Billing Code: 4520-43-P

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Mine Safety and Health Administration
30 CFR Parts 56, 57, 60, 70, 71, 72, 75, and 90
[Docket No. MSHA–2023–0001]
RIN 1219-AB36
Lowering Miners’ Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica and Improving Respiratory
Protection; Correction
AGENCY: Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), Department of Labor.
ACTION: Final rule; correction.
SUMMARY: The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is correcting typographical
and printing errors in the “Lowering Miners’ Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica and
Improving Respiratory” final rule that was published in the Federal Register on April 18, 2024.
The April 2024 final rule amended the Agency’s existing standards to better protect miners
against occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica, a significant health hazard, and to
improve respiratory protection for miners from exposure to airborne contaminants.
DATES: These corrections are effective [INSERT DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE
FEDERAL REGISTER], and applicable beginning June 17, 2024.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: S. Aromie Noe, Director, Office of
Standards, Regulations, and Variances, MSHA, at: silicaquestions@dol.gov (email); 202-6939440 (voice); or 202-693-9441 (facsimile). These are not toll-free numbers.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In a final rule published April 18, 2024, at 89 FR
28218, MSHA amended the Agency’s existing standards to better protect miners against
occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica, a significant health hazard, and to improve
respiratory protection for miners from exposure to airborne contaminants. This document
corrects parts of the rule’s preamble. Some general typographical errors occurred in publication,
which the Office of the Federal Register was able to correct without publishing a correcting
amendment, including misrepresenting a reserved paragraph (c) in § 70.208T, which was
correctly incorporated into the CFR on June 17, 2024, the April rule’s effective date.
Corrections
In (FR Doc. 2024–06920) appearing on page 28218 in the Federal Register of Thursday,
April 18, 2024), the following corrections are made:
1. On page 28218, in the first column, the SUMMARY is corrected to read “The Mine
Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is amending its existing standards to better protect
miners against occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica, a significant health hazard,
and to improve respiratory protection for miners from exposure to airborne contaminants. MSHA
is establishing a uniform permissible exposure limit for respirable crystalline silica at 50
micrograms per cubic meter of air (µg/m3) for a full-shift exposure, calculated as an 8-hour timeweighted average, for all miners. MSHA’s final rule also includes other requirements to protect
miner health, such as exposure sampling, corrective actions to be taken when a miner’s exposure
exceeds the permissible exposure limit, and medical surveillance for metal and nonmetal mines.”
2. On page 28264, in the first column, in the first complete paragraph, the sentence, “In
general form, the relative rate model was: Rate = exp(α0) × ƒ(E), where exp(a0) is the
background rate and E is the cumulative respirable crystalline silica exposure.” is corrected to

read, “In general form, the relative rate model was: Rate = exp(α0) × ƒ(E), where exp (α0) is the
background rate and E is the cumulative respirable crystalline silica exposure.”
3. On page 28299, “Table VII-4: Percentage Distribution of Respirable Crystalline Silica
Exposures as ISO 8-hour TWA in the Coal Industry from 2016 to 2021, by Location” is removed
and “Table VII-10: Estimated Annualized Compliance Costs as Percent of Mine Revenues (in
millions of 2022 dollars), by Sector” is added in its place to read as follows:
Table VII-10: Estimated Annualized Compliance Costs as Percent of Mine Revenues (in
millions of 2022 dollars), by Sector

Mine Sector

2019
Revenues
Inflated
to 2022
Dollars

Total
Metal/Nonmetal
Coal

$124,169
$95,070
$29,099

Total
Metal/Nonmetal
Coal

$124,169
$95,070
$29,099

Annualized Costs
Annualized Costs
0 Percent
3 Percent
Discount Rate
Discount Rate
Cost as
Cost as
Compliance
% of
Compliance
% of
Costs
Revenues
Costs
Revenues
30 CFR Part 60 Costs
$87.59
0.07%
$89.05
0.07%
$80.12
0.08%
$81.41
0.09%
$7.46
0.03%
$7.64
0.03%
30 CFR Part 60 + 2019 ASTM Upgrade Costs
$88.77
0.07%
$90.28
0.07%
$80.75
0.08%
$82.06
0.09%
$8.02
0.03%
$8.22
0.03%

Christopher J. Williamson
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2024-13510 Filed: 6/21/2024 8:45 am; Publication Date: 6/24/2024]

Annualized Costs
7 Percent
Discount Rate
Cost as
Compliance
% of
Costs
Revenues
$91.07
$83.14
$7.93

0.07%
0.09%
0.03%

$92.39
$83.84
$8.55

0.07%
0.09%
0.03%