Kentucky Administrative Regulations › Title 805 - ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT CABINET › Chapter 2 - Diesel Equipment › Section 805 KAR 2:010 - Underground coal mine usage

Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 1, July 1, 2024
RELATES TO: KRS 352.050(1)
NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY: This administrative
				regulation is to permit the use of diesel powered equipment in underground
				mines for the purpose of reducing the number of electrocutions and mine fires
				from electrical cables.
Section 1.
			 General Requirements for the Use of Diesel Equipment.
(1) Only diesel equipment bearing approval
			 plates of permissibility issued by the Federal Mining Enforcement and Safety
			 Administration and approved for use by the Kentucky Department for Natural
			 Resources will be allowed in underground coal mines of the State. No diesel
			 powered machinery may be taken into any underground coal mine of the State of
			 Kentucky without the written approval of the Commissioner of Mines and
			 Minerals. The approval for use shall incorporate all the requirements of these
			 administrative regulations. If at any time the commissioner determines that any
			 condition or practice permitted under this approval may threaten the health or
			 safety of the employees, he may impose additional requirements for the purpose
			 of eliminating the condition or practice.
(2) If technical, scientific or engineering
			 information is gained indicating that approved diesel machinery may be used in
			 a manner which will afford workmen equal or greater protection than afforded by
			 the provisions of these administrative regulations, the commissioner may
			 approve the use of the machinery in the manner which provides equal or greater
			 protection.
(3) Mining Enforcement
			 and Safety Administration approval of the permissibility of mobile diesel
			 powered transportation equipment (hereinafter referred to as diesel machine(s))
			 means only that the particular machine has met certain specific requirements of
			 design and performance, but such approval does not guarantee that it is
			 impossible to use a permissible machine in an unsafe manner. The manufacturer
			 must develop equipment that will meet the particular requirements for approval,
			 but it is the user's responsibility to see that the equipment is maintained in
			 permissible condition and is used in a permissible manner. In addition to
			 proper maintenance, the use of diesel machines underground involves certain
			 other factors, such as ventilation, which are of equal importance in
			 establishing safe operating conditions. It is absolutely essential to observe
			 the requirements of these administrative regulations in operating and
			 maintaining such machines to avoid impairing their permissible status and thus
			 defeat the protective features that are necessary for their safe use.
(4) Engine adjustments shall be verified by
			 the manufacturer as being correct before each permissible diesel machine is
			 operated in a coal mine.
(5)
			 Alteration in design, substitution of components or subassemblies, or changes
			 in conditions of operating permissible diesel machines shall not be made
			 without prior concurrence of the Kentucky Department for Natural Resources and
			 the Mining Enforcement and Safety Administration. When such changes are
			 permitted additional engine tests and adjustments shall be required as
			 necessary to ensure the safe operation of the particular machine in a coal
			 mine.