On Sept. 9, 2010, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) published a notice in the Federal Register announcing public meetings to gather information about effective, comprehensive safety and health management programs at mines.

The public meetings will include presentations on model programs by representatives from academia, safety and health professionals, industry organizations, worker organizations, and government agencies. MSHA will use information from the meetings to help the Agency develop a proposed rule for Safety and Health Management Programs for mines, which will allow miners and operators to be proactive in their approach to health and safety.

The public meetings will be held on Friday, Oct. 8, at MSHA’s National Office in Arlington, Virginia; on Tuesday, Oct. 12, in Sacramento, California; and on Thursday, Oct. 14, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The comment period will close on Dec. 17, 2010.

The Notice of Public Meetings will be available for viewing on September 8, 2010, at the Federal Register Public Inspection Desk: http://www.federalregister.gov/inspection.aspx.