805 KAR 2:010.
Underground coal mine usage.
RELATES TO: KRS
352.050(1)
STATUTORY AUTHORITY:
KRS 352.050(1), 351.070(13)
NECESSITY, FUNCTION,
AND CONFORMITY: This administrative regulation is to permit the use of diesel
powered equipment in underground mines for the purpose of reducing the number
of electrocutions and mine fires from electrical cables.
Section 1. General
Requirements for the Use of Diesel Equipment. (1) Only diesel equipment bearing
approval plates of permissibility issued by the Federal Mining Enforcement and
Safety Administration and approved for use by the Kentucky Department for
Natural Resources will be allowed in underground coal mines of the State. No
diesel powered machinery may be taken into any underground coal mine of the State
of Kentucky without the written approval of the Commissioner of Mines and
Minerals. The approval for use shall incorporate all the requirements of these
administrative regulations. If at any time the commissioner determines that any
condition or practice permitted under this approval may threaten the health or
safety of the employees, he may impose additional requirements for the purpose
of eliminating the condition or practice.
(2) If technical,
scientific or engineering information is gained indicating that approved diesel
machinery may be used in a manner which will afford workmen equal or greater
protection than afforded by the provisions of these administrative regulations,
the commissioner may approve the use of the machinery in the manner which provides
equal or greater protection.
(3) Mining
Enforcement and Safety Administration approval of the permissibility of mobile
diesel powered transportation equipment (hereinafter referred to as diesel
machine(s)) means only that the particular machine has met certain specific
requirements of design and performance, but such approval does not guarantee
that it is impossible to use a permissible machine in an unsafe manner. The
manufacturer must develop equipment that will meet the particular requirements
for approval, but it is the user's responsibility to see that the equipment is
maintained in permissible condition and is used in a permissible manner. In
addition to proper maintenance, the use of diesel machines underground involves
certain other factors, such as ventilation, which are of equal importance in
establishing safe operating conditions. It is absolutely essential to observe
the requirements of these administrative regulations in operating and
maintaining such machines to avoid impairing their permissible status and thus
defeat the protective features that are necessary for their safe use.
(4) Engine
adjustments shall be verified by the manufacturer as being correct before each
permissible diesel machine is operated in a coal mine.
(5) Alteration in
design, substitution of components or subassemblies, or changes in conditions
of operating permissible diesel machines shall not be made without prior
concurrence of the Kentucky Department for Natural Resources and the Mining
Enforcement and Safety Administration. When such changes are permitted additional
engine tests and adjustments shall be required as necessary to ensure the safe
operation of the particular machine in a coal mine.
Section 2. Proper
Ventilation to be Maintained for the Mines in Which Diesel Powered Equipment is
Used. (1) The use of diesel machines underground shall be restricted to
haulageways and working places where positive (controlled flow) ventilation is
maintained.
(2) The ventilating
air in all mine workings where diesel machines are operated shall not contain
combustible or other contaminating gases in such concentration that will affect
combustion in the diesel engine by materially increasing production of toxic
(poisonous) or other objectionable constituents in the engine exhaust.
(3) Each set of
producing entries in which diesel powered equipment is used shall be placed on
a separate split of air.
Section 3. In mines
using diesel powered equipment the quantity of ventilating air must meet the
following standards:
(1) In addition to
the amount of air required by the Kentucky Mining Law, at least 6,000 cubic
feet of air per minute shall be provided for each diesel unit used in a working
section of a mine. The air measurement shall be taken in the last open entry
crosscut. If these locations cannot be used due to pillaring, the measurements
shall be taken at the intake and return of the section. The quantity of
ventilating air shall be adequate to dilute the toxic and/or objectionable
constituents of the engine exhaust so that the composition of the air in each
haulageway and working place connected thereto will meet authoritative
standards for safe healthful working environment.
(2) The minimum
quantity of ventilating air that must be supplied for a permissible diesel machine
in a given time shall conform to that shown on the approval plate attached to
the particular machine.
(3) The quantity of
ventilating air in mine workings where diesel machines are operated shall be
measured once during each working shift and a record of each measurement shall
be kept in a book provided for this purpose.
(4) No person shall
incorporate any device in the exhaust system of a permissible diesel machine
that has not been approved in the tests that determine the permissibility of
the machine.
Section 4.
