Source: http://www.legis.state.wv.us/WVCODE/code.cfm?chap=22A&art=1&section=5
Timestamp: 2017-08-17 13:54:25
Document Index: 24162520

Matched Legal Cases: ['§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22']

Chapter 22A | Article 22A - 1 | Section 5
WVC 22 A- 1 -
WVC 22 A- 1 - 1
WVC 22 A- 1 - 2
(1) Accident: The term "accident" means any mine explosion, mine ignition, mine fire, or mine inundation, or injury to, or death of any person.
(2) Agent: The term "agent" means any person charged with responsibility for the operation of all or a part of a mine or the supervision of the miners in a mine.
(3) Approved: The term "approved" means in strict compliance with mining law, or, in the absence of law, accepted by a recognized standardizing body or organization whose approval is generally recognized as authoritative on the subject.
(4) Face equipment: The term "face equipment" means mobile or portable mining machinery having electric motors or accessory equipment normally installed or operated inby the last open crosscut in an entry or room.
(5) Imminent danger: The term "imminent danger" means the existence of any condition or practice in a coal mine which could reasonably be expected to cause death or serious physical harm before such condition or practice can be abated.
(6) Mine: The term "mine" includes the shafts, slopes, driftsor inclines connected with, or intended in the future to be connected with, excavations penetrating coal seams or strata, which excavations are ventilated by one general air current or divisions thereof, and connected by one general system of mine haulage over which coal may be delivered to one or more points outside the mine, and the surface structures or equipment connected or associated therewith which contribute directly or indirectly to the mining, preparation or handling of coal, or construction thereof.
(7) Miner: The term "miner" means any individual working in a coal mine.
(8) Operator: The term "operator" means any firm, corporation, partnership or individual operating any coal mine, or part thereof, or engaged in the construction of any facility associated with a coal mine.
(9) Permissible: The term "permissible" means any equipment, device or explosive that has been approved as permissible by the federal mine safety and health administration and/or the United States bureau of mines and meets all requirements, restrictions, exceptions, limitations and conditions attached to such classification by that agency or the bureau.
(10) Person: The term "person" means any individual, partnership, association, corporation, firm, subsidiary of a corporation or other organization.
(11) Work of preparing the coal: The term "work of preparing the coal" means the breaking, crushing, sizing, cleaning, washing, drying, mixing, storing and loading of bituminous coal or lignite and such other work of preparing such coal as is usually done by the operator of the coal mine.
(1) Board of appeals: The term "board of appeals" means as provided for in article five of this chapter.
(2) Director: The term "director" means the director of the office of miners' health, safety and training provided for in section three of this article.
(3) Mine inspector: The term "mine inspector" means a state mine inspector provided for in section eight of this article.
(4) Mine inspectors' examining board: The term "mine inspectors' examining board" shall mean the mine inspectors' examining board provided for in article nine of this chapter.
(5) Office: The term "office" means, when referring to a specific office, the office of miners' health, safety and training provided for in this article. The term "office", when used generically, includes any office, board, agency, unit, organizational entity or component thereof.
(1) Abandoned workings: The term "abandoned workings" meansexcavation, either caved or sealed, that is deserted and in which further mining is not intended, or open workings which are ventilated and not inspected regularly.
(2) Active workings: The term "active workings" means all places in a mine that are ventilated and inspected regularly.
(3) Drift: The term "drift" means a horizontal or approximately horizontal opening through the strata or in a coal seam and used for the same purposes as a shaft.
(4) Excavations and workings: The term "excavations and workings" means any or all parts of a mine excavated or being excavated, including shafts, slopes, drifts, tunnels, entries, rooms and working places, whether abandoned or in use.
(5) Inactive workings: The term "inactive workings" includes all portions of a mine in which operations have been suspended for an indefinite period, but have not been abandoned.
(6) Mechanical working section: The term "mechanical working section" means an area of a mine: (A) In which coal is loaded mechanically; (B) which is comprised of a number of working places that are generally contiguous; and (C) which is of such size to permit necessary supervision during shift operation, including pre-shift and on-shift examinations and tests required by law.
