§871 Fire protection

Summary

Require every coal mine to have appropriate firefighting gear sized for the mine. The Secretary must set minimum rules for the kind, quality, and amount of that gear. Old Secretary or Bureau of Mines interpretations stay in force until changed. After any blasting, someone must check for fires. Underground oil and grease must be stored in fireproof places and, unless specially approved, kept in closed fireproof metal or other approved containers. Electrical rooms, battery or compressor stations, shops, pumps, and similar underground areas must be fireproof, and ventilation around electrical areas must go directly into the return airway. Welding, cutting, or soldering underground should be done in fireproof enclosures when possible. If not, a qualified person must watch, search for fire during and after, and test for methane immediately before and during work with Secretary‑approved detectors; work is not allowed if air contains 1.0 volume percent or more methane. Rock dust or fire extinguishers must be on hand. Within one year after the operative date of this subchapter, unattended underground equipment must have Secretary‑specified fire suppression devices and use Secretary‑approved fire‑resistant hydraulic fluids; those fluids must be used on other equipment unless the devices are installed. Main and secondary belt drives must have automatic deluge water sprays, foam generators, or other Secretary‑approved fire control that supply enough water or foam. Underground belt conveyors must have slippage and sequence switches, and within sixty days after the operative date the Secretary must require automatic fire-warning devices on all belts and set a schedule for adding fire suppression on belt haulageways. From the operative date onward, all new underground conveyor belts must meet the Secretary’s flame‑resistant requirements.