[50 FR 4082, Jan. 29, 1985, as amended at 68 FR 32361, May 30, 2003; 69 FR 38842, June 29, 2004]. (2) Where uranium is not minedthe complete individual exposure of all mine personnel working in active working areas with radon daughter concentrations in excess of 0.3 WL shall be calculated and recorded. (a) At least once every fourteen calendar days, each wire rope in service shall be visually examined along its entire active length for visible structural damage, corrosion, and improper lubrication or dressing. Authorized person means a person approved or assigned by mine management to perform a specific type of duty or duties or to be at a specific location or locations in the mine. Riding the bail, rim, bonnet, or crosshead. FAR). Chute-loading installations shall be designed to provide a safe location for persons pulling chutes. (3) Are constructed and maintained so that they will not create a hazard. 57.11054 Communication with refuge chambers. [52 FR 24941, July 1, 1987; 52 FR 27903, July 24, 1987, as amended at 67 FR 38385, June 4, 2002; 80 FR 52988, Sept. 2, 2015]. Design, installation, and maintenance of railroads. For rope lengths 4,000 feet or greater: Minimum Value = Static Load 5.0. At least 50 feet from: timbered areas, exposed combustible rock, and any other combustible material, Control door that meets the requirements for a ventilation door in conformance with, Within 50 feet but no closer than 20 feet of: timbered areas, exposed combustible rock, or other combustible material. Filters or separators shall be installed on air-lift fan systems to prevent explosive concentrations of dust from passing through the fan. The IME is located at 1120 19th Street NW., Suite 310, Washington, DC 200363605; 2024299280; https://www.ime.org. (a) At least once every twelve months, all persons who work underground shall be instructed in the escape and evacuation plans and procedures and fire warning signals in effect at the mine. 57.22314 Flow-control devices (V-A and V-B mines). 57.19080 Hoisting tools, timbers, and other materials. Electric auxiliary fans shall be approved by MSHA under the applicable requirements of 30 CFR part 18. Main fan operation and inspection (I-A, II-A, III, and V-A mines). (a) If methane reaches 1.0 percent in the mine atmosphere, all persons other than competent persons necessary to make ventilation changes shall be withdrawn from affected areas until methane is reduced to less than 0.5 percent. Persons shall not smoke or carry smoking materials, matches, or lighters underground. New employees shall be indoctrinated in safety rules and safe work procedures. (a) At least once every six months, mine evacuation drills shall be held to assess the ability of all persons underground to reach the surface or other designated points of safety within the time limits of the self-rescue devices that would be used during an actual emergency. Employee means a person who works for wages or salary in the service of an employer. (b) Automatic switches to halt uptravel of the blocks before they strike the hoist; (c) Effective audible warning signals within easy reach of the operator; and. (c) Not be used to ventilate work places. The notification shall include the mine name, location, the company name, mailing address, person in charge, and whether operations will be continuous or intermittent. (c) Fixed, unburied tanks located where escaping liquid could present a hazard to persons shall be provided with, (1) Containment for the entire capacity of the largest tank; or. Activity between machinery or equipment and the highwall or bank. (h) Loss of more than ten percent of rope strength as determined by nondestructive testing. (c) Provided with damage protection as near as possible to that of the original, including good bonding to the outer jacket. Some general federal requirements, however, do apply to such wire rope. 1291 (30 U.S.C. Flash point. Work or travel on overhead crane bridges. Regularly used walkways and travelways shall be sanded, salted, or cleared of snow and ice as soon as practicable. Such records shall be made available for inspection by an authorized representative of the Secretary. Persons shall not enter or leave conveyances which are in motion or after a signal to move the conveyance has been given to the hoistman. Safety fuse means a flexible cord containing an internal burning medium by which fire is conveyed at a continuous and uniform rate for the purpose of firing blasting caps or a black powder charge. 