Council Directive 92/104/EECDangos y teitl llawn

PART C U.K. SPECIAL MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS APPLICABLE TO UNDERGROUND MINERAL-EXTRACTING INDUSTRIES

1. General U.K.

1.1. Without prejudice to Article 3 (2), the employer who, in accordance with national legislation and/or practice, is responsible for the workplace covered by this Part C must ensure that the safety and health document shows that all relevant measures have been taken to protect the safety and health of workers in both normal and critical situations. U.K.

1.2. The safety and health document must be brought up to date regularly and be available for inspection at the workplace. U.K.

Work must be carried out in accordance with the safety and health document.

2. Plans of underground workings U.K.

2.1. Plans of underground workings drawn to a scale which provides a clear representation must be prepared. U.K.

In addition to roadways and winning areas, they must show the known features which may influence working and safety.

They must be readily accessible and must be kept for as long as is necessary for safety purposes.

2.2. Plans of underground workings must be brought up to date periodically and held available at the workplace. U.K.

3. Outlets U.K.

All undergound workings must have access to the surface via at least two separate outlets which are soundly constructed and readily accessible to underground workers.

Mechanical manwinding or manriding facilities must be available for these outlets if considerable physical effort is involved in negotiating them.

4. Workings U.K.

Workings where underground work is carried out must be constructed, operated, equipped and maintained so that workers can work and move in them with a minimum of risk.

Roadways must be signposted to help workers to find their way about the workings.

5. Transport U.K.

5.1. Transport facilities must be installed, operated and maintained in such a way as to ensure the safety and health of drivers, users and other persons in the vicinity. U.K.

5.2. Mechanical manwinding or manriding facilitates must be properly installed and used in accordance with written instructions. U.K.

6. Support and ground stability U.K.

Support must be provided as soon as possible after excavation, except where the stability of the ground makes it unnecessary for the safety of workers. Support must be installed in accordance with plans and written instructions.

Workings accessible to workers must be inspected regularly for ground stability, and support maintained accordingly.

7. Ventilation U.K.

7.1. All underground workings to which access is permitted must be ventilated in an appropriate manner. U.K.

Continuous ventilation must be provided to maintain, with an adequate safety margin:

• a healthy atmosphere,

• an atmosphere in which the risks of explosion and respirable dust are kept under control,

• an atmosphere in which working conditions are adequate while work is in progress, having regard to the working methods being used and the physical demands placed on the workers.

7.2. Where the requirements of 7.1 cannot be met by natural ventilation, the main ventilation must be provided by means of one or more mechanical fans. U.K.

Steps must be taken to ensure stable and continuous ventilation.

The depression of the main fans must be monitored continuously, and an automatic alarm must indicate unscheduled stoppages.

7.3. The ventilation parameters must be measures periodically and recorded. U.K.

A ventilation plan containing the pertinent details of the ventilation system must be prepared, brought up to date periodically and held available at the workplace.

8. Gassy mines U.K.

8.1. An underground working is regarded as gassy if firedamp is likely to be released in such a quantity that the risk of formation of an explosive atmosphere cannot be excluded. U.K.

8.2. The main ventilation must be provided by one or more mechanical fans. U.K.

8.3. Working must proceed taking account of firedamp emission. U.K.

Steps must be taken to eliminate as far as possible the risks arising from firedamp.

8.4. Auxiliary ventilation must be limited to development and salvage work and to places with a direct connection to the main ventilation current. U.K.

Production workings may be ventilated by auxiliary systems only if appropriate additional measures are taken to ensure the safety and health of workers.

8.5. The ventilation measurement referred to under 7.3 must be supplemented by firedamp determinations. U.K.

Where required by the safety and health document, firedamp levels must also be continuously monitored in return airways from production units using mechanized extraction or underpinning and at the head ends of mechanized blind end workings.

8.6. Only explosives and initiating devices specifically for gassy mines may be used. U.K.

8.7. The provisions of 4.1.2 of Part A are replaced as follows: U.K.

• Smoking, carrying tobacco for smoking and any objects which may be used to produce a flame are prohibited.

• Flame cutting, welding and other similar operations are permitted only in exceptional circumstances and subject to specific measures ensuring the safety and health of the workers.

9. Mines containing flammable dusts U.K.

9.1. Coal mines are considered to be susceptible to flammable dusts except where the safety and health document shows that none of the seams being worked contains dust liable to propagate an explosion. U.K.

9.2. In mines with flammable dusts the provisions of 8.6 and 8.7 of this Part C apply mutatis mutandis. U.K.

9.3. Steps must be taken to reduce flammable dust deposits, and to remove neutralize or bind the same. U.K.

9.4. Propagation of flammable dust and/or firedamp explosions which are liable to trigger further flammable dust explosions must be limited by installing a system of explosion barriers. U.K.

The locations of such explosion barriers must be indicated in a document which is brought up to date periodically and held available at the workplace.

10. Gas outbursts, rockbursts and water inrushes U.K.

10.1. In zones susceptible to gas outbursts with or without the projection of minerals or rock, rock- bursts or water inrushes, an operating plan must be drawn up and implemented so as to ensure, as far as possible, a safe system of work and the protection of workers. U.K.

10.2. Measures must be taken to identify risk zones, protect workers in workings approaching or traversing these zones, and control the risks. U.K.

11. Fires, combustions and heatings U.K.

11.1. Provision must be made for the prevention and, where appropriate, the early detection of spontaneous combustion. U.K.

11.2. Flammable materials taken into underground workings must be limited to the quantities which are strictly necessary. U.K.

11.3. Where it is necessary to use hydraulic fluids (fluids for the transmission of hydrostatic and/or hydrokinetic mechanical energy), fluids which are difficult to ignite must, as far as possible, be used in order to avoid the risk of fire and its spread. U.K.

The hydraulic fluids must satisfy specifications and test conditions relating to fire resistance and hygiene criteria.

Where hydraulic fluids are used which do not satisfy the specifications, conditions and criteria referred to in the second subparagraph, additional precautions must be taken to avoid the increased risk of fire and its spread.

12. Precautions for withdrawal of workers U.K.

So that they can withdraw in safety, workers must, where necessary, be provided with self-rescue respiratory protection devices which they must always keep within their reach.

Workers must be trained in the use of these devices.

These devices must remain at the site and be checked regularly to ensure that they are in good condition.

13. Lighting U.K.

The provisions of section 13 of Part A are replaced as follows:

• Workers must be provided with a suitable personal lamp.

• Workstations must as far as possible be equipped with artificial lighting adequate for the protection of workers’ safety and health.

• Lighting installations must be placed in such a way that there is no risk of accident to workers as a result of the type of lighting fitted.

14. Underground workforce accounting U.K.

It must be possible to know exactly who is under ground at any time.

15. Rescue organization U.K.

In order to enable suitable action to be taken rapidly and effectively in the event of a major incident, an adequate rescue organization must be set up.

The rescue organization must, in order to be able to act at any site where underground extraction or exploratory workings are in progress, have sufficient trained rescue workers and adequate rescue equipment at its disposal.