MSHA has issued its first Procedure Instruction Letter (PIL) for coal mines of 2011. The letter applies to Coal Mine Safety and Health District Managers, coal mine enforcement personnel and Technical Support (TS) personnel. The PIL provides “guidance for district personnel on when to send roof control plans and amendments to TS for further review. Roof control plans and amendments meeting certain criteria should be forwarded to TS for additional analysis.”
The PIL explains that “Recent evaluations of the Roof Control Plan Approval Process have resulted in recommendations to improve the sometimes complex review of roof control plans. One of these recommendations addressed the need to establish guidelines for District personnel concerning the requesting of assistance from TS during the roof control plan review process. … The criteria listed in the PIL were chosen for two reasons. First, ground control hazards associated with room and pillar retreat mining tend to intensify with depth. At overburden depths of 1000 feet and greater, extra precautions such as the use of substantial barrier pillars are needed. Secondly, it is anticipated that operators will increasingly be submitting consultant’s reports, computer modeling and other analyses, in-lieu-of or in addition to an ARMPS evaluation to MSHA, to be used as justification for plan approval.”
The MSHA Procedure Instruction Letter is attached below.
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