(7) Panel: The term "panel" means workings that are or have been developed off of submain entries which do not exceed threethousand feet in length.
(8) Return air: The term "return air" means a volume of air that has passed through and ventilated all the working places in a mine section.
(9) Shaft: The term "shaft" means a vertical opening through the strata that is or may be used for the purpose of ventilation, drainage, and the hoisting and transportation of individuals and material, in connection with the mining of coal.
(10) Slope: The term "slope" means a plane or incline roadway, usually driven to a coal seam from the surface and used for the same purposes as a shaft.
(11) Working face: The term "working face" means any place in a coal mine in which work of extracting coal from its natural deposit in the earth is performed during the mining cycle.
(12) Working place: The term "working place" means the area of a coal mine inby the last open crosscut.
(13) Working section: The term "working section" means all areas of the coal mine from the loading point of the section to and including the working faces.
(14) Working unit: The term "working unit" means an area of a mine in which coal is mined with a set of production equipment; a conventional mining unit by a single loading machine; a continuous mining unit by a single continuous mining machine, whichis comprised of a number of working places.
(1) Assistant mine foreman: The term "assistant mine foreman" means a certified person designated to assist the mine foreman in the supervision of a portion or the whole of a mine or of the persons employed therein.
(2) Certified electrician: The term "certified electrician" means any person who is qualified as a mine electrician and who has passed an examination given by the office, or has at least three years of experience in performing electrical work underground in a coal mine, in the surface work areas of an underground coal mine, in a surface coal mine, in a noncoal mine, in the mine equipment manufacturing industry or in any other industry using or manufacturing similar equipment, and has satisfactorily completed a coal mine electrical training program approved by the office or any person who is qualified as a mine electrician in any state that recognizes certified electricians licensed in West Virginia.
(3) Certified person: The term "certified person", when used to designate the kind of person to whom the performance of a duty in connection with the operation of a mine shall be assigned, means a person who is qualified under the provisions of this law to perform such duty.
(4) Interested persons: The term "interested persons"includes the operator, members of any mine safety committee at the mine affected and other duly authorized representatives of the mine workers and the office.
(5) Mine foreman: The term "mine foreman" means the certified person whom the operator or superintendent shall place in charge of the inside workings of the mine and of the persons employed therein.
(6) Qualified person: The term "qualified person" means a person who has completed an examination and is considered qualified on record by the office.
(7) Shot firer: The term "shot firer" means any person having had at least two years of practical experience in coal mines, who has a knowledge of ventilation, mine roof and timbering, and who has demonstrated his or her knowledge of mine gases, the use of a flame safety lamp, and other approved detecting devices by examination and certification given him or her by the office.
(8) Superintendent: The term "superintendent" means the person who has, on behalf of the operator, immediate supervision of one or more mines.
(9) Supervisor: The term "supervisor" means a superintendent, mine foreman, assistant mine foreman or any person specifically designated by the superintendent or mine foreman to supervise work or employees and who is acting pursuant to such specificdesignation and instructions.
(1) Armored cable: The term "armored cable" means a cable provided with a wrapping of metal, usually steel wires or tapes, primarily for the purpose of mechanical protection.
(2) Borehole cable: The term "borehole cable" means a cable designed for vertical suspension in a borehole or shaft and used for power circuits in the mine.
(3) Branch circuit: The term "branch circuit" means any circuit, alternating current or direct current, connected to and leading from the main power lines.
(4) Cable: The term "cable" means a standard conductor (single conductor cable) or a combination of conductors insulated from one another (multiple conductor cable).
(5) Circuit breaker: The term "circuit breaker" means a device for interrupting a circuit between separable contacts under normal or abnormal conditions.
(6) Delta connected: The term "delta connected" means a power system in which the windings or transformers or a.c. generators are connected to form a triangular phase relationship, and with phase conductors connected to each point of the triangle.
(7) Effectively grounded: The term "effectively grounded" is an expression which means grounded through a grounding connectionof sufficiently low impedance (inherent or intentionally added or both) so that fault grounds which may occur cannot build up voltages in excess of limits established for apparatus, circuits or systems so grounded.