Maintaining Proper Quality Air in Mines that Use Diesel Powered Equipment. (1)
The air supplied for ventilation where diesel machines are used in coal mines
shall contain not less than twenty and five-tenths (20.5) percent, by volume,
of oxygen (dry basis) and not more than one (1.00) percent, by volume, of
methane.
(2) The ventilating
air in working places where diesel machines are operated shall be sampled and
analyzed chemically often enough to assure that the composition of the engine
intake air conforms with requirements stated in subsection (1) of this section
and that the concentrations of contaminants, such as carbon dioxide, carbon
monoxide, and oxides of nitrogen, when added to the ventilating air by the
diesel-engine exhaust shall meet authoritative standards for safe healthful
working environment.
(3) Ventilation and
machine-operating conditions shall maintain the composition of the air in the
pertinent mine workings so that the tolerable limits stated in subsections (1)
and (2) of this section will not be exceeded.
(4) Diesel-engine
exhaust shall not contain black smoke.
(5) When the
conditions of the quality of air stated in subsections (1), (2), and (3) of
this section are not maintained, as determined by analysis or other observation
operation of diesel machines shall be stopped until the requirements of air
quality are complied with.
(6) Records shall be
kept of all air analyses and of any changes(s) in ventilation or diesel engine
adjustment resulting from the analyses.
Section 5.
Maintenance of diesel machines to be maintained according to the following
rules:
(1) The maintenance
of diesel machines in permissible condition shall be delegated only to
authorized, competent persons.
(2) Engine intake
and exhaust systems shall be inspected visually at least once each working
shift. Other diesel machine components shall be inspected in accordance with
instructions of the manufacturer. Records shall be kept of the inspections.
(3) Maintenance,
inspection and repair work shall be done in accordance with instructions of the
manufacturer. Records shall be kept of maintenance, inspection and repair work.
Section 6. The
Maintenance of the Engine-fuel-injection System. (1) Injection values.
(a) Injection values
shall be maintained in proper operating condition. Particular attention shall
be given to preventing imperfect atomization or distribution of the fuel.
(b) Replacements of
worn or broken injection valves shall be identical with those on the engine
when the diesel machine was approved as permissible.
(2) Fuel pump.
(a) The engine fuel
pump shall be sealed or locked to prevent tampering. The seal shall be broken
only by an authorized competent person, when necessary to reset the fuel pump,
after which the pump shall be resealed.
(b) Resetting of the
stop limiting maximum fuel injection of the fuel pump shall be identical with
the original setting provided by the manufacturer.
(c) Each shop or
facility in which diesel engines are serviced shall be provided with equipment
for properly measuring the quantity of fuel delivered by the fuel pump when
operating at maximum fuel setting, or such adjustments shall be made only by a
competent diesel service organization where such equipment is available.
(d) The fuel pump
shall be set to deliver the maximum weight of fuel specified in the
certifications provided by the Mining Enforcement and Safety Administration and
the Kentucky Department for Natural Resources.
(e) When operating a
diesel engine at altitudes exceeding 1,000 feet above sea level, the maximum
quantity of fuel injected by the fuel pump shall be set in accordance with the
liquid fuel rate-altitude table provided in the manufacturer's caution
statement.
Section 7. The
Procedures to Follow in Inspection and Maintenance of Engine-intake System. (1)
The engine-intake system including flame arrester(s), air cleaner, and all
joints shall be inspected at intervals according to the manufacturer's general
maintenance instructions.
(2) Inspection of
the engine-intake system shall include tightness of all joints and cleanliness
of flame-arrester surfaces.
(3) Periodic
measurements shall be made of the vacuum in the engine-intake system to
determine whether the air cleaner and flame arrester(s) require cleaning.
(4) The air cleaner
of the engine-intake system shall be maintained in accordance with the
manufacturer's instructions. The normal oil-filling level shall not be
exceeded.
Section 8. When and
How to Inspect and Maintain the Engine-exhaust System. (1) The engine-exhaust
system, including flame arrester(s), conditioner or cooling boxes, shutoff
mechanism, water spray, and exhaust-dilution system shall be inspected at
intervals according to the manufacturer's general maintenance instructions.
(2) Periodic
measurements shall be made of the positive pressure in the engine-exhaust
system to determine whether the exhaust flame arrester requires cleaning.
(3) The water supply
for the exhaust-gas cooling system shall be replenished by an authorized person
at the beginning of each working shift.
