SAFETY AND PROTECTION
32. Wiliul damage. No person shall wilfully damage or render ineffective anything which has been provided on or in a mine for the safety or health of the workmen.
33. Withdrawal of workmen in case of danger. (1) If at any time it is found by the person, for the time being in charge of a mine, or any part thereof, or by the inspector, that by reason of any cause whatever, such mine or part is dangerous, every workman shall be withdrawn from such mine . or part and a competent person appointed for the purpose by the owner, authorised representative or manager shall inspect such mine or part, and if the danger arises from flammable gas or noxious gas, shall inspect such mine or part with a locked safety-lamp or self- contained breathing apparatus as the occasion may demand and in every case shall make a true report of the condition of such mine or part and a workman shall not, except in so far as is necessary for inquiring into the cause of danger or for the removal thereof or for exploration, be readmitted into such mine, or part so found dangerous, until the same is reported by the person appointed as aforesaid to be no longer dangerous.
(2) Every such report shall be entered in the record book and shall be signed by the person or persons making the inspection.
(3) The manager shall immediately notify the inspector of any action taken under this regulation.
34. Workings approaching water or gas. If a working in a mine approaches or is in proximity to a place likely to contain water or flammable or noxious gas, the manager shall notify the inspector of the precautions he proposes to adopt to deal with the situation. The inspector may approve such precautions or direct the manager to take such other precautions as the inspector deems necessary.
35. Provision of escape dri-ves. In every mine which, in the opinion of the inspector, is liable to an inundation or inburst of water, suth additional rises, chambers, drives and other workings shall be constructed as are necessary, or as may be directed by the inspector for ventilation or in order to ensure the escape of workmen from the lower workings, or their safety in the mine during the period of any inundation or inburst of water. A notice calling attention to the means of escape shall be conspicuously posted, and kept so posted, at the foot of each rise, jump-up or passage or workings provided or available for the purpose of escape.
36. Men working alone. (1) In every mine where there are men employed underground who are working alone at points in the mine where they are not in frequent communication with, or within easy hearing of, other employees, the manager shall direct that each such man
Regulations
shall be visited or communicated with at intervals of not more than two hours or more frequently if necessary by some person appointed for this duty.
(2) In hazardous ground no workman shall be employed alone unless there is some person within sight and no person shall be employed alone in any place which the inspector may specify.
37. Lights. (1) When required by the inspector, suitable lighting shall be provided at all shaft entrances and such other places underground in a mine as he may specify.
(2) Every person employed underground in a mine shall carry a light unless the place in which he is required to work or travel is otherwise lighted.
(3) Working places on the surface shall be provided with suitable lighting.
38. Protective clothing. (1) All persons employed underground or in an open-cut and persons employed at such places on the surface of a mine as the inspector may specify shall while so employed wear a safety helmet which shall conform to the safety helmet specifications A.S.
No. Z. 10 of the Standards Association of Australia and any amendment thereto and which shall be fitted with a chin strap or other means of securing it to the head of the wearer.
(2) When required by the inspector men employed in on or about a mine shall wear such type of footwear, protective clothing and safety equipment as may be directed by him.
( 3) All persons whose duty it is to oil, grease, or attend to moving parts of machinery shall wear close fitting and close fastened garments which cannot readily be caught up by or become entangled in such machinery.
39. Penthouses. When any shaft is being sunk below levels which are being worked, persons employed below such levels shall be pro- tected by a securely constructed penthouse to the satisfaction of the inspector; and when required by the inspector further penthouses shall forthwith be constructed in such or any shaft.
40. Safety belts. When men are required to work where there is danger of falling or slipping from precipitous places, or on fine ore or other fine material accumulated in bins for the purpose of treatment, or on broken ore or other material for the purpose of assisting its passage into a pass or chute, they shall be provided with and use safety belts or approved type of safety harness.
41. Drives and excavations to be protected. Every shaft, drive, winze, rise or stope and every excavation of any kind, in connection with the working of a mine shall be securely protected in a manner approved by the inspector.
