KRS § 352.020 — KY Code / Title XXVIII / Chapter 352 / Section 352.020
352.020 Mine ventilation plans -- Methods of ventilation -- Amount of air required -- Plan requirements
Status: in_force

352.020 Mine ventilation plans -- Methods of ventilation -- Amount of air required

-- Plan requirements.

(1) A mine ventilation plan and any revision of an existing mine ventilation plan shall

be suitable to the ventilation conditions and mining system of each mine. The mine

ventilation plan and any revisions to the mine ventilation plan approved by the

United States Mine Safety and Health Administration shall be submitted to the

director or his or her authorized representative and incorporated into the license. All

mine ventilation plans shall be set forth in printed form. The mine ventilation plan

shall require the air quality throughout the mine to contain at least nineteen and one-

half percent (19.5%) oxygen and not more than one-half of one percent (0.5%) of

carbon dioxide, and the volume and velocity of the air current shall be sufficient to

dilute, render harmless, and carry away flammable, explosive, noxious, and harmful

gases and dust, smoke, and fumes. A copy of the mine ventilation plan and any

revisions to that plan shall be available to the miners and their representatives.

(2) The ventilation of all underground coal mines shall be produced by means of

mechanically operated fans located outside the mine in fireproof housing and offset

at least fifteen (15) feet to one (1) side or above the opening, protected by explosion

doors or weak walls and arranged so that ventilating current may be reversed if

necessary. The fan shall be installed so as to prevent recirculation of mine air. The

main fan shall be operated from a power circuit independent from the mine circuit.

If inside auxiliary fans are required to ventilate working places the commissioner

must first approve the installation.

(3) The licensee, superintendent, or foreman of every coal mine worked by shaft, slope,

or drift shall provide and maintain for every mine two (2) separate and distinct

escapeways, one (1) of which is vented by the intake air. However, if a mine was

originally licensed prior to January 1, 1990, the commissioner may approve an

alternate ventilation plan. Each active working section shall be ventilated by a

separate split of intake air. In all mines the quantity of air passing through the last

open crosscut between the intake and return in any pair or sets of entries shall be not

less than nine thousand (9,000) cubic feet of air per minute and as much more as is

necessary to dilute and render harmless and carry away flammable and harmful

gases. All working faces from which coal is being cut, mined, or loaded in a

working section between the intake and return airway entries shall be ventilated

with a minimum quantity of three thousand (3,000) cubic feet of air per minute and

as much more as is necessary to dilute and render harmless and carry away

flammable and harmful gases. The quantity of air reaching the last crosscut in pillar

sections may be less than nine thousand (9,000) cubic feet of air per minute if at

least nine thousand (9,000) cubic feet of air per minute is being delivered to the

intake of the pillar line. The air current shall under any conditions have a sufficient

volume and velocity to reduce and carry away smoke from blasting and any

flammable or harmful gases.

(4) All mines shall maintain at least nine thousand (9,000) cubic feet of air per minute

at the points mentioned in subsection (3) of this section. The commissioner shall

have the authority to require additional air in any mine when he deems it necessary

for the safety of the employees.

(5) When the air from a split has passed through and has ventilated all the working

places in an air split of a mine it shall then be designated as return air. Return-air

courses shall not be designated as primary escapeways.

(6) As working places advance, breakthroughs for air shall be made not more than

ninety (90) feet apart, except that where longwall or modern systems of mining are

used the commissioner or his authorized representative may approve a greater

distance between breakthroughs or the method of ventilating such longwall or

modern systems of mining. If any breakthroughs between intake and return airways

are not required for the passage of air or the travel of equipment, they shall be

closed with stoppings. All permanent stoppings shall be substantially built with

suitable incombustible or fire resistant material subject to the approval of the mine

inspector so as to keep the working places well ventilated. All brattice cloth and

ventilation tubing shall be flame resistant. Doors on the main haulways shall be

avoided where practicable, and overcasts, built of concrete or other suitable material

and of ample strength, shall be adopted. Where doors are used they shall be built in

a substantial manner, and shall be hung so as to close automatically when

unobstructed.

(7) In a mine where methane can be found to an extent of one percent (1%) or more on

the return of any one (1) split, the mine safety specialist, with the approval of the

commissioner, may require the mine to be ventilated by the exhaust system,

requiring the haulage roads and all feed wires to be located on the intake air and the

electrical system to be so arranged that no wires carrying electrical current shall be

on return air. A period of not more than ninety (90) days from date of notification

shall be allowed to make the changes required.

(8) The ventilation plan shall require all fans utilized in the ventilation plan to be in

continuous operation unless the fan must be turned off for repairs or maintenance,

during which time all persons must be withdrawn from the mine. After the mine fan

is restarted following the completion of repairs or maintenance, it must be in

operation for a sufficient period to ensure air quality and the equalization of the

mine atmosphere. Within fifteen (15) minutes after a fan has been unintentionally

stopped, all miners must begin withdrawing from the mine. If the fan is restarted

before the miners reach the surface, the miners shall remain at the point of their

retreat, and the area inby shall be preshifted prior to the miners returning to the

section.