Title 25 — Title 25

This chapter shall be known as the “Alabama Coal Mine Safety Law of 1975.” The purpose of this chapter is to provide reasonable laws to promote the safety and health of those engaged in the mining of coal and for the protection and preservation of property. History: (Acts 1949, N…

The board of examiners created by Section 25-9-9 shall examine qualified applicants and give certificates of competency to persons who pass the required examinations to act as mine foremen or fire bosses in any coal mine in this state. A reasonable fee, as established by the boar…

(a) Each applicant for a mine foreman’s certificate of competency shall be at least 23 years old and be a citizen of the United States or, if not a citizen of the United States, a person who is legally present in the United States with appropriate documentation from the federal g…

(a) Coal dust shall not be allowed to accumulate excessively along conveyor lines, roadways, at loading points or at underground tipples, but shall be loaded and sent out of the mines. Coal dust in dangerous quantities in abandoned areas shall, where practicable be rendered inert…

(a) Rock dust to be used to render coal dust inert shall come within the following specifications: Combustible matter not more than five percent by volume, quartz or free silica particles not more than five percent by volume, and not unduly absorbent of moisture and preferably li…

(a) Each applicant for a fire boss’s certificate of competency shall be at least 22 years old and be a citizen of the United States or, if not a citizen of the United States, a person who is legally present in the United States with appropriate documentation from the federal gove…

In case of the loss or destruction of a certificate of competency, the department may supply a copy thereof to the person losing same upon the payment of $1.00, provided that it shall be shown to the satisfaction of the department that the loss has actually occurred and that the …

(a) Permissible explosives or permissible blasting methods only shall be used in blasting coal or coal and other material in all mines where on shift. (b) Black blasting powder shall not be stored or used in underground coal mines. (c) Prior to use of Cardox or Airdox, both of wh…

(a) Separate surface magazines shall be provided for the storage of explosives and detonators and shall be kept in good repair. (b) Magazines shall be constructed of or covered with fire and weather resistant material, shall be reasonably bullet proof and shall have no metal or s…

(a) Individual containers used to carry permissible explosives or detonators shall be constructed of substantial, nonconductive material, kept closed and maintained in good condition. (b) When explosives or detonators are transported underground by locomotive, rope, or shuttle ca…

(a) Underground section boxes or magazines shall be constructed of substantial nonsparking material and shall be placed in a crosscut or idle room neck at least 25 feet from roadways, trolley wires, or power lines, at least 75 feet from any working face and in a reasonably dry an…

(a) Only competent persons shall be designated or permitted to handle explosives or do blasting. Only electric detonators of proper strength may be used and the use of delay electric detonators is prohibited for blasting coal or coal and other material. Primers shall be made up a…

Blasting cables shall be: (1) Kept well insulated and as long as may be necessary to permit the shot firer to get in a safe place around a corner. (2) Short circuited at the battery end until ready to attach to the blasting unit. (3) Staggered as to length or kept well separated …

(a) Where misfires occur with electric detonators, the person firing the shots shall disconnect his firing cable from the source of power and short circuit it by reshunting the ends of the cable. No person shall return to the shot until five minutes has elapsed from the misfire, …

A prompt report shall be made to the chief of the division in any case of premature detonation or explosion of explosives, whether or not any person is injured. History: (Acts 1949, No. 207, p. 242, §32.)

Certificates; False Statements or Misrepresentations in Applications. Any person who shall forge or counterfeit a certificate or knowingly make or cause to be made any false statement in any certificate of competency provided for in this chapter or in any official copy of the sam…

Surrender of Certificate. (a) The board may issue an official written reprimand of any person certified under this chapter as a disciplinary measure for a first violation of any requirement of this chapter. (b) In addition, for any subsequent violation or for any serious first vi…

(a) No person shall build a fire or cause a fire to be built in any coal mine, except as provided hereinafter. (b) Torches may be used by competent persons in mines for splicing trailing cables, provided suitable precautions are taken against ignition of methane, coal dust, or co…

In any mine or part of a mine which will be neither fire-bossed nor worked on the following shift, a supervisor or other responsible person shall examine all working places after face work ceases for evidence of fire. History: (Acts 1949, No. 207, p. 242, §34.)

(a) Oiling or greasing of mine cars inside coal mines is permitted only when the work and storage areas are kept reasonably clean at all times. Storage of oil or grease for this purpose is limited to three barrels, and must be in a fireproof compartment connecting with return air…

No underground stables shall be constructed or used in coal mines after August 12, 1949, and straw for bedding or hay for feeding animals shall not be sent into coal mines. This does not apply to mines stabling animals underground on August 12, 1949. Rules for preventing fires an…

(a) The first person to discover a fire and any person in the vicinity shall take prompt steps to extinguish the fire. (b) If the fire cannot be quickly extinguished, word shall be sent immediately to a competent official of the mine, who shall take charge and order all workmen o…

Immediately upon knowledge of serious fire in or about a mine, the operator shall report by the quickest available means to the chief of the division giving all information known to him. Based on the information, the chief shall take prompt action to go in person or dispatch qual…

Any fire boss in a mine who fails to perform any duty imposed on him by the laws of this state as fire boss shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. History: (Acts 1949, No. 207, p. 242, §5; Acts 1975, 4th Ex. Sess., No. 147, p. 2866, §1.)

