2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 22A. Miners' Health, Safety and Training › Article 2. Underground Mines › §22A-2-38. Transportation of Miners by Cars; Self-Propelled Equipment; Belts

(a) Man trips shall be pulled, unless self-propelled, at safe speeds consistent with the condition of roads and type of equipment used, but not to exceed twelve miles an hour. Each man trip shall be under the charge of a certified person or other competent person designated by a mine foreman or assistant mine foreman. It shall be operated independently of any loaded trip of coal or other heavy material, but may transport tools, small machine parts and supplies. When mine cars are used for man trips, a locomotive shall be used on each end of the trip.
(b) Cars on the man trip shall not be overloaded, and sufficient cars in good mechanical condition shall be provided. Sufficient space shall be afforded so that no miner shall have to be transported in a hazardous position.
(c) No person shall ride under the trolley wire unless the man cars used are suitably covered and insulated. No person shall ride on loaded timber cars, loaded supply trucks, empty timber cars or empty supply trucks which are not equipped with side guards, on top of locomotives, on chain conveyors, inside shuttle cars, on the tops of machinery or equipment, or on the sides of machinery or equipment, except for operators of such machinery or equipment.
(d) Miners shall not load or unload before the cars in which they are to ride, or are riding, come to a full stop. Miners shall proceed in an orderly manner to and from man trips.
(e) When belts are used for transporting miners, a minimum clearance of eighteen inches shall be maintained between the belt and the roof or crossbars, projecting equipment, cap pieces, overhead cables, wiring and other objects. Visible reflectors shall be placed where projected equipment, cap pieces, overhead cables, wiring or other pieces cross the belt line. Where the height of the coal seam permits, the clearance shall not be less than twenty- four inches.
(f) The belt speed shall not exceed two hundred fifty feet per minute where the minimum overhead clearance is eighteen inches, or three hundred feet per minute where the minimum overhead clearance is twenty-four inches, while miners are loading, unloading, or being transported. A signaling system or method shall be provided for stopping the belt and miners shall ride not less than six feet apart.
(g) An assistant mine foreman or some other person designated by the mine foreman shall supervise the loading and unloading of belts and man trips. Where miners are required to cross over belts, adequate and safe facilities shall be provided.
(h) Positive-acting stop controls shall be installed along all belt conveyors used to transport miners, and such controls shall be readily accessible, and maintained so that the belt can be stopped or started at any location.
(i) Belt conveyors used for man trips shall be stopped while men are loading or unloading.
(j) There shall be at least thirty-six inches of side clearance where miners board or leave such belt conveyors.
(k) Adequate illumination including colored lights or reflective signs shall be installed at all loading and unloading stations. Such colored lights and reflective signs shall be so located as to be observable to all persons riding the belt conveyor.
(l) Telephone or other suitable communications shall be provided at points where miners are regularly loaded on or unloaded from belt conveyors.
(m) After supplies have been transported on man trip cars, such cars shall be examined for unsafe conditions prior to the transportation of miners.
(n) While trackmen are working on haulageways, the dispatcher, or if there is no dispatcher, such other person responsible for communications with haulage crews shall give notice to haulage crews to maintain traffic under a slow and safe operating speed at the point of construction or repair.