42. Fencing shaft entrances. ( 1) The entrance to every shaft at the surface and every headframe platform between the surface and the headsheave shall be securely protected by a gate, fence or covering;
but this provision shall not be construed to prohibit the temporary removal of such fence, gate or covering if proper precautions are taken to prevent danger.
(2) The top of every winze, and all entrances between the top and bottom of every shaft, winze or other downward excavation in a mine, shall be properly and securely protected by a gate, fence or covering;
Regulations rr. 43-49 53 but this proviSion shall not be construed to prohibit the temporary removal of such fence, gate or covering if proper precautions are taken to prevent danger.
43. Temporary removal of fence from shaft. When a gate, fence or c0ve1'ing has. been temporarily remo.ved from an entrance to a shaft, winze or other downward excavation, a strong horizontal bar shall be securely fixed across the entrance not less than three feet nor more than four feet from the floor of the entrance to such shaft, winze or other excavation.
44. Fencing machinery, tramways, &c. ( 1) Every flywheel and all exposed moving parts of the machinery and every tramway constructed on an eli:vated platform for use in or about a mine, or in or about any works above ground, other than tramway by ropes, shall be kept securely and safely fenced.
(2) All ashpits and ashheaps shall be kept securely and safely fenced.
( 3) All vats used in connection with the treatment of ore shall, when required by the inspector, be securely fenced; and the inspector may require such other precautions to be taken as he may deem necessary.
45. Protection of abandoned shafts and excavations. ( 1) Every abandoned or disused shaft or tunnel shall be securely fenced or covered over by the owners or authorised representative, and in the latter case its position indicated on the surface in an approved manner.
(2) No person, whether owner or not, shall without the consent in writing of the inspector, after any shaft, level, drive or excavation has become disused for mining purposes wilfully damage it or render it useless by the removal of any covering, fencing, casing, lining, ladder, platform, timber or any other appliances.
46. Responsibility for protecting abandoned shafts. Where operations have been discontinued in a mine, the owner, authorised representative and manager shall continue to be responsible for carrying out the provisions of these regulations relating to the protection of any shaft or excavation on the surface of such mine, and the furnishing of plans of such mine until such provisions have been complied with.
Upon the inspector being satisfied that such provisions have been complied with, he shall issue a certificate to that effect, and the owner shall thereupon be relieved from all responsibility.
47. Timber or other support not to be removed or openings obstructed. The owner, authorised representative or manager of any mine shall not, without giving due notice to the owner of any adjoining mine· and without consent of the inspector, remove timber, or other means of support in or on his mine, the removal of which may make any portion of the working of such adjoining mine unsafe or inaccessible.
48. Hung-up passes, &c. When any pass, chute or opening used for the drawing of ore, mullock or sand has become obstructed only such methods as are approved by the manager shall be used to free such pass, chute or opening.
49. Slope and height of faces in open-cuts. The slope and height of any face in an ,open-cut shall be such that, taking into consideration the surrounding conditions, it is in the opinion of the inspector safe.
50. Open-cuts over underground workings. ( 1 ) In no case shall the face of an open-cut be advanced over ground that is considered dangerous by the inspector, except with his permission and upon com- pliance with such conditions for safe working as he may impose. This regulation however, shall not be construed to prohibit the sinking of passes from the floor of an open-cut for the purpose of filling of underground stopes.
(2) When work is being carried on in any open-cut, no stoping shall be carried out within one hundred feet vertically from the bottom of such open-cut or for a distance horizontally of two hundr~d feet unless with the consent of the inspector.
51. Height of back above filling. When stoping is carried on by any method by which the excavation is filled with waste rock, sand, earth or broken ore, for the support of· the persons engaged in working the stope, the filling shall, in the case of stopes other than timber stopes, at all times be kept up to within such distance as will permit the proper scaling down of the back or roof of the stope.
52. Warning to men in shrinkage stopes. Where stopes are worked on the shrinkage system, no ore shall be drawn off until the men working in the stope : ave been notified to that effect.
53. •Winzes. Every winze shall be sunk clear of a travelling way, unless otherwise approved by the inspector.
54. Signalling in winzes. When hoisting appliances are used in a winze a knocker line or other contrivance approved by the inspector shall be provided in every such winze to enable signals to be communicated to the driver from every part of the winze.