3, 2006]. Safety chains or other suitable locking devices shall be provided across connections to and between high pressure oxygen hose lines of 1-inch inside diameter or larger. Surplus trailing cables to shovels, cranes and similar equipment shall be, (b) Stored on reels mounted on the equipment; or. (1) When the operator has an obstructed view to the rear, self-propelled mobile equipment shall have. Mill includes any ore mill, sampling works, concentrator, and any crushing, grinding, or screening plant used at, and in connection with, an excavation or mine. Nonelectric BlastingSurface and Underground, Extraneous ElectricitySurface and Underground. If concentrations of radon daughters are found in excess of 0.3 WL in an active working area radon daughter concentrations thereafter shall be determined at least weekly in that working area until such time as the weekly determinations in that area have been 0.3 WL or less for 5 consecutive weeks. [52 FR 24941, July 1, 1987; 52 FR 27903, July 24, 1987]. 57.8534 Shutdown or failure of auxiliary fans. (a) Manually-operated horns or other audible warning devices provided on self-propelled mobile equipment as a safety device shall be maintained in a functional condition. MSHA considers substantial hard-toed shoes or boots to be the minimum protection acceptable for most mining applications. A bucket shall be stabilized before a hoisting signal is given to continue hoisting the bucket to the crosshead. (1) Constructed of nonsparking material on the inside when used for the storage of explosives; (2) Kept clean, suitably dry, and orderly; (4) Located out of the line of blasts so they will not be subjected to damaging shock or flyrock; (5) Identified with warning signs or coded to indicate the contents with markings visible from any approach; (6) Located at least 15 feet from all haulageways and electrical equipment, or placed entirely within a mined-out recess in the rib used exclusively for explosive material; (7) Filled with no more than a one-week supply of explosive material; (8) Separated by at least 25 feet from other facilities used to store detonators; and. Where such trolley wires and bare power conductors are less than 7 feet above the rail, they shall be guarded at all points where persons work or pass regularly beneath. switch to drafting.ecfr.gov. (a) The mixing of ingredients to produce explosive material shall not be conducted underground unless prior approval of the MSHA district manager is obtained. [50 FR 4082, Jan. 29, 1985, as amended at 60 FR 33723, June 29, 1995]. Mine Safety and Health Administration - Wikipedia Ramps and dumping facilities shall be designed and constructed of materials capable of supporting the loads to which they will be subjected. Water gel or Slurry (as applied to blasting) means an explosive or blasting agent containing substantial portions of water. (a) Storage facilities for any explosive material shall be, (1) Located so that the forces generated by a storage facility explosion will not create a hazard to occupants in mine buildings and will not damage dams or electric substations; and. (a) Toilet facilities shall be provided at locations that are compatible with the mine operations and that are readily accessible to mine personnel. Revisions of the system shall be noted and updated at least annually. The ratio of vent size to internal size of the equipment or facility shall not be less than one square foot of vent for each 80 cubic feet of volume or space. Crossovers shall be provided where it is necessary to cross conveyors. 57.12066 Guarding trolley wires and bare powerlines. (a) Dumping locations shall be visually inspected prior to work commencing and as ground conditions warrant. However, where accepted engineering control measures have not been developed or when necessary by the nature of work involved (for example, while establishing controls or occasional entry into hazardous atmospheres to perform maintenance or investigation), employees may work for reasonable periods of time in concentrations of airborne contaminants exceeding permissible levels if they are protected by appropriate respiratory protective equipment. 57.6402 Deenergized circuits near detonators. Mobile equipment shall not be left unattended unless the controls are placed in the park position and the parking brake, if provided, is set. (2) Combustible liquids in closed containers. (c) Load end attachment methods using splices are prohibited. A plan of the mine ventilation system shall be set out by the operator in written form. (1) Flame safety lamps shall not be used to test for methane except as supplementary devices. (b) On an annual basis, all persons who go underground shall be instructed in the Mine Safety and Health Administration course contained in Bureau of Mines Instruction Guide 2, MSA W65 Self-Rescuer (March 1972) or Bureau of Mines Instruction Guide 3, Permissible Drager 810 Respirator for Self-Rescue (March 1972). In determining the blast area, the following factors, shall be considered: (3) Burden, depth, diameter, and angle of the holes. During performance of an activity underground described in Table C2 or when falling sparks or