Key points
- Coal mine operators in the United States are required to provide respirators to miners.
- Coal mine operators should only provide units approved by NIOSH and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).
- NIOSH conducts long-term field evaluations (LTFEs) of respirators approved for use in mine settings to assess their reliability and performance.
Background
Current regulations and guidelines require coal mine operators in the United States to provide respirators to each miner. Each underground coal miner must have a self-contained self-rescuer (SCSR), also referred to as closed-circuit escape respirator (CCER) unit. Title 30, Code of Federal Regulations (30 CFR) §75.1714 provides safety standards for underground coal mines. The regulation requires that each person in an underground coal mine wear, carry, or have ready access to a unit. Coal mine operators should only provide units approved by NIOSH and MSHA.
NIOSH Approved® respirators approved for use in mine settings can be found on the NIOSH Certified Equipment List. Customized links to quickly find CCERs and SCSRs are below.
Long-term field evaluations
NIOSH, in cooperation with MSHA, conducts ongoing, LTFEs of SCSR and CCER units. These evaluations assess a units' reliability and performance while deployed in underground coal mines. Results from LTFEs can be found below.
- Self-Contained Self-Rescuer (SCSR) Long-Term Field Evaluation: Combined Eighth and Ninth Phase Results DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2007-103 (October 2006).NIOSH and MSHA evaluated over 400 units from December 2000 until April 2004. This report presents the findings of the laboratory testing.
- Self-Contained Self-Rescuer (SCSR) Long-Term Evaluation Tenth Phase Results – RI9675 DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2008-138 (June 2008).This report presents findings regarding laboratory tested SCSRs in the tenth phase of testing, from July 2004 to March 2006.
PPE CASE reports
As part of the LTFE program, NIOSH conducts point-of-use assessments by sampling and testing NIOSH ApprovedSubpart O CCERs (42 CFR Part 84 Subpart O) and SCSRs (42 CFR Part 84 Subpart H) that are deployed in underground coal mines around the United States.
Recent point-of-use assessment reports for mining LTFE evaluations can be found below and on the NIOSH PPE CASE reports page.
- P2022-0102 – Point-of-Use Assessment for Closed-Circuit Escape Respirators Sampled from Mines that use both Subpart O and Subpart H Approved Units: First Phase
- P2019-0101 – Point-of-Use Assessment for Self-Contained Self-Rescuers Randomly Sampled from Mining Districts: Third Phase
- P2018-0102 – Point-of-Use Assessment for Self-Contained Self-Rescuers Randomly Sampled from Mining Districts: Second Phase
- P2018-0101 – Point-of-Use Assessment for Self-Contained Self-Rescuers Randomly Sampled from Mining Districts: First Phase
- CCERs, also referred to as SCSRs, approved under Subpart H can be used within their given service life. However, after 2015, new devices cannot be approved under Subpart H.
- NIOSH Approved is a certification mark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) registered in the United States and several international jurisdictions.