(4) When salts from
the evaporation of water in the exhaust-gas cooling system are deposited on
auxiliaries, such as cooling boxes, conditioners and other parts of the system,
such auxiliaries shall be flushed with water and cleaned to remove the salt
deposits, as well as soot filtered from the exhaust gas.
(5) Float valves
shall be serviced at intervals according to the manufacturer's instructions to
maintain them in good operating condition.
(6) Functioning of
the fuel shutoff mechanism actuated by the exhaust-gas temperature, shall be
tested at least once every three (3) months. This test shall be made in a safe
place; not in active face workings of a coal mine.
(7) All heated
surfaces of the diesel engine shall be inspected and cleaned at intervals
frequent enough to ensure that such surfaces are kept free of combustible
materials, such as coal dust, diesel fuel, lubricants, and rags or waste.
(8) The exhaust-gas
dilution system shall be inspected and cleaned at intervals frequent enough to
ensure safe dilution of the exhaust gas when it is discharged from the diesel
engine.
(9) Whenever the
diesel-engine exhaust is smoky or objectionable odors are emitted in the
exhaust, the cause shall be investigated immediately and corrected in
accordance with the manufacturer's instruction.
Section 9. The Use
and Maintenance of Electrical Components of Diesel Equipment. (1) Locks and
seals. Electrical parts, such as battery boxes and headlights, shall be
provided with locks and seals that are maintained where required to preserve
the permissible status of a permissible diesel machine.
(2) Fastenings.
Joints in motor casings, starting switch enclosures, headlights, and other
parts that are subject to arcing during normal operation shall be fastened
securely. All bolts, cap screws, and other means of joining parts of casings
and enclosures shall be kept in their proper places and secured tightly.
(3) Wiring and
conduit.
(a) Wiring
insulation shall be maintained in good condition and when worn or abraded shall
be replaced with well-insulated wiring.
(b) Rubber hose,
steel pipe, and other types of conduit for wiring shall be supported firmly at
each end and between ends when the lengths are such as to require additional
support. Conduit and other means of protecting wiring shall be kept in place
and maintained in condition equivalent to that provided by the manufacturer for
the permissibility tests.
(4) Headlight and
instrument lenses. Lenses forming part of the explosion-proof casings of headlights
or enclosures of instruments shall be held securely in place. Cracked lenses
shall be replaced immediately.
(5) Overload and
short-circuit protection. Tampering with fuses, relays or other means supplied
by the manufacturer for overload and short-circuit protection of wiring and
electrical parts shall not be permitted, nor shall the use of substitutes that
nullify such protection be permitted.
(6) Battery. Battery-cell tops shall be maintained free of electrolyte and other foreign
material. Connections between battery cells shall be kept tight and free of
corrosion.
Section 10. Fuel
Usage in Diesel Powered Equipment. (1) Specifications.
(a) The fuel for
diesel engines of machines approved for service in underground mines shall
conform to the equipment manufacturer's specifications for viscosity, pour
point, cetane number, carbon residue and water. The flash point shall be not
less than 140 degrees Fahrenheit, and the sulphur contents shall not exceed
five-tenths (0.5) percent by weight.
(b) Only distillate
fuel shall be used in engines of permissible diesel-powered transportation
equipment for underground mines.
(2) Storage and
handling.
(a) Fuel taken
underground shall be transported only in strong, tight metal containers that
are provided with efficient closing devices.
(b) The quantity of
fuel stored underground shall not exceed that required for twenty-four (24)
hour operation of all diesel machines in use.
(c) Fuel taken
underground and awaiting transfer to diesel machine fuel tanks shall be stored
in a closed compartment, constructed of incombustible materials, and shall be
kept in a well-ventilated location, the return air from which shall not pass
through any active mine workings.
(d) The walls of a
fuel-storage compartment shall form a liquid tight joint with the bottom of
mine floor. Any opening in the fuel-storage compartment, such as a doorway,
shall be provided with a sill high enough to form a catch-basin in the storage
compartment to retain spilled fuel. The capacity of the catch-basin shall be
large enough to hold the maximum quantity of fuel that is permitted to be
stored underground.
(e) Diesel machine
fuel tanks shall be filled only at the fuel-storage compartment. Fuel shall be
transferred from the storage compartment to a machine fuel tank through
flexible hose that is fitted with a self-closing value.