hot metal from work performed in a shaft, raise, or winze could pose a fire hazard, (a) A multipurpose dry-chemical fire extinguisher shall be at the worksite to supplement the fire extinguishing equipment required by 57.4600; and. (2) Automatically deenergize electrical equipment, except power to monitoring equipment determined by MSHA to be intrinsically safe under 30 CFR part 18, and prevent starting of such equipment when methane levels reach 1.5 percent; and. (3) Errors detected by the operator shall be corrected on any forms kept by the operator and a corrected copy of any forms submitted to the Mine Safety and Health Administration shall be submitted to the Mine Safety and Health Administration within 60 days of detection and shall identify the errors and indicate the date the corrections are made. (b) A minimum of three full turns of wire rope shall be on the drum when the rope is extended to its maximum working length. (i) The miner must continue to receive compensation at no less than the regular rate of pay in the classification held by that miner immediately prior to the transfer. (h) On conveyors unless the conveyors are designed to provide for their safe transportation. The alternative used shall at all times provide at least the same degree of safety as control doors or bulkheads. (b) Before any person is hoisted with a newly installed wire rope or any wire rope that has not been examined in the previous fourteen calendar days, the wire rope shall be examined in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section. Personnel hoisting operations must not begin unless the devices listed in this section are in proper working order. Ground conditions that create a hazard to persons shall be taken down or supported before other work or travel is permitted in the affected area. MMH is performed by many types of workers in surface and underground mining including maintenance workers, electricians, mechanics, laborers, and some equipment operators. Mine operators seeking further information regarding the construction and installation of falling object protective structures (FOPS) may consult the following national consensus standards, as applicable. A method of refuge shall be provided while a second opening to the surface is being developed. (a) Guards shall be constructed and maintained to, (1) Withstand the vibration, shock, and wear to which they will be subjected during normal operation; and. (c) No roadway or other opening shall be supported or lined with wood or other combustible materials. Laminated partition means a partition composed of the following material and minimum nominal dimensions: 12-inch-thick plywood, 12-inch-thick gypsum wallboard, 18-inch-thick low carbon steel, and 14-inch-thick plywood, bonded together in that order (IME22 Box). Suitable danger signs shall be posted at all major electrical installations. 57.1000 Notification of commencement of operations and closing of mines. Travelways steeper than 35 degrees from the horizontal shall be provided with ladders or stairways. Dusts suspected of being explosive shall be tested for explosibility. (2) The mine operator must certify on the application that the operator has posted one copy of the application at the mine site for at least 30 days prior to the date of application, and has provided another copy to the authorized representative of miners. Powerlines shall be well separated or insulated from waterlines, telephone lines and air lines. Such disconnecting devices shall be equipped or designed in such a manner that it can be determined by visual observation when such a device is open and that the circuit is deenergized, and the distribution box shall be labeled to show which circuit each device controls. (a) Uniform fittings or readily available adapters for onsite firefighting equipment; (b) Readily available wrenches or keys to open the valves; and. Distribution box means a portable apparatus with an enclosure through which an electric circuit is carried to one or more cables from a single incoming feed line; each cable circuit being connected through individual overcurrent protective devices. The signal device shall be located so that it can be seen or heard by a person designated by the mine operator. In addition, the self-contained breathing system shall be capable of a quick connect with the approved 2-hour self-contained breathing apparatus above. 