55. Securing materials in shafts, winzes, &c. All material raised or lowered in a shaft, winze or other excavation shall be securely placed in or attached to the conveyance in such a manner that the material in the conveyance cannot come into contact with the sides of such shaft, winze or excavation.
56. Precaution against fire. ( 1) The owner, authorised representative or manager of every mine shall take adequate precautions against any outbreak of fire and for the prompt suppression of any such outbreak.
(2) All precautions against fire shall be subject to the approval of the inspector, who may give such orders in relation thereto as he thinks fit, and such orders shall be carried out.
( 3) In the event of an outbreak of fire underground the men shall be immediately warned and every practicable provision made to bring them to the surface without delay.
( 4) No person shall leave an unprotected flame close to timber in any place.
(5) Waste used in cleaning machinery underground shall be kept in a securely covered metal vessel.
(6) Chips, shavings, waste, wood, paper or other rubbish shall not be allowed to lie about and accumulate in any part of a mine; nor shall any such matter or other flammable material be thrown into passes.
57. Storage of toxic substances. All toxic substances shall be stored in a manner approved by the inspector and only a person authorised by the manager shall have access to such toxic substances.
Regulations
··-·-·---·--···--- - - - - - - - PART V
EXPLOSIVES
rr. 58-66 55
58. Storage of explosives. (1) Explosives shall not be stored in on or about any mine unless in such magazines and/or in such quantities as may be approved of in writing by the inspectoL
(2) The position, construction, lining and ventilation of every such magazine shall be approved by the inspector who may also require that any magazine be secured against unlawful entry.
( 3) Ammonium nitrate and liquid oxygen shall be stored, handled and used in a manner approved by the inspector.
59. Storage of detonators. (1) Detonators shall not be stored in the sam~ magazine as other explosives unless in a special compartment approved by the inspector in writing.
(2) Except when approved by the inspector detonators other than electric detonators shall not be issued unless attached to fuse.
60. Authorised person to be in charge of magazine. (1) Every magazine on the surface shall be under the charge of the manager, or person appointed by the manager, who shall have in his possession the keys of the magazine and who shall be responsible for the safe storage of the explosives contained therein. The name of such person shall be recorded.
( 2) Every underground magazine shall be under the charge of a person appointed by the manager and the person so appointed shall be responsible for the safe keeping of the key of the magazine and for the supervision and issue of the explosive. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prohibit the appointed person being one of the mer. at work in the mine.
61. Removal of explosives. In the event of the closing of any mine or part of a mine, the explosives stored therein shall be removed.
62. Naked light forbidden in magazines. No person shall enter with a naked light any magazine in a mine where powder or other explosive or flammable substance is stored, or shall smoke while engaged in the handling of or charging of explosive.
63. Responsibility for handling explosives. When explosives are used in any mine, the men handling, charging or firing the explosives shall be jointly and severally responsible for the proper handling, charging and firing thereof.
64. Age limit. No person under the age of eighteen years shall be allowed to handle, charge or fire explosives.
65. Opening of explosives cases. (1) No case containing explosive shall be opened in any storage magazine unless in a separate compartment of such magazine approved by the inspector.
(2) Implements made of wood, brass or copper only shall be used in opening cases of explosive and the manager shall provide and keep provided suitable implements for the purpose.
66. Preparation of capped fuse. ( 1) Capped fuse shall be prepared by an authorised person and in a suitable place approved by the inspector.
(2) All fuse shall be cut to the required length with a sharp instru- ment and detonators shall be crimped on the fuse by a crimper approved by the inspector.
67. Explosives to be carried only in secure container. Explosives when taken from a magazine for use in the workings shall be conveyed directly to such workings in a securely covered case, canister or other suitable container of a type and pattern approved by the inspector.
Separate containers or separate compartments of a container shall be used for conveying explosives, capped fuse and electric detonators.
68. Surplus explosives to be returned to magazine. Explosives shall not be taken into the workings from a magazine except in such quantities as are actually required during the shift and any surplus explosives shall be returned to such magazine unless the inspectoE approves temporary storage in the workings in approved containers.
