in the event of an emergency.

1) investigating reported incidents involving the adequacy of self-rescue devices;
2) training enforcement personnel to ensure the inspectors understand the procedures and know what is expected; and
3) reporting serious incidents.

1) An injury to a miner while using a self-rescue device;
2) Failure of a self-rescue device to perform as designed; and
3) An incident that resulted in a need for a miner(s) to don a self-rescue device to escape to a safe location. Item 3 applies even if there were no reported injuries and the self-rescue devices performed as designed.