Mine Safety and Health Administration
Protecting Miners' Safety and Health Since 1978
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U.S. Department of Labor Mine Safety and Health Administration Protecting Miners' Safety and Health Since 1978 |
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ISSUE DATE: January 19, 2007 PROGRAM INFORMATION BULLETIN NO. P07-02 FROM: KEVIN G. STRICKLIN  Acting Administrator for Coal Mine Safety and Health MARK E. SKILES  Director of Technical Support SUBJECT: Potential for the Quick Start Candle on Mine Safety Appliances Life-Saver 60 Self-Contained Self-Rescuer to Overheat or Catch Fire on Units Manufactured from September 1, 1999 through December 31, 2004 Who needs this information? Underground bituminous coal mine operators, miners' representatives, independent contractors, Coal Mine Safety and Health (CMS&H) enforcement and Technical Support personnel, and other interested parties need this information. What is the purpose of this Program Information Bulletin? This Program Information Bulletin (PIB) informs the mining industry about the recent Mine Safety Appliances (MSA) User Advisory (attachment 1) which was issued to avoid the possibility of an overheated Self-Contained Self-Rescuer (SCSR). Information The Life-Saver 60 SCSR contains a component known as a chlorate candle, which automatically activates when the user opens the SCSR. The candle provides an initial supply of oxygen until the chemical in the unit reacts and supplies oxygen to the user. MSA has received some reports of excessive heat, sparks, and/or fire upon activation of another MSA product which uses similar technology: a Chemox Oxygen-Generating Breathing Apparatus (OBA) used for fire fighting, typically aboard naval vessels, and not used in mining. MSA has not received any heating or sparking reports from users concerning properly maintained Life-Saver 60 SCSRs. Although MSA considers the likelihood of overheating to be very small, MSA is recommending action to avoid the possibility of a potential overheating. The Life-Saver 60 SCSR can also be identified by the NIOSH/MSHA approval number TC-13F- 385. Required Action Users should remove from service all Life-Saver 60 SCSRs manufactured from September 1, 1999 through December 31, 2004. Life-Saver 60 SCSRs manufactured before September 1, 1999, are not affected by this PIB. To identify SCSRs that are affected by this PIB, users should refer to the date of manufacture, which is stamped on the closure band as MFR mm-dd-yy. Units stamped as MFR 090199 through MFR 123104 should be removed from service. Users should then follow the instructions in the MSA User Advisory attached. Due Date Identified Life-Saver 60 SCSRs should be immediately removed from service. What is the background for this PIB? On November 14, 2002, NIOSH issued a Respirator User Notice (attachment 2) informing users of the MSA Life-Saver 60 Self-Contained Self-Rescuer (SCSR) that the potential for the quick start candle to become excessively hot existed on MSA Life-Saver 60 SCSRs manufactured from October 2000 to July 2002. In extreme cases, this excessive heat could cause components near the quick start candle to ignite. MSA had received reports of excessive heat, sparks, and fire relative to OBA canisters used onboard US and Canadian naval vessels. MSA identified that the OBA quick start candle is also used on the Life-Saver 60 SCSR and reported this information to NIOSH and MSHA. However, there were no reports of overheating with the Life-Saver 60 SCSRs as of the date of the issuance of the User Notice. An MSA investigation revealed that the root cause of the overheated quick start candles was due to a higher than normal amount of iron powder present in the quick start candle that could cause the candle to become excessively hot. In 2002, MSA subsequently made changes to the candle production to ensure that the quick start candles contained the right amount of iron powder. Due to the potential risks to the user, both NIOSH and MSHA recommended that mine operators and other employers follow the recommendations listed in MSA's 2002 User Notice, to conduct an inventory of MSA Life-Saver 60 SCSRs in their possession and identify all those units in service that were manufactured between September 2000 and July 2002. In accordance with that Notice, prompt action was recommended. Since that time, there have been additional reports of similar problems with the quick start candles on Chemox OBA devices. MSA has re-evaluated the situation, and has now extended its Advisory to include all SCSRs manufactured between September 1, 1999 through December 31, 2004. The reason MSA has revised its dates for the Life-Saver 60 is because it issued a Chemox User Notice earlier this year, which included specific candle lot numbers. MSA wants to be consistent with the Chemox User Notice, since both devices use the same type of quick start candle. What is MSHA's authority for this PIB? The Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, as amended, 30 U.S.C. �1 et seq. and 30 C.F.R. �.1714. Is this PIB on the Internet? This information may be viewed on the World Wide Web by accessing MSHA's home page at (http://www.msha.gov), choosing "Compliance Info" and "Program Information Bulletins." Who are the MSHA contact persons for this PIB? Coal Mine Safety and Health Terry L. Bentley (202) 693-9521 E-mail: Bentley.Terry@dol.gov Hubert Sherer (202) 693-9623 E-mail: Sherer.Hubert@dol.gov Technical Support Terry Hoch (412) 386-6902 E-mail: Hoch.Terry@dol.gov Jeffery H. Kravitz (412) 386-6923 E-mail: Kravitz.Jeffery@dol.gov Who will receive this PIB? MSHA PPM Holders Underground Bituminous Mine Operators Miners' Representatives Independent Contractors Special Interest Groups See Attachments  |
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