Title 25

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 …

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 same, or who shall utter or use any false certificate or unofficial copy …

(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 violation, the certificate o…

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. (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…

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. (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…

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. (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. (Acts 1949, No. 207, p. 242, §3; Acts 1975, 4th Ex. Sess., No. 147, p. 28…

(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. (Acts 1949, No. 207,…

Unsafe conditions, known to any persons underground, that cannot be corrected by them in the course of their normal duties, shall be promptly reported to the mine foreman or direct supervisor. The supervisor to whom unsafe conditions are reported or who detects them in the course…

Persons not employees of a coal mine or duly authorized employees of the Department of Labor shall not enter such mine unless the consent of the operator or his authorized representative has been secured and shall not stand on the tracks or go near the machinery or other place of…

Whoever shall, while under the influence of intoxicating liquor, enter any coal mine or any of the buildings connected with the operation of same within the state, where miners or other workmen are employed, or whoever shall carry intoxicating liquors into the same shall be guilt…

Any coal mine superintendent, mine foreman or assistant mine foreman, or any other person or persons operating or controlling a coal mine, who shall receive or solicit any sum of money or other valuable consideration from any of his or their employees for the purpose of continuin…

Any person acting as coal mine superintendent, mining engineer, other official or supervisor who gives orders that will require violation of this chapter, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. (Acts 1949, No. 207, p. 242, §105.)

There shall be appointed by the Secretary of Labor a sufficient number of mine inspectors and other employees, including at least one qualified mining engineer. (Acts 1949, No. 207, p. 242, §3; Acts 1975, 4th Ex. Sess., No. 147, p. 2866, §1.)

No person under the age of 18 shall be employed to work or labor in or about any coal mine in this state. (Code 1896, §2933; Code 1907, §1035; Acts 1911, No. 493, p. 500; Code 1923, §1724; Acts 1935, No. 193, p. 241; Code 1940, T. 26, §158; Acts 1949, No. 207, p. 242, §106; Acts …

No person shall be appointed mine inspector, head mine inspector, or Chief of the Division of Safety and Inspection who, or the spouse of whom, has any pecuniary interest in any coal mine in Alabama. (Acts 1949, No. 207, p. 242, §3; Acts 1975, 4th Ex. Sess., No. 147, p. 2866, §1.…

(a) The Chief of the Division of Safety and Inspection shall: (1) Be a qualified elector; (2) Have had 12 or more years’ experience in the working, ventilating and drainage of coal mines in this state or eight years of such experience plus four years’ experience as a state or fed…

(a) Each mine inspector and head mine inspector shall: (1) Be a qualified elector; (2) Possess a mine foreman certificate of competency of the State of Alabama; (3) Have had eight or more years’ practical experience in coal mines; and (4) Be not less than 28 years of age. (b) The…

The duties of mine inspectors are to make examinations of mines to see that all the requirements of this chapter are strictly observed and carried out. They shall examine the equipment, works, and machinery connected with said mines; examine into the state of coal mines as to tra…

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, no person shall act as fire boss in any coal mine in this state unless he is in possession of a certificate of competency. (b) No person shall be employed as mine foreman in any coal mine in this state unless he is in possession o…

(a) There shall be appointed by the Governor a board of examiners, all of whom shall be citizens of this state and hold Alabama mine foreman’s certificates, consisting of the chief or the head mine inspector, as the secretary may designate, together with three active practical mi…

(a) Welders and helpers shall use proper shields or goggles to protect their eyes. (b) Employees engaged in haulage operations and other persons employed around moving equipment on the surface and underground shall wear snug-fitting clothing. (c) Protective gloves shall be worn w…

Each mine shall have a check-in and check-out system that will provide positive identification upon the person of every individual underground. An accurate record of the men in the mine, which shall consist of a written record, a check board or a time clock record, shall be kept …

(a) New shafts and partitions therein, made after August 12, 1949, shall be fireproof. (b) Mine openings, where there is danger of fire entering the mine, shall have adequate protection against surface fires or dangerous volumes of smoke entering the mine. (c) There shall be at l…