57.4130 Surface electric substations and liquid storage facilities. (1) Installed on the surface in noncombustible housings provided with noncombustible air ducts; (2) Except in Subcategory I-A mines, provided with an automatic signal device to give an alarm when the fan stops. (c) Multiple-shot blasts shall be initiated with detonators encased in copper-based alloy shells. The ramps and dumping facilities shall provide width, clearance, and headroom to safely accommodate the mobile equipment using the facilities. (c) At least once every six months, nondestructive tests shall be conducted of the active length of the rope, or rope diameter measurements shall be made. Mine atmosphere means any point at least 12 inches away from the back, face, rib, and floor in any mine; and additionally, in a Category IV mine, at least 3 feet laterally away from the collar of a borehole which releases gas into a mine. (3) Shield the activity so that hot metal and sparks cannot cause a fire. The fire extinguishers or the manual actuator for the suppression system shall be readily accessible to the equipment operator. Prior to secondary breakage operations, the material to be broken, other than hanging material, shall be positioned or blocked to prevent movement which would endanger persons in the work area. All places blasted shall be tested for methane by a competent person before work is started. (3) Located out of direct line with the forward and reverse airstream provided by the fan. Metal fencing and metal buildings enclosing transformers and switchgear shall be grounded. (iii) A second fan capable of accomplishing ventilation reversal shall be available for use in the event of failure of the main fan; (2) Provide rapid air reversal that allows persons underground time to exit in fresh air by the second escapeway or find a place of refuge; and. Subpart TSafety Standards for Methane in Metal and Nonmetal Mines, Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations. If it is found or suspected that any part is not functioning properly, the hoist shall not be used until the malfunction has been located and repaired or adjustments have been made. Blasting area means the area near blasting operations in which concussion or flying material can reasonably be expected to cause injury. (c) Fire extinguishers or fire suppression systems shall be of a type and size that can extinguish fires of any class in their early stages which could originate from the equipment's inherent fire hazards. Seat belts shall be worn by the equipment operator except that when operating graders from a standing position, the grader operator shall wear safety lines and a harness in place of a seat belt. Asbestos fiber means a fiber of asbestos that meets the criteria of a fiber. Box 2900, Fairfield, New Jersey 07007, Phone: 8008432763 (toll free); http://www.asme.org, and the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors, 1055 Crupper Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43229. Conductor means a material, usually in the form of a wire, cable, or bus bar, capable of carrying an electric current. (1) Air purifying respirators must be equipped with the following: (i) Filters certified by NIOSH under 30 CFR part 11 (appearing in the July 1, 1994 edition of 30 CFR, parts 1 to 199) as a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter; (ii) Filters certified by NIOSH under 42 CFR part 84 as 99.97% efficient; or. Headframes shall be high enough to provide clearance for overtravel and safe stopping of the conveyance. (e) Between cars of trains, on the leading end of trains, on the leading end of a single railcar, or in other locations on trains that expose persons to hazards from train movement. 57.19108 Posting warning signs during shaft work. formatting. (c) The safety catches shall be inspected by a competent person at the beginning of any 24-hour period that the conveyance is to be used. A second person, similarly equipped, shall be stationed near where the lifeline is fastened and shall constantly adjust it or keep it tight as needed, with minimum slack. Regulation Y 57.4230 Surface self-propelled equipment. Each ungrounded conductor or telephone wire that leads underground and is directly exposed to lightning shall be equipped with suitable lightning arrestors of approved type within 100 feet of the point where the circuit enters the mine. (b) The train operator, when present, is notified and the notice acknowledged. If methane reaches 0.25 percent in the mine atmosphere, changes shall be made to improve ventilation, and MSHA shall be notified immediately. Illumination sufficient to provide safe working conditions shall be provided in and on all surface structures, paths, walkways, stairways, switch panels, loading and dumping sites, and working areas. Loading, hauling, and unloading of equipment or supplies. Appendix I to Subpart T of Part 57Standard Applicability by Category or Subcategory, Cartridge-Operated Water and/or Antifreeze, Dry-Chemical, Stored Pressure, with Mild Steel Shells, Brazed Brass Shells, or Aluminum Shells, Dry-Chemical, Cartridge or Cylinder Operated, with Mild Steel Shells, Dry-Powder, Cartridge or Cylinder-Operated, with Mild Steel Shells, Welding or cutting with an electric arc or open flame.