EFFECTIVE DATE: 06/20/13

PROGRAM POLICY LETTER NO. P13-V-04

FROM: KEVIN G. STRICKLIN

Administrator for

Coal Mine Safety and Health

SUBJECT: Reissue of P11-V-1; Clarification on Repairs or Maintenance of Machinery, 

30 C.F.R. § 75.1725(c)

Scope

Coal mine operators, equipment manufacturers, miners and miners' representatives, Mine Safety 

and Health Administration (MSHA) enforcement personnel, and other interested parties should 

have this information.

Purpose

This Program Policy Letter covers the MSHA policy concerning the requirements of Section 

75.1725(c), Title 30 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), in order to prevent injuries while 

machinery repairs or maintenance are performed. This policy letter addresses the meaning of 30 

C.F.R. § 75.1725(c), and identifies a number of methods for complying with the standard.

Policy

Section 75.1725(c) provides that "[r]epairs or maintenance shall not be performed on machinery 

until the power is off and the machinery is blocked against motion, except where machinery 

motion is necessary to make adjustments." "Machinery" includes hydraulic jacks or cylinders, 

belt conveyors, longwall conveyors, and other machinery used in coal mines. "Repair" means to 

fix, mend, or restore to good working order. "Maintenance" means the labor of keeping 

machinery in good working order and includes clean-up, clearing jammed material or conducting 

examinations on or in close proximity to machinery.

Methods to comply with this standard to prevent inadvertent or unexpected motion include: 

1. Opening the circuit breaker for the affected machinery, provided no energized parts or 

conductors are exposed, and placing the run selector switch for startup of the machinery 

in the "off" position. On longwall machinery, this would include placing the lockout 

switch in the lockout position in the area where the repair or maintenance is being 

performed. (A qualified electrician would be required to de-energize a circuit breaker if 

there are exposed energized parts or conductors. See Item No. 8, 30 C.F.R. § 75.511, 

Program Policy Manual, Volume V.)
2. Opening the circuit breaker at the power center that supplies power for the affected 

machinery (30 C.F.R. § 75.900) and disengaging the power cable coupler that supplies 

power to the machinery (30 C.F.R. § 75.903).

3. Opening a manual visible disconnect switch, either within the circuit or onboard the 

machinery, (30 C.F.R. § 75.903) and securing the switch against re-energization. A 

control circuit start-stop switch does not constitute a manual disconnect. 

4. In cases such as steeply inclined belt conveyors and suspended loads, when removing the 

power alone will not ensure against unintentional or inadvertent movement, the 

machinery shall be physically blocked, in addition to removing the power by one of the 

three methods described above. Physical blocking may be achieved by the use of such 

devices as bars, chocks, or clamps.

Other methods may be appropriate in particular situations to prevent unintentional or inadvertent 

movement. What method(s) is appropriate depends upon the circumstances and type of 

machinery. The critical determination is whether the method(s) used would effectively prevent 

motion. The types of maintenance work that can be performed on longwalls and continuous 

miners are lubrication, changing bits, changing water sprays and conducting respirable dust 

control parameter checks with the circuit breaker opened that opens all power conductors 

entering the machine. Taking air readings on continuous miners equipped with a scrubber to 

determine compliance and checking water pressure requires the continuous miner to be 

energized. Extra precautions shall be taken to prevent injuries such as moving the continuous 

miner to a crosscut with the cutter head against the inby coal rib and limiting the number of 

miners exposed when taking air reading on scrubbers and checking water pressure.

In addition, it is important to emphasize that restoring power prematurely while repairs or 

maintenance are ongoing places a miner performing that work in harm's way. Operators must 

prevent inattentive restarting and assure that repairs or maintenance have ceased before power is 

restored to the machinery. Preventive measures operators can take include locking and tagging 

out, clearance checks, or visible or audible alarms with built-in time delays before restart to warn 

the miner(s) performing the work so power will not be restored without the miner's knowledge.

Background

Miners have suffered serious injuries and fatalities when performing maintenance and repairs on 

machinery that started up and moved unexpectedly. Adequate methods to assure the miners' 

safety must be used while conducting this work. 

Authority

The Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, as amended, 30 U.S.C. § 801 et seq., and 30 

C.F.R. § 75.1725(c).

Internet Availability
This program policy letter may be viewed on the Internet by accessing MSHA's homepage at 

(www.msha.gov) under MSHA’s Major Laws, Regulations and Policies choose "Compliance 

Information (PIBs, PILs, the PPM, and More” and select “Program Policy Letters.”

Contact Person(s)

Coal Mine Safety and Health, Safety Division

Rodney Adamson, (202) 693-9549

E-mail: adamson.rodney@dol.gov

Coal Mine Safety and Health, Safety Division

Stephen J. Gigliotti, (202) 693-9479

E-mail: gigliotti.stephen@dol.gov

Distribution

MSHA Program Policy Manual Holders

Miners' Representatives

Coal Mine Operators

Manufacturers of Mine Equipment

Special Interest Groups