(f) The
fuel-handling system and the diesel machine shall be frame grounded when fuel
is being transferred from the storage compartment to the machine fuel tank.
(g) The air vents on
fuel-handling equipment shall be flameproof.
(h) When fuel is
being transferred from the storage compartment to the machine fuel tank, the
diesel engine shall be stopped.
(i) A supply of sand
or other suitable incombustible material shall be available during the transfer
of fuel from the storage compartment to the machine fuel tank for absorbing
spilled fuel.
(j) All drain plugs
in the fuel-handling system shall be threaded and sealed or locked in the
closed position to prevent unintentional opening.
(k) Only trained
authorized persons shall be permitted to handle fuel for diesel machines.
(l) In fuel-handling
operations, precautions shall be observed to keep the fuel clean and free from
contamination by foreign material, such as dirt, sediment and water.
(m) Fuel filters on
diesel engines shall be cleaned regularly and repaired promptly as conditions
require.
Section 11. Types of
Fire Extinguishers Used and their Storage. Liquid carbon dioxide or pressurized
dry-chemical fire extinguishers shall be installed at underground repair shops,
machine barns, and fuel shortage compartments.
Section 12.
Maintenance of Underground Repair Shops and Machine-storage Barns. (1)
Ventilation.
(a) Underground
repair shops and diesel machine-storage barns shall be ventilated by a separate
air split between the intake and return airways.
(b) When diesel
machines are operated in underground repair shop or storage barn, or in the
event of fire, arrangements shall be made to conduct the products of combustion
therefrom directly to the return airway.
(2) Construction.
(a) Underground
repair shops and machine-storage barns shall be lined with nonabsorbent,
incombustible material. Doors to other means of closure shall be constructed of
similar incombustible material.
(b) Floors of
underground repair shops and machine-storage barns shall be impervious to oil
and shall be so graded as to provide natural drainage to a sump or catch-basin
to collect spilled oil.
(c) Spilled oil
shall be cleaned up and removed from the sump or catch-basin promptly and
stored in closed metal containers until disposed of on the surface.
(3) Repair
operations. Welding or other operations that might create a fire hazard shall
not be done unless precautions are observed to prevent inadvertent ignition of
diesel fuel or lubricants.
(4) Miscellaneous. A
supply of sand or other incombustible material shall be kept in underground
repair shops and machine-storage barns to aid in firefighting and to absorb
spilled diesel fuel or lubricants.
Section 13. General
Conditions Governing the Operation of Diesel-powered Equipment in Underground
Mines. (1) The operation of diesel equipment in underground coal mines in Kentucky shall be under the supervision of a foreman holding a Kentucky Mine Foreman Certificate.
(2) Not more than
two (2) diesel shuttle cars will be permitted to operate at the same time in a
single air split. Provided, however, that the Commissioner of Mines and
Minerals may if he determines that the safety or health of the employees will
not be jeopardized, permit additional shuttle cars to be used.
(3) No diesel
equipment will be permitted to operate in any section of a mine where room
entries exceed 3,000 feet in depth.
(4) The engine of a
shuttle car shall be shut down at all times when not in use (that is, it must
not be allowed to idle more than absolutely necessary).
(5) If the engine
exhaust becomes more noticeable than normal, the equipment shall be removed
from the faces and shut down until the proper repairs can be made to correct
this condition.
(6) All employees
working in sections where diesel equipment is used shall be furnished with
self-rescue respirators which they shall carry at all times while on duty in
the mine.
(7) No person who
works in close proximity to mobile diesel equipment throughout the shift shall
be permitted to work more than a ten (10) hour continuous shift in any
twenty-four (24) hours.
(8) Access to all
company records such as maintenance, repairs, fuels, ventilation, etc.,
pertaining to the use of the underground diesel equipment shall be made
available to representatives of the Kentucky Department for Natural Resources
upon request. The mine operator shall keep and make available other pertinent
records as prescribed by the Kentucky Department for Natural Resources.
(9) The operation of
any diesel machine in any manner or under any condition that does not comply
with the requirements of these administrative regulations shall be considered
by the department as voiding its approval for underground use.
(10) Terminology
used in these administrative regulations is consistent with that of KRS 351.010
and 352.010 unless the context requires otherwise. (CM-Rg-1-1.01-1.13; 1 Ky.R.
168; eff. 12-11-74; TAm eff. 8-9-2007.)
