What protective clothing and equipment must surface coal mine employees wear under 30 CFR 77.1710? Answer in under 100 words.

Details / How it works

Section 77.1710 requires each employee working in a surface coal mine, or in the surface work areas of an underground coal mine within the United States, to wear protective clothing and devices per MSHA standards:

• Eye protection: Face shields or goggles (e.g., welding helmets, safety glasses) when welding (arc or oxy-fuel), cutting, working with molten metal, or when flying particles, intense light, or chemical splashes exist.
• Body protection: Suitable full-coverage clothing (e.g., chemical-resistant suits, aprons, or coveralls) when handling corrosive or toxic substances or skin-injury materials.
• Hand protection: Gloves appropriate to the hazard (leather, rubber, cut-resistant, or insulated).
• Head protection: A suitable hard hat or hard cap that is impact- and penetration-resistant.
• Foot protection: Steel-toed boots, metatarsal guards, or slip-, puncture-, and impact-resistant footwear.
• Fall protection: Safety belts (full-body harnesses) and lifelines where there is danger of falling; a second person (safety attendant) shall tend the lifeline when bins, tanks, or other dangerous areas are entered.
• Flotation: Lifejackets or life belts where there is danger from falling into water.
• Vehicle restraints: Seatbelts (operator restraint systems) in vehicles where overturning danger exists and rollover protective structures (ROPS) are provided.

Numbers & thresholds

Exceptions & edge cases

• Glove exception: Gloves are not worn where they would create a greater hazard by becoming entangled in the moving parts of equipment.
• Hard hat painting: If a hard hat or hard cap is painted, nonmetallic based paint shall be used to avoid compromising electrical insulation or structural integrity.
• Lifeline attendant: When bins, tanks, or other dangerous areas are entered, a second person (safety attendant) must tend the lifeline.
• Seatbelt condition: Operator restraint systems apply specifically where a vehicle presents overturning danger and rollover protective structures (ROPS) are provided.

Authority: Section 101(a) of the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969; originally published in the Federal Register on May 22, 1971 (36 FR 9382), with later amendments (36 FR 13143, July 15, 1971; 39 FR 7176, February 25, 1974).