[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 121 (Monday, June 24, 2024)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 52380]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-13510]



[[Page 52380]]

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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Mine Safety and Health Administration

30 CFR Parts 56, 57, 60, 70, 71, 72, 75, and 90

[Docket No. MSHA-2023-0001]
RIN 1219-AB36


Lowering Miners' Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica and 
Improving Respiratory Protection; Correction

AGENCY: Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), Department of 
Labor.

ACTION: Final rule; correction.

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SUMMARY: The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is correcting 
typographical and printing errors in the ``Lowering Miners' Exposure to 
Respirable Crystalline Silica and Improving Respiratory'' final rule 
that was published in the Federal Register on April 18, 2024. The April 
2024 final rule amended the Agency's existing standards to better 
protect miners against occupational exposure to respirable crystalline 
silica, a significant health hazard, and to improve respiratory 
protection for miners from exposure to airborne contaminants.

DATES: These corrections are effective June 24, 2024, and applicable 
beginning June 17, 2024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: S. Aromie Noe, Director, Office of 
Standards, Regulations, and Variances, MSHA, at: 
[email protected] (email); 202-693-9440 (voice); or 202-693-9441 
(facsimile). These are not toll-free numbers.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In a final rule published April 18, 2024, at 
89 FR 28218, MSHA amended the Agency's existing standards to better 
protect miners against occupational exposure to respirable crystalline 
silica, a significant health hazard, and to improve respiratory 
protection for miners from exposure to airborne contaminants. This 
document corrects parts of the rule's preamble. Some general 
typographical errors occurred in publication, which the Office of the 
Federal Register was able to correct without publishing a correcting 
amendment, including misrepresenting a reserved paragraph (c) in Sec.  
70.208T, which was correctly incorporated into the CFR on June 17, 
2024, the April rule's effective date.

Corrections

    In (FR Doc. 2024-06920) appearing on page 28218 in the Federal 
Register of Thursday, April 18, 2024), the following corrections are 
made:
    1. On page 28218, in the first column, the SUMMARY is corrected to 
read ``The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is amending its 
existing standards to better protect miners against occupational 
exposure to respirable crystalline silica, a significant health hazard, 
and to improve respiratory protection for miners from exposure to 
airborne contaminants. MSHA is establishing a uniform permissible 
exposure limit for respirable crystalline silica at 50 micrograms per 
cubic meter of air ([micro]g/m\3\) for a full-shift exposure, 
calculated as an 8-hour time-weighted average, for all miners. MSHA's 
final rule also includes other requirements to protect miner health, 
such as exposure sampling, corrective actions to be taken when a 
miner's exposure exceeds the permissible exposure limit, and medical 
surveillance for metal and nonmetal mines.''
    2. On page 28264, in the first column, in the first complete 
paragraph, the sentence, ``In general form, the relative rate model 
was: Rate = exp([alpha]0) x [fnof](E), where 
exp(a0) is the background rate and E is the cumulative 
respirable crystalline silica exposure.'' is corrected to read, ``In 
general form, the relative rate model was: Rate = 
exp([alpha]0) x [fnof](E), where exp ([alpha]0) 
is the background rate and E is the cumulative respirable crystalline 
silica exposure.''
    3. On page 28299, ``Table VII-4: Percentage Distribution of 
Respirable Crystalline Silica Exposures as ISO 8-hour TWA in the Coal 
Industry from 2016 to 2021, by Location'' is removed and ``Table VII-
10: Estimated Annualized Compliance Costs as Percent of Mine Revenues 
(in millions of 2022 dollars), by Sector'' is added in its place to 
read as follows:

                Table VII-10--Estimated Annualized Compliance Costs as Percent of Mine Revenues (in Millions of 2022 Dollars), by Sector
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                                                                   2019        Annualized costs 0        Annualized costs 3        Annualized costs 7
                                                                 revenues     percent discount rate     percent discount rate     percent discount rate
                         Mine sector                           inflated to -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                   2022      Compliance   Cost as %    Compliance   Cost as %    Compliance   Cost as %
                                                                 dollars       costs     of revenues     costs     of revenues     costs     of revenues
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                                                                  30 CFR Part 60 Costs
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Total........................................................     $124,169       $87.59         0.07       $89.05         0.07       $91.07         0.07
Metal/Nonmetal...............................................       95,070        80.12         0.08        81.41         0.09        83.14         0.09
Coal.........................................................       29,099         7.46         0.03         7.64         0.03         7.93         0.03
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                                                        30 CFR Part 60 + 2019 ASTM Upgrade Costs
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Total........................................................      124,169        88.77         0.07        90.28         0.07        92.39         0.07
Metal/Nonmetal...............................................       95,070        80.75         0.08        82.06         0.09        83.84         0.09
Coal.........................................................       29,099         8.02         0.03         8.22         0.03         8.55         0.03
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Christopher J. Williamson,
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2024-13510 Filed 6-21-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4520-43-P