Oklahoma § 45-910 - Proper ground control - Rules and procedures

§ 45-910. Proper ground control - Rules and procedures

A. The following rules and procedures shall be complied with

for proper ground control:

1. Practices and standards acceptable to the Chief Mine

Inspector for the safe control of surface mine walls including the

overall slope of the mine wall shall be established and followed by

the operator. Such standards shall be consistent with sound

engineering, the nature of the ground and the seam mined, and the

insuring of safe working conditions according to the degree of

slope. Mining methods shall be selected which will provide wall

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 45. Mines and Mining

stability; including benching if necessary, to obtain a safe overall

slope;

2. All loose and hazardous material shall be stripped for a

safe distance from the edge of the highwall;

3. The width and height of benches shall be governed by the

type of equipment to be used and the operation to be performed;

4. Safe means of scaling walls shall be provided. Loose

material or trees on exposed wall areas shall be removed before any

other work is performed in the exposed wall area;

5. Men shall not work under dangerous walls. Hazardous

overhanging walls shall be taken down immediately and other unsafe

ground conditions shall be corrected promptly or the areas shall be

barricaded or posted;

6. When removing rock by hand, men shall approach loose rock

from above and shall scale from a safe location those areas on walls

which must be scaled;

7. The supervisor or a certified person designated by him shall

examine working areas and faces of walls for unsafe conditions at

least at the beginning of each shift, during the shift while men are

working, and after blasting. Any unsafe condition found shall be

corrected before any further work is performed at the immediate area

or face at which the unsafe condition exists;

8. Men shall examine their working places before starting work

and frequently thereafter and any unsafe condition shall be reported

immediately to the supervisor before any other work is performed;

9. Large boulders requiring secondary blasting shall be in a

safe location before they are drilled or broken; and

10. Men shall not be permitted to work between equipment and

the mine wall where the equipment may hinder escape from falls or

slides of the wall, unless special safety precautions are taken in

advance.

B. The following rules and procedures shall be complied with

for proper fire prevention and control:

1. No person shall smoke or use an open flame where flammable

or combustible liquids or greases are stored or in areas or places

where fire or explosion hazards exist;

2. Signs warning against smoking and open flames shall be

posted so they can readily be seen in areas or places where fire or

explosion hazards exist;

3. Areas surrounding flammable-liquid storage tanks and

electric substations and transformers shall be kept free from dry

grass, weeds, underbrush and other combustible materials for at

least twenty-five (25) feet in all directions;

4. Fires used for warming purposes shall be enclosed to prevent

persons from coming in contact with flame or coals which would

ignite clothing. Oily or easily ignited clothing shall not be worn

where ignition hazards are present;

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 45. Mines and Mining

5. Buildings or rooms in which oil, grease, flammable liquids

or similar flammable materials are stored shall be of fire-resistant

construction and well ventilated. Provisions shall be made to

control spilled flammable liquids;

6. Abandoned electrical circuits shall be de-energized and

isolated so that they cannot become energized inadvertently. If no

further use is intended they shall be removed;

7. Combustible materials, grease, lubricants or flammable

liquids shall not be allowed to accumulate where they can create a

fire hazard;

8. Materials, such as oily waste and rags, which are subject to

spontaneous combustion shall be placed in tightly covered metal

containers until disposed of properly;

9. When flammable solvents are used for cleaning, such solvents

shall be transported in safety cans of not over five-gallon

capacity. When used to clean parts, the containers used shall have

tight-fitting covers. No cleaning may be done with flammable

solvents near a possible source of ignition;

10. Oxygen cylinders shall not be stored near oil or grease;

11. Gauges and regulators used with oxygen or acetylene

cylinders shall be kept clean and free of oil and grease;

12. Valves on oxygen and acetylene tanks shall be kept closed

when they are not in use;

13. Battery charging stations shall be located in wellventilated areas and in the clear of other equipment;

14. Internal combustion engines shall be shut off and stopped

before being fueled;

15. Each mine shall have available, or be provided with,

appropriate types of fire-fighting equipment adequate for the size

of the mine;

16. Fire-fighting equipment shall be strategically located,

readily accessible, plainly marked, properly maintained and

inspected periodically with records kept of such inspections;

17. Fire extinguishers shall be:

a.

adequate in number and size and of the appropriate type

for each particular fire hazard involved,

b.

replaced immediately with full charged extinguishers of

the same capability after any discharge is made from

the extinguishers,

c.

tested at least once every twelve (12) months and

maintained according to the manufacturer's

recommendation. Each extinguisher shall bear a tag

showing the date of testing and the name of the person

making the examination for testing, and

d.

approved by Underwriter's Laboratories, Inc. or Factory

Mutual Research Corporation;

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 45. Mines and Mining

18. Appropriate fire extinguishers shall be provided on selfpropelled mobile equipment;

19. Fire extinguishers of the appropriate type and size shall

be an integral part of portable cutting and welding equipment;

20. When welding or cutting near combustible materials,

precautions shall be taken to insure that smoldering metal or sparks

do not result in fire; and

21. Belt conveyors in locations where fire would create a

hazard to personnel shall be provided with safety switches to stop

the drive pulley automatically in the event the belt stalls or there

is excessive slippage.

Added by Laws 1978, c. 148, § 10, emerg. eff. April 7, 1978.

Amended by Laws 2004, c. 194, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2004.