§825 Mandatory Health and Safety Training

Summary

Mine operators must run a Secretary‑approved health and safety training program for all miners. New underground miners need at least 40 hours of training and new surface miners need at least 24 hours. Both must be taught miners’ legal rights, how to use self‑rescue and breathing devices when needed, hazard recognition, emergency procedures, basic ventilation, electrical hazards, first aid, walk‑around training, and the safety parts of the job they will do. All miners must get at least 8 hours of refresher training at least once every 12 months; miners already on the job when the training plan is approved must get that refresher no more than 90 days after approval. Training for a new task must cover the safety parts specific to that task, include hands‑on work as closely related to the job as possible, be given during normal work hours, and miners must be paid their normal rate (new miners get their starting wage). If training is offsite, miners get paid for extra costs. Operators must certify training on a Secretary‑approved form, keep certificates at the mine, give a copy to the miner and to departing workers; false certification is punishable under section 820(a) and (f) of this title and the certificate must state that in bold. The Secretary must write rules for training for mine construction workers and for mine rescue teams. Proposed rescue rules were required within 180 days after the 1977 Amendments’ effective date, and final rescue rules had to be in place no later than 18 months after June 15, 2006, with certification criteria updated every 5 years. Each underground coal mine must have an employee on every shift who knows mine emergency response and must make two certified mine rescue teams available. For mines with more than 36 employees teams must be familiar with the mine, train and compete at least annually, and be reachable within one hour ground travel. For mines with 36 or fewer employees teams must also train at least semi‑annually at the mine, be knowledgeable about operations and ventilation, be available within one hour, and team members must have at least 3 years of underground coal mine experience within the prior 10 years. Operators may meet team requirements with on‑site teams, multi‑employer composite teams, contracted commercial teams, or State teams as the rules allow.