ISA Mining & Metals Industries Division Announcements

ISA 12 Mining Working group activity update:  The ISA12 Equipment in Hazardous Locations committee recently approved a new mining working group. The purpose and scope are:

Purpose: To provide the underground mining industry with industry consensus standards, recommended practices, and technical reports for the design and use of underground mining equipment and for equipment to detect materials within their flammable ranges; To provide the Mine Safety and Health Administration with industry consensus documents to aid in promulgating regulations under Title 30 Code of Federal Regulations; to participate in the development of international standards for such mining equipment.

Scope: Equipment used in mines susceptible to firedamp.

The working group met first in September 2007 and then in February 2008. At its February meeting, the working group reviewed U. S. adoptions of IEC 60079 series of standards with regard to the impact of reinstating references to, and requirements for, Group I. Future plans include comparing other provisions of these standards to current requirements in U. S. standards for mining equipment and developing recommendations to ISA12 to adopt international requirements as needed for U. S. markets for the application of mining equipment in hazardous locations.

  Anyone interested in participating with the ISA 12 Mining Working Group is asked to contact convener Tom Dubaniewicz, NIOSH, phone: 412 386 6596, email tcd5@cdc.gov, for planning purposes.  Please visit the www.isa.org site for information about participating with ISA 12

  The link to ISA12 activities is:   http://www.isa.org/MSTemplate.cfm?MicrositeID=146&CommitteeID=4608