(8) Flame-resistant cable, portable: The term "flame-resistant cable, portable" means a portable flame-resistant cable that has passed the flame tests of the federal mine safety and health administration.
(9) Ground or grounding conductor (mining): The term "ground or grounding conductor (mining)", also referred to as a safety ground conductor, safety ground and frame ground, means a metallic conductor used to connect the metal frame or enclosure of any equipment, device or wiring system with a mine track or other effective grounding medium.
(10) Grounded (earthed): The term "grounded (earthed)" means that the system, circuit or apparatus referred to is provided with a ground.
(11) High voltage: The term "high voltage" means voltages of more than one thousand volts.
(12) Lightning arrestor: The term "lightning arrestor" means a protective device for limiting surge voltage on equipment by discharging or by passing surge current; it prevents continued flow of follow current to ground and is capable of repeating thesefunctions as specified.
(13) Low voltage: The term "low voltage" means up to and including six hundred sixty volts.
(14) Medium voltage: The term "medium voltage" means voltages from six hundred sixty-one to one thousand volts.
(15) Mine power center or distribution center: The term "mine power center or distribution center" means a combined transformer or distribution unit, complete within a metal enclosure from which one or more low-voltage power circuits are taken.
(16) Neutral (derived): The term "neutral (derived)" means a neutral point or connection established by the addition of a "zig-zag" or grounding transformer to a normally underground power system.
(17) Neutral point: The term "neutral point" means the connection point of transformer or generator windings from which the voltage to ground is nominally zero, and is the point generally used for system groundings in wye-connected a.c. power system.
(18) Portable (trailing) cable: The term "portable (trailing) cable" means a flexible cable or cord used for connecting mobile, portable or stationary equipment in mines to a trolley system or other external source of electric energy where permanent mine wiring is prohibited or is impracticable.
(19) Wye-connected: The term "wye-connected" means a powersystem connection in which one end of each phase windings or transformers or a.c. generators are connected together to form a neutral point, and a neutral conductor may or may not be connected to the neutral point, and the neutral point may or may not be grounded.
(20) Zig-zag transformer (grounding transformer): The term "zig-zag transformer (grounding transformer)" means a transformer intended primarily to provide a neutral point for grounding purposes.
WVC 22 A- 1 - 3
(d) The Director of the Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training shall be a citizen of West Virginia, shall be a competent person of good repute and temperate habits with a demonstrated interest and five years' education or training in underground mining safety, and three years' experience in underground mining and shall have at least three years of experience in a position of responsibility in at least one discipline relating to the duties and responsibilities for which the director will be responsible upon assumption of the office of director. Special reference shall be given to his or her administrative experience and ability. The director shall devote all of his or her time to the duties of the position of director and shall not be directly interested financially in any mine in this or any other state nor shall the director, either directly or indirectly, be a majority owner of, or have control of or a controlling interest in, a mine in this or any other state. The director shall not be a candidate for or hold any other public office, shall not be a member of any political party committee and shall immediately forfeit and vacate his or her office as director in the event he or she becomes a candidate for or accepts appointment to any other public office or political party committee: Provided, That, in the event of a vacancy in the position of director, the Governor may fill the director's position on an interim basis by appointing an acting director to exercise the powers of the director. The acting director shall be a citizen of West Virginia, shall be a competent person of good repute and temperate habits with a demonstrated interest and five years' education, training or experience in underground coal mining safety and shall have at least three years of experience in a position of responsibility in at least one discipline relating to the duties and responsibilities for which the acting director will be responsible during his or her interim service in the office of director. The interim service appointment can not last for more than one year, after which a permanent director must be appointed.
(e) The director shall be allowed and paid necessary expenses incident to the performance of his or her official duties. Prior to the assumption of his or her official duties, the director shall take the oath required of public officials prescribed by section five, article IV of the Constitution of West Virginia and shall execute a bond, with surety approved by the Governor, in the penal sum of ten thousand dollars. The executed oath and bond shall be filed in the Office of the Secretary of State. Premiums on the bond shall be paid from office funds.