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, no person shall act as fire boss in any coal mine in this state unless he or she is in possession of a fire boss’s certificate of competency or a mine foreman’s certificate of competency. (b) If it is impossible for an operator, o…

(a) All surface transformers, unless of “dead front” construction or if installed at least eight feet above ground, shall be enclosed in a house or surrounded by a fence at least six feet high. If the enclosure is of metal, it shall be grounded effectively. The gate or door to th…

(a) All power circuits entering a mine shall be protected against lightning by lightning arrestors at or near the points of entrance to the mine. All power circuits shall be protected against lightning or other surges by adequate circuit breakers, fuses, or both. (b) All power wi…

Where grounding wires are used to ground metallic sheaths, armors, conduits, frames, casings and other metallic enclosures, such grounding wires must comply with the following conditions: (1) The cross-sectional area (size) of the grounding wire shall be at least one-half the cro…

(a) Circuit breakers or other overload devices shall be provided to protect power circuits. (b) Insulating platforms of dry wood, rubber, or other suitable nonconductive material shall be kept in place at each switchboard, underground telephone station, power control switches, an…

Telephone service or approved equivalent means of communication shall be provided at the bottom of each main shaft or slope and in all mines from the surface to the working sections of the mine where the mine workers are more than 1,500 feet from the surface. History: (Acts 1949,…

(a) Electric drills or other electrically operated rotating tools intended to be held in hands shall have the electric switch constructed so as to break the circuit when the hand releases the switch or shall be equipped with friction or safety clutches. (b) All new trailing cable…

Electric lights shall be installed so that they cannot come in contact with combustible materials. The wires shall be supported by suitable insulators and fastened securely to the power conductors. History: (Acts 1949, No. 207, p. 242, §45.)

No person shall be employed as mine foreman in any underground coal mine in this state unless he is in possession of a certificate of competency as provided for in this chapter. History: (Acts 1949, No. 207, p. 242, §5; Acts 1975, 4th Ex. Sess., No. 147, p. 2866, §1.)

The mine foreman or subordinate supervisor shall visit each working place on operating days to assure that proper conditions are maintained in the mine as to timbering, ventilation, supplies, and all other conditions pertaining to the safety of the men. He shall further direct an…

(a) It shall be the duty of the mine foreman and his subordinate supervisors to ascertain that all workmen are trained in proper methods of testing the roof, face, and ribs. The mine foreman shall designate the tool or tools to be used for testing. (b) Face workers and other empl…

(a) Timbering or other adequate roof support systems suitable to the roof conditions and mining system of each mine or part of a mine shall be adopted, complied with, and required. Additional timbering or supporting will be done where necessary. (b) It shall be the duty of the mi…

(a) The operator of each mine shall keep on hand at the mine a sufficient supply of timbers of suitable length and cap pieces to be used as required in timbering underground workings. Timbers and cap pieces in required quantities and lengths as ordered shall be delivered to the w…

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, as used in this chapter, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) SECRETARY. The Secretary of the Department of Labor or such other public officer, employee, board, commission, or other authority that may by law be assign…

Mines shall be given one complete inspection every 45 days, and more often if necessary. Special or partial or complete inspections shall be made when deemed necessary by the chief. History: (Acts 1949, No. 207, p. 242, §3; Acts 1975, 4th Ex. Sess., No. 147, p. 2866, §1.)

The department shall be furnished by the state all necessary instruments for measurement of the air and gases in coal mines, mine rescue equipment, and whatever other apparatus the said department may need. History: (Acts 1949, No. 207, p. 242, §3; Acts 1975, 4th Ex. Sess., No. 1…

Tools, Timber, Animals, Etc. (a) Only competent engineers shall be placed in charge of or permitted to operate any engine used for conveying into and hoisting out of any coal mine. When men are being lowered or hoisted, an additional engineer competent to act in emergencies shall…

(a) Mine locomotives must be maintained so that brakes are adequate and in good order, sand riggings are operative, and locomotives are in safe operating condition. (b) Other rolling stock must be maintained so that its condition does not entail undue hazards to transportation cr…

(a) The roadbed, rails, joints, switches, frogs, and other elements of the track of all haulage roads shall be constructed, installed, and maintained in a manner consistent with speed and the type of haulage operations being conducted to insure safe operation. (b) Track switches,…

(a) Haulage roads on entries developed after August 12, 1949, shall have a continuous unobstructed clearance of at least 24 inches from the farthest projection of moving equipment, on the clearance side. (b) On haulage roads where trolley lines are used, the clearance shall be on…

Nonpermissible internal combustion engines or other machinery which gives off noxious fumes shall not be permitted underground in any coal mine. History: (Acts 1949, No. 207, p. 242, §53.)

(a) Locomotives shall be equipped with proper devices for the rerailing of locomotives and cars. (b) An audible warning device and headlights shall be provided on each locomotive. (c) Approved trip markers shall be used on the rear of trips pulled or pushed and on the front of tr…

(a) Man-trips shall be operated at safe speeds consistent with the condition of roads and type of equipment used, but not to exceed 12 miles an hour in mine cars or 15 miles an hour when special, substantially covered man-trip cars are used. (b) Each man-trip shall be under the c…

(a) The chief has the authority to administer oaths and to issue subpoenas requiring the attendance of witnesses to testify under oath in any proceeding and to require witnesses to answer all questions propounded to them. The sheriff or constable in the county in which such witne…

The expenses of executing subpoenas and the attendance of witnesses as well as contempt proceedings under Section 25-9-22 shall be paid out of any funds in the Treasury of the state on certificate of the Secretary of Labor Relations, approved by the Governor. History: (Acts 1949,…

(a) The cutter chains of mining machines shall be locked securely at all times except when the machine is cutting, the chain is being oiled or tested after repairs, or when the chain is moved to spot bits. (1) When the chain is being oiled or tested after repairs, an operator mus…