Virginia Administrative Code › Title 4 - CONSERVATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES › Agency 25 - DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY › Chapter 40 - SAFETY AND HEALTH REGULATIONS FOR MINERAL MINING › Part IX - Mobile Equipment-Surface and Underground › Section 4VAC25-40-1590 - Railroad equipment

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
Railroad equipment shall be installed or maintained by the
					 operator as follows:
1. Public and
				  permanent railroad crossing shall be posted with warning signs or signals or
				  shall be guarded when trains are passing and shall be planked or otherwise
				  filled between the rails;
2.
				  Operators shall sound a warning before starting trains and when trains approach
				  crossing, other trains on adjacent tracks, persons, and any place where vision
				  is obscured;
3. Persons shall not
				  go over, under, or between cars unless the train is stopped and the motorman
				  has been notified and the notice acknowledged;
4. Only authorized persons shall be permitted
				  to ride on trains or locomotives and they shall ride in a safe
				  position;
5. Movement of two or
				  more pieces of rail equipment operating independently on the same track shall
				  be regulated by an efficient signal block, telephone, or radio system;
				  movements on complex haulage systems shall be adequately controlled if not
				  under the supervision of a dispatcher;
6. Positive-acting stop blocks, derail
				  devices, track skates, or other adequate means shall be installed wherever
				  necessary to protect persons from runaway or moving railroad
				  equipment;
7. Whenever a locomotive
				  on one track is used to move equipment on a different track, a suitable chain,
				  cable, or drawbar shall be used;
8.
				  Persons in charge of trains shall ensure that tracks are clear and personnel
				  are in safe locations prior to moving trains;
9. Cars shall not be coupled or uncoupled
				  manually from the inside of curves unless the railroad and cars are so designed
				  to eliminate any hazard from manual coupling;
10. Rocker-bottom or bottom-dump rail cars
				  shall be equipped with locking devices;
11. Roadbeds, rails, joints, switches, frogs,
				  and other elements on railroads shall be designed, installed, and maintained in
				  a safe manner consistent with the speed and type of haulage;
12. Switch throws shall be installed so as to
				  provide adequate clearance for switchmen;
13. Track guardrails, lead rails, and frogs
				  shall be protected or blocked so as to prevent a person's foot from becoming
				  wedged;
14. Railcars shall not be
				  left on side tracks unless ample clearance is provided for traffic on adjacent
				  tracks;
15. Parked railcars, unless
				  held effectively by brakes, shall be blocked securely;
16. Railroad cars with braking systems shall
				  be equipped with effective brake shoes when in use;
17. Where necessary, bumper blocks, or the
				  equivalent, shall be provided at all track dead ends; and
18. At least 30 inches continuous clearance
				  from the farthest projection of moving railroad equipment shall be provided on
				  at least one side of the tracks; all places where it is not possible to provide
				  30-inch clearance shall be marked conspicuously.
Statutory Authority
§§ 45.1-161.3, 45.1-161.294 and 45.1-161.305 of
						the Code of Virginia.