Thursday, November 05, 2009
MSHA issues three program information bulletins
The Mine Safety and Health Administration last week issued a program information bulletin (.pdf file) on the proper procedures for using a CSE Corp. SR-MP training unit after eight miners received chemical burns to their mouths during a training exercise.
According to the bulletin, an examination determined the outsides of the units were contaminated with potassium superoxide, a chemical compound used in rebreathers that can cause burns if it leaks out of the canister and comes into contact with skin. The contamination appears to have occurred when overused units were placed in the same container as unused units, according to a July notice from Monroeville, PA-based CSE.
MSHA also announced a new emphasis on auditing underground permissible equipment (.pdf file) and reissued a program information bulletin on the Voluntary Fire Suppression Agent Suitability Program (.pdf file).