Kentucky Administrative Regulations › Title 805 - ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT CABINET › Chapter 3 - Mining Safety Standards › Section 805 KAR 3:040 - Fire prevention and control

Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 1, July 1, 2024
RELATES TO: KRS 351.070
NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY: This administrative
				regulation is to establish safety standards governing fire prevention and
				control in the operation of the Commonwealth's surface type coal and clay mines
				which include strip and auger mining operations.
Section 1. Fire Prevention and Control.
(1) No person shall smoke or use an open
			 flame where flammable or combustible liquids or greases are stored or in areas
			 or places where fire or explosion hazards exist.
(2) Signs warning against smoking and open
			 flames shall be posted so they can readily be seen in areas or places where
			 fire or explosion hazards exist.
(3) Areas surrounding flammable liquid
			 storage tanks and electric substations and transformers shall be kept free from
			 grass (dry), weeds, underbrush and other combustible materials for at least
			 twenty-five (25) feet in all directions.
(4) Fires used for warning purposes shall be
			 enclosed to prevent persons from coming in contact with flame or coals which
			 would ignite clothing. Oily or easily ignited clothing shall not be worn where
			 ignition hazards are present.
(5)
			 Buildings or rooms in which oil, grease, flammable liquids, or similar
			 flammable materials are stored shall be of fire-resistant construction and well
			 ventilated. Provisions shall be made to control spilled flammable
			 liquids.
(6) Abandoned electrical
			 circuits shall be deenergized and isolated so that they cannot become energized
			 inadvertently. If no further use is intended, they shall be removed.
(7) Combustible materials, grease,
			 lubricants, or flammable liquids shall not be allowed to accumulate where they
			 can create a fire hazard.
(8)
			 Materials, such as oily waste and rags, which are subject to spontaneous
			 combustion shall be placed in tightly covered metal containers until disposed
			 of properly.
(9) When flammable
			 solvents are used for cleaning, such solvents shall be transported in safety
			 cans of not over five (5) gallon capacity. When used to clean parts, the
			 containers used shall have tight-fitting covers. No cleaning may be done with
			 flammable solvents near a possible source of ignition.
(10) Oxygen cylinders shall not be stored
			 near oil or grease.
(11) Gauges and
			 regulators used with oxygen or acetylene cylinders shall be kept clean and free
			 of oil and grease.
(12) Valves on
			 oxygen and acetylene tanks shall be kept closed when they are not in
			 use.
(13) Battery-charging stations
			 shall be located in well ventilated areas and in the clear of other
			 equipment.
(14) Internal combustion
			 engines, except diesels, shall be shut off and stopped before being
			 fueled.
(15) Each mine shall have
			 available, or be provided with, appropriate types of firefighting equipment
			 adequate for the size of the mine.
(16) Firefighting equipment shall be
			 strategically located, readily accessible, plainly marked, properly maintained,
			 and inspected periodically and records shall be kept of such
			 inspections.
(17) Fire
			 extinguishers shall be:
(a) Adequate in number
			 and size and of the appropriate type for each particular fire hazard
			 involved.
(b) Replaced immediately
			 with fully charged extinguishers of the same capability after any discharge is
			 made from the extinguishers.
(c)
			 Inspected at least every six (6) months, tested at least once each year, and
			 maintained according to the manufacturer's recommendation. Each extinguisher
			 shall bear a tag showing the date of inspection and testing and the initials or
			 name of the person making the examination.
(d) Approved by Underwriter's Laboratories,
			 Inc. or Factory Mutual Research Corporation.
(18) Appropriate fire extinguishers shall be
			 provided on self-propelled mobile equipment.
(19) Fire extinguishers of the appropriate
			 type and size shall be an integral part of portable cutting and welding
			 equipment.
(20) When welding or
			 cutting near combustible materials, precautions shall be taken to ensure that
			 smoldering metal or sparks do no result in fire.
(21) Belt conveyors in locations where fire
			 would create a hazard to personnel shall be provided with safety switches to
			 stop the drive pulley automatically in the event the belt stalls or there is
			 excessive slippage.