45.1-161.303 - Fire precautions in transportation of mining equipment.
§ 45.1-161.303. Fire precautions in transportation of mining equipment.
A. The Director shall promulgate regulations requiring fire precautions betaken when mining equipment is transported underground in proximity toenergized trolley wires or trolley feeder wires.
B. Until the final regulations promulgated by the Director pursuant tosubsection A become effective, the following standards shall apply to thetransportation of mining equipment underground:
1. Prior to moving or transporting any unit of off-track mining equipment inareas of the active workings where energized trolley wires or trolley feederwires are present: (i) the unit of equipment shall be examined by a certifiedperson to ensure that accumulations of oil, grease, and other combustiblematerials have been removed from such unit of equipment; and (ii) a qualifiedperson shall examine the trolley wires, trolley feeder wires, and theassociated automatic circuit interrupting devices to ensure that proper shortcircuit protection exists.
2. A record shall be kept of the examinations and shall be made available,upon request, to the Director or his authorized representative.
3. Off-track mining equipment shall be moved or transported in areas of theactive workings where energized trolley wires or trolley feeder wires arepresent only under the direct supervision of a certified person who shall bephysically present at all times during moving or transporting such equipment.
4. The frames of off-track mining equipment being moved or transported, inaccordance with this subsection, shall be covered on the top and on thetrolley wire side with fire-resistant material, where appropriate asdetermined by the Director.
5. Electrical contact shall be maintained between the mine track and theframes of off-track mining equipment being moved in-track and trolleyentries, except that rubber-tired equipment need not be grounded to atransporting vehicle if no metal part of such rubber-tired equipment can comeinto contact with the transporting vehicle.
6. To avoid accidental contact with power lines, the equipment beingtransported or trammed shall be insulated or assemblage removed, ifnecessary, if the clearance to the power lines is six inches or less.
7. Sufficient prior notice shall be given the Department so that a mineinspector may travel the route of the move before the actual move is made, ifhe deems it necessary.
8. A minimum vertical clearance of twelve inches shall be maintained betweenthe farthest projection of the unit of equipment which is being moved and theenergized trolley wires or trolley feeder wires at all times during themovement or transportation of such equipment. If the height of the seam ofminerals does not permit twelve inches of vertical clearance to be somaintained, the following additional precautions shall be taken:
a. Electric power shall be supplied to the trolley wires or trolley feederwires only from outby the unit of equipment being moved or transported. Wheredirect current electric power is used and such electric power can be suppliedonly from inby the equipment being moved or transported, power may besupplied from inby such equipment if a miner with the means to cut off thepower, and in direct communication with persons actually engaged in themoving or transporting operation, is stationed outby the equipment beingmoved;
b. The settings of automatic circuit interrupting devices used to provideshort circuit protection for the trolley circuit shall be reduced to not morethan one-half of the maximum current that could flow if the equipment beingmoved or transported were to come into contact with the trolley wire ortrolley feeder wire;
c. At all times the unit of equipment is being moved or transported, a minershall be stationed at the first automatic circuit breaker outby the equipmentbeing moved. Such miner shall be in direct communication with personsactually engaged in the moving or transporting operation, and capable ofcommunicating with the authorized person on the surface required to be onduty;
d. Where trolley phones are utilized to satisfy the requirements of paragraphc of this subdivision, telephones or other equivalent two-way communicationdevices that can readily be connected with the mine communication systemshall be carried by the miner stationed at the first automatic circuitbreaker outby the equipment being moved and by a miner actually engaged inthe moving or transporting operation; and
e. No person shall be permitted to be inby the unit of equipment being movedor transported, in the ventilating current of air that is passing over suchequipment, except those persons directly engaged in moving such equipment.
The provisions of subdivisions 1 through 8 shall not apply to units of miningequipment that are transported in mine cars, provided that no part of theequipment extends above or over the sides of the mine car.
(Code 1950, § 45-14.1; 1954, c. 191; 1966, c. 594, § 45.1-89; 1974, c. 323;1978, c. 118; 1984, c. 590; 1985, c. 500; 1994, c. 28.)