The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989

Restriction of equipment in certain zones below ground

19.—(1) At every safety-lamp mine containing any zones below ground in which firedamp whether or not normally present is likely to occur in a quantity sufficient to indicate danger, there shall be prepared a suitable plan identifying such zones.

(2) Electrical equipment shall not be energised in such zones unless it is–

(a) equipment of a kind approved for that purpose;

(b) equipment approved pursuant to regulation 20(1);

(c) equipment the use of which was lawful in such zones immediately before the coming into force of these Regulations;

(d) equipment which has received a certificate of conformity or a certificate of inspection in accordance with Council Directive 82/130/EEC(1) on the approximation of the laws of the Member States concerning electrical equipment for use in potentially explosive atmospheres in mines susceptible to firedamp, as adapted to technical progress by Commission Directive 88/35/EEC(2);

(e) equipment such as is specified in regulation 21(2);

(f) equipment which is not capable of producing incendive electrical sparks in normal use; or

(g) electrically-powered equipment not permanently installed in the mine but required occasionally for monitoring, testing, recording and measurement, and used where the concentration of firedamp is 0.8% by volume or less in accordance with suitable rules drawn up by the manager to ensure that danger will not thereby arise, which rules shall in particular include provision for personal supervision of that equipment by a competent person and testing for firedamp when it is in use;

and any lights which conform with this paragraph shall be permitted lights in any mine such as is specified in paragraph (1).

(1)

OJ No. L59, 2.3.82, p.10.

(2)

OJ No. L64, 10.3.88, p.36.