[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 236 (Tuesday, December 9, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 64789-64790]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-32203]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Mine Safety and Health Administration

30 CFR Parts 57 and 75

RIN 1219-AA94


 Safety Standards for the Use of Roof-Bolting Machines in 
Underground Mines

AGENCY: Mine Safety and Health Administration, Labor.

ACTION: Advance notice of proposed rulemaking.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Recent accidents in underground coal mines involving roof-
bolting machines indicate the need to modify the design of such 
machines and require additional safety features. The accident history 
involving use of these machines prompted the Mine Safety and Health 
Administration (MSHA) to evaluate roof-bolting machines currently in 
use, primarily focusing on potential hazards to the machine operators 
during the drilling and roof-bolt installation procedures. As a result 
of the evaluation of accidents, MSHA is in the early stages of 
establishing design criteria and operating procedures for roof-bolting 
machines in underground mines. This notice seeks to obtain additional 
information and data on machine design, operating procedures, and 
miners' experiences with roof-bolting machines.

DATES: Submit comments on or before February 9, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to the Office of Standards, Regulations, and 
Variances, MSHA, Room 631, 4015 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia 
22203. Commenters are encouraged to submit comments on a computer disk 
or via e-mail to [email protected] along with an original hard copy or 
via telefax to: 703-235-5551.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia W. Silvey, Director, Office 
of Standards, Regulations, and Variances, 703-235-1910.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    An estimated 2,500 roof-bolting machines are currently in use at 
underground coal, potash, trona, and salt mines in the United States. 
The machines are used to install many types of roof bolts and other 
support materials into the mine roof.
    Between January 1984 and April 1994, 16 fatal accidents occurred 
involving the operation and maintenance of roof-bolting machines. In a 
six-week period in early 1994, three operators of roof-bolting machines 
were killed while operating the machines in coal mines. Two were 
crushed between the drill head and machine frame while bolting the rib, 
and the other was crushed between the drill head boom and canopy when 
the fast-feed boom lift lever was inadvertently activated. Responding 
to these accidents, on April 4, 1994, MSHA formed and chaired the Roof-
Bolting-Machine Committee (committee) with representatives from the 
U.S. Bureau of Mines and the West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, 
Safety, and Training, to review accident data, to visit mines to 
observe roof-bolting practices, and to interview miners. Additionally, 
the committee met with four major roof-bolting machine manufacturers, 
who provided data and technical information on machine design and 
function.
    The study focused on boom and mast-type roof-bolting machines and 
did not include continuous mining machines with integral bolters. 
Primarily, the committee examined the potential hazards to the roof-
bolter operators during the drilling and roof-bolt installation 
procedures.
    Following this study, the committee issued a Report of Findings 
(Report) on roof bolter safety on July 8, 1994 outlining problems and 
potential solutions for reducing roof-bolting accidents. These findings 
are summarized below. Copies of the Report are available to the public 
at all MSHA district offices; from MSHA's Office of Standards, 
Regulations, and Variances, by calling 703-235-1910; and through MSHA's 
Home Page on the Internet, at http://www.msha.gov.
    The committee was reconvened on October 21, 1996. The purpose of 
this meeting was to determine whether any new technology or design 
changes had occurred beyond those included in the committee's 1994 
Report. The committee identified one design change, a new valve 
developed by a manufacturer to prevent its two-handed, fast-feed valve 
from being bypassed.
    The committee also reviewed MSHA accident data for the period from 
April 1994 through December 1996. (The report covered January 1984 
through March 25, 1994.) Although there have been numerous accidents 
and injuries, there have been no fatalities related to the operation of 
roof-bolting machines in either coal or metal and nonmetal mines since 
the issuance of the roof-bolter safety report. An analysis of the data 
confirmed that accidents directly related to the operation and 
maintenance of roof-bolting machines continue to occur.

II. Findings

    The committee identified several roof-bolting-related problem areas 
which may have contributed to or caused the accidents. These included: 
(1) inadvertent actuation of controls, particularly the drill-head, 
fast-feed control lever, which contributed to approximately 50 percent 
of the fatal accidents; (2) work position location; (3) retrieval of 
drill steel; (4) resin insertion; (5) location of controls; and (6) 
control malfunction. In addition, the committee identified various 
other areas for improvement in future roof-bolting machine design.