69. Wrappings to be left on cartridges. Except in the case of primers, or when otherwise approved by the inspector, no person shall remove the wrappers around cartridges of nitro glycerine explosives to be used in 'charging a hole.
70. Diameter of explosive cartridge. Explosives cartridges shall not be charged in any hole which is of insufficient diameter to freely admit such cartl'idges.
71. Metal tamping rods forbidden. (1) (a) Tamping rods or sticks shall be of wood unless otherwise approved in writing by the inspector.
(b) Explosives may be pressed or tamped into the holes prepared for them but inust not be rammed or unduly forced into such holes.
(2) For the purpose of this regulation tamping shall mean the pressing of an explosive cartridge or stemming into a hole and the term stemming shall mean sand or other inert material approved by the inspector which is inserted into the hole following the tamping of explosives therein.
72. Charges to be fired when charged. Unless otherwise approved in writing by the inspector no more holes shall be charged in any one working face than are intended to be fired in one blasting.
73. Charging, etc., of hot holes. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other regulation relating to the use of explosives, holes in hot ground shall be charged with explosives fired and subsequently dealt with in a manner approved by the inspector in writing. Rock temperatures of over 135 degrees Fahrenheit shall be considered hot ground. The manager shall on the occurrence of any unusual increase in rock tempera- tures in the mine, forthwith report such occurrence to the inspector.
74. Charging explosives in crushed ground. When difficulty .is experienced in positioning the explosive charge in holes in fractured or crushed ground the inspector may approve the use of suitable casing for this purpose.
75. Supply of low freezing explosives. When required by the inspector the manager shall supply to those persons using explosives a low freezing type of explosive approved by the inspector and no other type shall then be used.
Regulations rr. 76-80 57 76. Firing warning to be given. (1) Persons intending to fire charges underground shall, before they fire, give a clear warning to all persons in the vicinity who might receive injury unless they were so warned, such warning to include information as to the locality of the firing and as to the number of charges to be exploded.
(2) In addition to the foregoing warning being given, the persons intending to fire shall cause all entrances to the place or places where the charges are to be fired to be effectively guarded or barricaded to prevent inadvertant access thereto:
Provided that where electric firing of explosive charges is done at regular established intervals and all personnel removed from the vicinity of the firing to a safe place this regulation shall not apply.
77. ,Surface warning signals. Before blasting in open-cuts or works on the surface visual and or audible signals to signify "danger" shall be given and all persons who might be exposed to danger from the blasting shall be withdrawn to a place or places of safety. On the completion of blasting signals to signify "safety" shall be given.
78. Use of safety fuse. (1) Except with the permission of the inspector safety fuse shall not be used for the firing of charges in the sinks of shafts or winzes.
(2) When safety fuse is used for the firing of charges the inspector may determine the minimum length of such fuse that may be used and the maximum number of fuses that may be lit by one person and may direct that a multiple fuse igniter cartridge of an approved type be used.
( 3) (a) When igniting more than one fuse, a type of igniter approved by the inspector shall be used.
(b) In so lighting fuses precautions shall be taken that no portion of the burning igniter falls into any of the holes or upon any of the fuses.
( 4) The number of shots exploding shall where practicable be counted by two persons and any misfire shall be reported to a responsible person appointed to assist the mar.ager.
79. Persons allowed to fire shots electrically. Only competent persons who have been properly instructed in the work and duly authorised by the manager shall be allowed to fire shots electrically in any part of a mine.
80. Use of electric exploder. (1) When in firing shots electrically an exploder is used, the exploder, cables and wires shall be suitable for the conditions under which the blasting is carried out.
(2) The exploder shall be fitted with a handle or key, which shall be detached when not required for firing, and shall not in any circum- stances pass from the personal custody of an authorised person.
(3) The exploder shall not be connected to the shot-firing cable until all other steps preparatory to the firing of the shot have been completed1 and all persons have been removed to a place of safety.
( 4) Immediately after the firing of the shot, the firing cable shall be disconnected from the exploder.
(5) The exploder shall be tested at frequent interv"als by means of an instrument approved for the purpose and immediately prior to firing, the electrical circuit to be used shall be tested by a galvanometer or some other method approved by the inspector.