WVC 22 A- 1 - 4
WVC 22 A- 1 - 5
§22A-1-5. Offices continued in the office of miners' health, safety and training.
(a) There are hereby continued in the office of miners' health, safety and training the following offices:
(2) The coal mine safety and technical review committee established pursuant to article six of this chapter;
(4) The mine inspectors' examining board established pursuant to article nine of this chapter; and
(5) The board of appeals provided for pursuant to the provisions of article five of this chapter.
(b) Nothing in this article may authorize the director or the secretary of the department of commerce, labor and environmental resources to alter, discontinue or abolish any office, board or commission or the functions thereof, which are established by statute.
WVC 22 A- 1 - 6
WVC 22 A- 1 - 7
WVC 22 A- 1 - 8
WVC 22 A- 1 - 9
(d) Mine safety instructors shall be paid an annual salary of not less than thirty-seven thousand four hundred dollars, which shall be fixed by the director, who shall take into consideration ability, performance of duty and experience. Mine safety instructors shall devote all of their time to the duties of the office.
WVC 22 A- 1 - 10
WVC 22 A- 1 - 11
(d) Electrical inspectors shall be paid an annual salary of not less than forty-two thousand eight hundred twenty-eight dollars, which shall be fixed by the director, who shall take into consideration ability, performance of duty and experience. Electrical inspectors shall devote all of their time to the duties of the office.
WVC 22 A- 1 - 12
(d) Underground mine inspectors shall be paid an annual salary of not less than thirty-eight thousand one hundred sixty dollars; assistant inspectors-at-large, not less than forty-four thousand four hundred forty-eight dollars; inspectors-at-large, not less than forty-six thousand one hundred four dollars, each of which shall be fixed by the director, who shall take into consideration ability, performance of duty, and experience. In accordance with established rules of the state's travel management office, underground mine inspectors shall also be allowed and paid expenses necessarily incident to the performance of their official duties: Provided, That no reimbursement for expenses may be made other than upon the timely submittal of a properly itemized expense account settlement completed by the underground mine inspector, approved and countersigned by the director, or his or her designated representative, verifying that the expenses were actually incurred in the performance of official duties. Underground mine inspectors shall devote all of their time to the duties of the office and shall be afforded compensatory time or compensation of at least the regular rate for all time in excess of forty hours per week.
WVC 22 A- 1 - 13 A
WVC 22A-1-15
WVC 22 A- 1 - 16
WVC 22 A- 1 - 17
WVC 22 A- 1 - 18
WVC 22A-1-20
WVC 22 A- 1 - 21
WVC 22 A- 1 - 22
(a) No person shall discharge or in any other way discriminate against or cause to be discharged or discriminated against any miner or any authorized representative of miners by reason of the fact that the person believes or knows that such miner or representative (1) has notified the director, his or her authorized representative, or an operator, directly or indirectly, of any alleged violation or danger, (2) has filed, instituted or caused to be filed or instituted any proceeding under this law, (3) has testified or is about to testify in any proceeding resulting from the administration or enforcement of the provisions of this law. No miner or representative shall be discharged or in any other way discriminated against or caused to be discriminated against because a miner or representative has done (1), (2) or (3) above.
WVC 22 A- 1 - 23
In addition to such records as are specifically required by this law, every operator of a coal mine shall establish and maintain such records, make such reports, and provide such information, as the director may reasonably require from time to time to enable the director to perform his or her functions under this law. The director is authorized to compile, analyze, and publish, either in summary or detailed form, such reports or information so obtained. Except to the extent otherwise specifically provided by this law, all records, information, reports, findings, notices, orders, or decisions required or issued pursuant to or under this law may be published from time to time, may be released to any interested person and shall be made available for public inspection.
WVC 22 A- 1 - 24
The director shall appoint a mine foreman examiner to examine and certify mine foremen-fire bosses, assistant mine foremen-fire bosses and mine examiners or fire bosses. Such mine foremen examiners shall be paid a minimum salary of thirty-one thousand thirty-two dollars per year.