III. General Issues

    The committee developed ten possible solutions to address problems 
with existing roof-bolting machines. The solutions are as follows:
    1. Installing two-handed, fast-feed controls that prevent actuation 
of drill-head feed controls while the machine operators are positioned 
in pinch-point areas.

[[Page 64790]]

    2. Installing a drill-head raise shutoff. This device would be 
installed in the drill-head raise pinch point and would immediately 
stop the hydraulic oil flow to the drill-head feed cylinder, thus 
preventing the feed cylinder from being raised and accidentally 
injuring the operator.
    3. Installing auxiliary controls for the canopy raise/lower and 
boom swing functions to eliminate the pinch point where operators have 
been injured by the swinging boom.
    4. Installing control guarding or double-acting fast-feed controls, 
or both, to prevent inadvertent activation.
    5. Providing visual identification of pinch-point areas to alert 
the operator of the danger area.
    6. Installing self-centering controls to prevent continued machine 
movement when the control lever is released.
    7. Securing the rotating drill steels or wrench to prevent the 
operator from becoming entangled in these moving machine components.
    8. Installing insertion/retrieval devices (resin insertion tools or 
drill steel retrieval) to eliminate the need for the operator to extend 
his body into a pinch point or climb onto the boom.
    9. Standardizing location of controls to prevent inadvertent 
actuation of controls due to different roof-bolting machine control 
layouts.
    10. Conducting a pre-operational inspection of machine controls to 
detect malfunctions prior to operation.
    These possible solutions are intended to address the problems with 
roof-bolting machines and to prevent accidents. MSHA requests miners, 
mine operators, manufacturers, and other interested parties to comment 
on the qualitative and quantitative potential benefits and costs of 
compliance associated with adoption of these solutions, and any 
alternatives to these solutions.
    Although MSHA is considering development of a proposed rule to 
address the hazards associated with roof-bolting machines, the Agency 
also solicits comment from the public on alternatives, other than 
rulemaking, to address safety hazards on roof-bolting machines used in 
the mines today.

IV. Specific Issues

    Because a roof-bolting machine standard would apply to both coal 
and metal and nonmetal mining industries, commenters should provide 
specific justification for their positions based on sound engineering, 
work practices, and mining conditions. MSHA requests comment on the 
technological and economical feasibility and benefits of the solutions 
suggested in the Report of Findings and in this notice. Specifically, 
MSHA seeks input on the following issues: the current availability of 
technology to retrofit existing machines with two-handed fast-feed 
controls, double-acting fast-feed controls, control guarding, visual 
identification markers to alert the operator of the pinch point area, 
self-centering controls, or insertion/retrieval devices; the impact on 
the design and operation of existing machines if retrofitting were to 
be required; the impact of available technology on newly-purchased 
machines; the costs to manufacturers and mine operators of available 
technology; and any other information that is relevant to the findings 
in the Report. Commenters are encouraged to provide information 
specific to their mining conditions.

V. Impact

    Executive Order 12866 requires that regulatory agencies assess both 
the costs and benefits of intended regulations, and propose regulations 
on the basis that the benefits justify the costs. Regulatory agencies 
also are required to base decisions on the best reasonably obtainable 
scientific, technical, economic, and other data and information 
concerning the need for and the consequences of the proposed 
regulations.
    MSHA is in the early stages of developing a proposed rule. The 
Agency anticipates that the benefit of a safety standard addressing 
design criteria and operating procedures for the use of roof-bolting 
machines in underground mines would be the prevention of fatalities and 
injuries which occur when these machines are operated.

VI. Public Participation

    MSHA requests comments on the specific issues addressed in this 
notice as well as those addressed in the Report of Findings. Interested 
parties are particularly encouraged to be as specific as possible in 
addressing each of MSHA's possible solutions and in suggesting 
alternatives to these solutions. MSHA also requests that commenters 
include specific examples and cost estimates to support their rationale 
to assist the Agency in evaluating and analyzing their comments.

List of Subjects in 30 CFR Parts 57 and 75

    Mine safety and health, Underground mining.

    Dated: December 3, 1997.
J. Davitt McAteer,
Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 97-32203 Filed 12-8-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-43-P