Chapter 15, Section 671, Subsection (h) · 29 U.S.C. Chapter 15 — OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH

Contents

(h)

(1)There shall be permanently established within the Institute an Office of Mine Safety and Health which shall be administered by an Associate Director to be appointed by the Director.

(2)The purpose of the Office is to enhance the development of new mine safety technology and technological applications and to expedite the commercial availability and implementation of such technology in mining environments.

(3)In addition to all purposes and authorities provided for under this section, the Office of Mine Safety and Health shall be responsible for research, development, and testing of new technologies and equipment designed to enhance mine safety and health. To carry out such functions the Director of the Institute, acting through the Office, shall have the authority to—

(A)award competitive grants to institutions and private entities to encourage the development and manufacture of mine safety equipment;

(B)award contracts to educational institutions or private laboratories for the performance of product testing or related work with respect to new mine technology and equipment; and

(C)establish an interagency working group as provided for in paragraph (5).

(4)To be eligible to receive a grant under the authority provided for under paragraph (3)(A), an entity or institution shall—

(A)submit to the Director of the Institute an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Director may require; and

(B)include in the application under subparagraph (A), a description of the mine safety equipment to be developed and manufactured under the grant and a description of the reasons that such equipment would otherwise not be developed or manufactured, including reasons relating to the limited potential commercial market for such equipment.

(5)

(A)The Director of the Institute, in carrying out paragraph (3)(D) shall establish an interagency working group to share technology and technological research and developments that could be utilized to enhance mine safety and accident response.

(B)The working group under subparagraph (A) shall be chaired by the Associate Director of the Office who shall appoint the members of the working group, which may include representatives of other Federal agencies or departments as determined appropriate by the Associate Director.

(C)The working group under subparagraph (A) shall conduct an evaluation of research conducted by, and the technological developments of, agencies and departments who are represented on the working group that may have applicability to mine safety and accident response and make recommendations to the Director for the further development and eventual implementation of such technology.

(6)Not later than 1 year after the establishment of the Office under this subsection, and annually thereafter, the Director of the Institute shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives a report that, with respect to the year involved, describes the new mine safety technologies and equipment that have been studied, tested, and certified for use, and with respect to those instances of technologies and equipment that have been considered but not yet certified for use, the reasons therefore.

(7)There is authorized to be appropriated, such sums as may be necessary to enable the Institute and the Office of Mine Safety and Health to carry out this subsection.

United States Government work; public domain under 17 U.S.C. § 105.

Defined terms · 12

Show every defined term

commerce
means trade, traffic, commerce, transportation, or communication among the several States, or between a State and any place outside thereof, or within the District of Columbia, or a possession of the United States (other than the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands), or between points in the same State but through a point outside thereof.
Commission
means the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission established under this chapter.
Committee
means the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health established under this chapter.
Director
means the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
employee
means an employee of an employer who is employed in a business of his employer which affects commerce.
employer
means a person engaged in a business affecting commerce who has employees, but does not include the United States (not including the United States Postal Service) or any State or political subdivision of a State.
established Federal standard
means any operative occupational safety and health standard established by any agency of the United States and presently in effect, or contained in any Act of Congress in force on December 29, 1970.
Institute
means the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health established under this chapter.
national consensus standard
means any occupational safety and health standard or modification thereof which (1),2 has been adopted and promulgated by a nationally recognized standards-producing organization under procedures whereby it can be determined by the Secretary that persons interested and affected by the scope or provisions of the standard have reached substantial agreement on its adoption, (2) was formulated in a manner which afforded an opportunity for diverse views to be considered and (3) has been designated as such a standard by the Secretary, after consultation with other appropriate Federal agencies.
occupational safety and health standard
means a standard which requires conditions, or the adoption or use of one or more practices, means, methods, operations, or processes, reasonably necessary or appropriate to provide safe or healthful employment and places of employment.
person
means one or more individuals, partnerships, associations, corporations, business trusts, legal representatives, or any organized group of persons.
State
includes a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.