Mines Face New Hurdles in Protecting Workers From Silica Dust

Tougher federal limits on miners’ exposure to toxic silica dust are creating a slew of compliance challenges for mine operators, from new air sampling and notice requirements to medical monitoring mandates.

About 1,100 coal mines in the US have one year to comply with the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s recently finalized rule, which calls for all underground and surface mines to reduce the amount of breathable silica dust by 50%. More than 11,000 non-coal mines like copper quarries and gravel pits have two years to get up to speed.

“I would not be surprised that when the compliance ...