Testing, Evaluation, and Approval of Electric Motor-Driven Mine Equipment and Accessories

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is revising its regulations that set out the testing, evaluation, and approval requirements for electric motor-driven mine equipment and accessories intended for use in gassy mines. Under this final rule, MSHA incorporates by reference eight ANSI-approved voluntary consensus standards that are suitable for gassy mining environments to protect against fire or explosion hazards, and accepts them as alternatives to the existing testing, evaluation, and approval requirements for electric motor-driven mine equipment and accessories. This final rule offers more flexibility in the testing, evaluation, and approval requirements that product designers and manufacturers must meet in seeking MSHA approvals. This final rule will promote the use of innovative and advanced technologies that lead to improvements in mine safety and health.