WVC 22 A- 1 - 25
WVC 22 A- 1 - 26
The director shall determine the location where the mine foreman examiner shall meet for the purpose of holding examinations, and at least two weeks' notice of the time and place where the examinations are to be held shall be given.
The examinations shall be given at any location where there are at least five men to be tested, and adequate facilities to conduct such examination. The office of the secretary to the mine foreman examiner shall be located in the capitol complex in Charleston. All records pertaining to the examinations shall be kept at such office.
WVC 22 A- 1 - 27
The mine foreman examiner shall, with the approval of the director, prepare, and from time to time, modify examinations to be administered applicants for certification as mine foremen and fire bosses.
WVC 22 A- 1 - 28
WVC 22 A- 1 - 29
The mine foreman examiner shall certify to the director, on a form furnished by the director, every person whose examination shall disclose the person's fitness for the duties of mine foreman, assistant mine foreman, and fire boss, as above classified, and the director shall prepare certificates of qualification for the successful applicants and send them to the mine foreman examiner for distribution.
WVC 22 A- 1 - 30
WVC 22 A- 1 - 32
WVC 22 A- 1 - 33
WVC 22 A- 1 - 34
The director is hereby authorized to have trained and employed at the rescue stations, operated by the office within the state, such rescue crews as he or she may deem necessary. Each member of a rescue crew shall devote four hours each month for training purposes and shall be available at all times to assist in rescue work at explosions and mine fires. Regular members shall receive for such services the sum of thirty-two dollars per month, and captains shall receive thirty-five dollars per month, payable on requisition approved by the director. The director may remove any member of a rescue crew at any time.
WVC 22 A- 1 - 36
(b) Within six months of the date when the rules required in subsection (a), above, become final, each operator shall develop and submit to the director a comprehensive mine safety program for each mine, in accordance with such rules. Each employee of the mine shall be afforded an opportunity to review and submit comments to the director regarding the modification or revision of such program, prior to submission of such program to the director. Upon submission of such program the director has ninety days to approve, reject or modify such program. If the program is rejected, the director shall give the operator a reasonable time to correct and resubmit such program. Each program which is approved shall be reviewed, at least annually, by the director. An up-to-date copy of each program shall be placed on file in the office and further copies shall be made available to the miners of each mine and their representatives. Each operator shall undertake all efforts necessary to assure total compliance with the appropriate safety program at each mine and shall fully implement all portions of such program.
(c) Any person violating any provision of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than one hundred nor more than one thousand dollars, or imprisoned in the county jail for not more than six months, or both fined and imprisoned.
WVC 22 A- 1 - 37
§22A-1-37. Certification of surface-mine foremen.
WVC 22 A- 1 - 38
WVC 22 A- 1 - 39
§22A-1-39. Reciprocity of mine foreman certification and
(a) Beginning the first day of April, one thousand nine hundred ninety-nine, and notwithstanding any other provisions in this code to the contrary, the director, in consultation with the board of miner training, education and certification, established pursuant to the provisions of article seven of this chapter, shall make reciprocity of mine foreman certification and experienced miner certification available to any person certified by a state which accepts West Virginia's mine foreman or experienced miner certifications, if that state's qualifications, examination and certification criteria are substantially equivalent to those utilized by this state.
WVC 22 A- 1 - 40
§22 A- 1 - 2 - (Amended Code)
§22 A- 1 - 5 - (Amended Code)
§22 A- 2 - 59 - (Amended Code)
§22 A- 2 A-1001 - (New Code)
§22 A- 6 - 3 - (Amended Code)
§22 A- 6 - 4 - (Amended Code)
§22 A- 6 - 6 - (Amended Code)
§22 A- 7 - 2 - (Amended Code)
§22 A- 7 - 3 - (Amended Code)
§22 A- 7 - 5 - (Amended Code)
§22 A- 7 - 5 A - (Amended Code)
§22 A- 9 - 1 - (Amended Code)
§22 A- 11 - 1 - (Amended Code)
§22 A- 11 - 2 - (Amended Code)
§22 A- 11 - 3 - (Amended Code)
§22 A- 11 - 4 - (Amended Code)
§22 A- 11 - 5 - (New Code)