(a) Each mine shall have an adequate supply of first aid equipment to be used only in case of injury to employees or on the job sickness. These supplies shall be located at points on the surface, at the bottom of main shafts and main slopes, if over 1,000 feet from the surface, a…

(a) Each operator shall report promptly to the chief of the division the occurrence at any mine of any fatal accident or accident involving serious personal injury to any person or persons, whether employed or not. The scene of the accident shall not be disturbed pending an inves…

In any coal mine or coal mines or parts thereof wherein water may have been allowed to accumulate in large and dangerous quantities, putting in danger the adjoining or adjacent coal mines and the lives of the miners working therein, and when such can be tapped and set free and fl…

(a) If a disaster occurs in a mine, the chief of the division and the nearest office of the United States Bureau of Mines shall be notified by the quickest available means. All facilities of the mine shall be made available for rescue and recovery operations. (b) No work other th…

The Chief of the Division of Safety and Inspection of the Department of Labor shall establish and maintain within the State of Alabama and within said division such mine rescue stations as he may determine necessary to carry out rescue and recovery operations of mine disasters an…

Said chief is hereby authorized to have trained and employed at the rescue stations operated by said division within the state, rescue crews as he may determine necessary. Each member of such crews shall devote at least four hours each month, or eight hours bimonthly, for trainin…

It shall be the duty and responsibility of the chief to see that all crews be properly trained by qualified instructors who have a certificate of training from the Mine Safety and Health Administration. The chief may remove any crew member at any time. (Acts 1982, No. 82-439, p. …

Members of said crews shall have one year underground experience, be less than 50 years of age and pass a physical examination by a licensed physician annually. A record that such examination was taken shall be kept on file by the operator who employs the crew members and a copy …

All rescue or recovery work performed by these crews shall be under the jurisdiction of the chief. The division shall consult with company officials, representatives of the Mine Safety and Health Administration and representatives of the miners, and all should be in agreement as …

When engaged in rescue or recovery work during an emergency at a mine, all crew members assigned to the work shall be considered during the period of their work, employees of the mine where the emergency exists and shall be compensated by the operator at the rate established in t…

(a) During recovery work and prior to entering any mine, all recovery crews shall be properly informed of existing conditions. (b) Mine rescue and recovery work shall be carried out under provisions of the applicable federal regulations. (c) The chief may assign rescue and recove…

(a) All main fans shall be installed on the surface, in fireproof housings, the fan situated not less than 30 feet from its air shaft or air course and on one side of the line of such opening so that the fan will not be in direct line of the force of a blast or explosion. The air…

(a) Methane detectors used for examining in coal mines shall be permissible. When not in use, they shall be in the care of certified officials or other competent designated persons, who shall examine, clean, and deliver them in a safe condition to their users before they enter th…

(a) Air in which men work or travel must promptly be improved if it contains less than 19.5 percent oxygen, more than one percent carbon dioxide, or is contaminated with noxious or poisonous gases. (b) If the air immediately returning from a split that ventilates any active worki…

Sufficient air must be circulated and conducted through all entries, slopes, travelways, working places, air courses, and open abandoned areas to dilute, render harmless, and carry off noxious and explosive gases emitted in the mine, including smoke from blasting, and shall be no…

(a) Two available openings to the surface are required from each seam or stratum of coal worked. In drift or slope mines, such openings provided after August 12, 1949, must be separated by not less than 40 feet of natural strata, and all crosscuts between them shall be closed wit…

(a) Abandoned workings that cannot be ventilated adequately with safety to employees must be sealed. The chief of the division will prescribe rules for sealing and periodic testing of air and water behind seals. Failure to comply with rules for sealing and periodic testing will b…

(a) Operators of mines are required to employ one or more certified fire bosses and to have a preshift examination made. The duties of the fire boss are to examine for dangerous conditions all manways, slopes, and entries used by men in traveling to and from work and to examine f…