MSHA New Miner Training cheat sheet

Part 46 covers sand, gravel, surface stone, surface clay, colloidal phosphate, surface limestone, and shell dredging mines, plus certain surface operations of underground mines; Part 48 covers coal mines and all other metal/nonmetal mines.

Part 48 applies to underground metal/nonmetal mines and to all coal mines (surface and underground); Part 46 applies to the listed surface nonmetal operations only.

A mine operator determines which part governs by the commodity mined and the mining method (surface vs. underground), not by company size or state location.

Part 46 training is delivered under a training plan maintained by the operator; Part 48 training is delivered under a plan approved by the MSHA District Manager.

Part 48 new miner training requires a minimum of 40 hours for underground miners and 24 hours for surface miners before independent work.

Part 46 new miner training requires a minimum of 24 hours of training before a miner works independently at a mine.

Part 48 annual refresher training requires 8 hours per year; Part 46 annual refresher requires 8 hours per year.

Part 48 experienced miner training applies to miners with prior mining experience; Part 46 has a separate experienced miner category with a shorter training requirement.

Jurisdiction over a specific mine follows MSHA's determination of the commodity and operation; contractors working at a Part 48 mine follow Part 48, and contractors at a Part 46 mine follow Part 46.

Part 48 requires a written training plan approved by the MSHA District Manager before training is conducted; Part 46 requires a written plan maintained by the operator and made available to MSHA on request.

A Part 48 training plan must identify the mine, the operator, the courses offered, the instructors, and the training methods and materials used.

A Part 46 training plan must include the mine name, the operator name, the courses of instruction, the names of competent persons who will teach, and the evaluation procedures.

Part 48 plan amendments that change instructors or course content require MSHA approval before use; Part 46 plan updates are made by the operator without prior MSHA approval.

Part 48 plans must describe how training records are kept and how miners are evaluated; records of training must be retained and made available to MSHA.

Part 46 training records must include the miner's name, the training dates, the course content, and the name of the competent person who conducted the training.

Both parts require the plan to address new miner, experienced miner, task, and annual refresher training as applicable to the operation.

A Part 48 plan must be submitted and approved before a new mine begins production or before new miners begin work; a Part 46 plan must be in place before training begins.

MSHA may require revision of a Part 48 plan when the plan does not meet regulatory requirements; the operator must amend and resubmit for approval.

Part 48 instructors must be approved by MSHA; instructor approval is granted based on qualifications submitted to and reviewed by MSHA.

Part 46 training may be conducted by a competent person, defined as a person who has the knowledge, training, and experience to teach the subject matter.

A competent person under Part 46 does not require MSHA instructor approval; the operator determines and documents competence.

Under Part 48, MSHA-approved instructors are required for new miner, experienced miner, task, and annual refresher training.

An MSHA-approved instructor approval is tied to specific courses or subject areas; an instructor approved for one course is not automatically approved for all courses.

Part 46 competent persons must be identified in the training plan, and their qualifications should be documented in training records.

State or industry certification alone does not substitute for MSHA instructor approval under Part 48.

Under Part 48, the District Manager may revoke or suspend an instructor's approval for cause, such as falsifying training records.

Contractor trainers at a Part 48 mine must also hold MSHA instructor approval for the courses they teach.

Part 48 new miner training: 40 hours underground, 24 hours surface, covering the required subjects before independent work.

Part 46 new miner training: 24 hours of training, including the required subjects, before the miner works independently.

Part 48 annual refresher: 8 hours per year for all miners, covering changes at the mine and required health and safety subjects.

Part 46 annual refresher: 8 hours per year for all miners.

Part 48 experienced miner training applies to miners with prior mining experience and covers site-specific hazards, health and safety aspects, and the miner's rights.

Part 46 experienced miner training has a shorter minimum than new miner training and covers site-specific hazards and required subjects.

Task training is required before a miner performs a new task; it covers the safe operating procedures for that task and must be documented.

New miners must receive training on miners' rights, including the right to request an inspection and to accompany the inspector, as part of basic training.

Training records must be retained: Part 48 requires records of training to be kept and available to MSHA; Part 46 requires records to be kept and available on request.

Miners have the right to request an MSHA inspection of the mine and to receive notification of the results.

Miners have the right to accompany an MSHA inspector during an inspection of the area where they work.

Miners have the right to be protected from retaliation for exercising safety and health rights, including filing complaints or requesting inspections.

Miners have the right to receive training required by the applicable part before performing work and to be paid for that training.

Miners must report accidents, injuries, and hazardous conditions to the operator; the operator must report certain accidents to MSHA.

Immediately reportable accidents include a death, an injury that has a reasonable potential to cause death, and an injury that causes loss of consciousness or requires medical treatment beyond first aid.

The operator must report an accident to MSHA immediately by phone and follow with a written report within 10 working days.

Miners must follow the mine's safety rules and use required protective equipment; failure to do so can result in discipline.

A miner who believes a condition is unsafe may refuse to work in that condition and must report the condition to the operator.