Better Mining Safety Products Will Require Up-to-Date Federal Regulations, OX-GEN Executive Tells Penn State Symposium.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Better mining safety products will require flexible interpretation of decades-old federal regulations, an OX-GEN executive told a mining symposium here last night.

"Some new technology may be passed over in order to meet current regulations," said Mark Michaud, vice president for operations and general counsel for OX-GEN, Inc. He was speaking at the 11th Mine Ventilation Symposium sponsored by the Penn State University College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.

"Technology in the industry has been stagnant," Michaud added. "The U.S. underground coal mining market is relatively small, and this alone inhibits the expansion of new technology. Manufacturers also want assurance that current testing regulations have the flexibility to incorporate new products."

OX-GEN developed two products at the request of Western mining companies to meet new requirements under consideration in Congress (S. 2803, H.R. 5389). One is an innovative, non-explosive and nonflammable "self-rescue" unit that provides oxygen for two hours. It also has designed a pallet containing 48 units for the "refuge" areas now under discussion.

OX-GEN currently is completing federally required tests, and will submit the unit for certification later this summer to The National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Mining Safety and Health Administration in the U.S. Department of Labor.

Michaud stressed that "next-generation" equipment must be scrutinized carefully.

"We've all heard reports of failed safety devices," he said. "Miners must know that life-saving equipment has been tested thoroughly."

Symposium moderators were Jeffrey L. Kohler, NIOSH associate director of mining construction, and Raja V. Ramini, Penn State emeritus professor of mining engineering.

OX-GEN received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last August for its emergency oxygen generator, which uses a ruggedized plastic cylinder containing manganese, platinum, water and sodium percarbonate. The user turns three knobs and the generator starts producing 99.97 percent pure oxygen in less than 30 seconds. There are no comparable products on the market. Additional information is available on the Internet at http://www.ox-gen.us or by calling 208-336-0773.