West Virginia Code of State Rules › Agency 36 - Coal Mine Health And Safety › Title 36 - LEGISLATIVE EXEMPT RULE BOARD OF COAL MINE HEALTH AND SAFETY › Series 36-10 - Rules And Regulations Governing Roof Control › Section 36-10-10 - Automated Temporary Roof Support Systems

Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 28, July 12, 2024
10.1. All new and rebuilt roof bolting
				machines and continuous mining machines with integral roof drills used in a
				working place in a coal mine shall be provided with approved automated
				temporary roof support system(s):
Provided,
That other methods of
				temporarily supporting the roof may be approved by the Director in the adopted
				approved roof control plan.
10.2.
				Approved automated temporary roof support systems shall be provided on all roof
				bolting machines and continuous mining machines with integral roof drills used
				in a work place:
Provided,
That other methods of temporarily
				supporting the roof may be approved by the Director in the adopted approved
				roof control plan.
10.3. Automated
				temporary roof support systems and all other methods of temporarily supporting
				the roof shall be approved on an individual mine basis by the Director and
				shall become part of the adopted approved roof control plan.
The operator shall, prior to any automated temporary roof
				  support system being used underground, first obtain approval from the Director
				  or an authorized representative of the Director, such approval to be in the
				  manner and form prescribed by the Director:
Provided,
That such
				  approval shall not be unreasonably withheld and furthermore, any automated
				  temporary roof support system that has been "Approved" prior to the effective
				  dates of Sections 5.1 (a) and (b), respectfully, shall also be approved by the
				  Director or his authorized representative if the automated temporary roof
				  support system meets the minimum requirements stated in Section 10.5 of these
				  rules and regulations.
10.4. A waiver may be granted, as to the use
				of an automated temporary roof support system, by the Director where it has
				been demonstrated by the operator and determined during an investigation by an
				authorized representative of the Director that the use of an automated
				temporary roof support system would create a condition which will cause a
				greater hazard, to people working inby the area where permanent supports have
				been installed, than the method presently being employed or proposed by the
				operator for temporarily supporting the roof, or where the technology of an
				automated temporary roof support system does not exist to allow compliance with
				the requirements set forth in Section 10.5 of these rules and regulations, of
				the automated temporary roof support system, the Director may approve the use
				of temporary jacks and posts to be used in lieu thereof.
10.5. All machines using, or used as,
				automated temporary roof support shall comply with the following minimum
				requirements unless a waiver has been granted or another method of temporarily
				supporting the roof has been approved by the Director under Sections 10.3 and
				10.4 of these rules and regulations.
10.5.1.
				The necessary controls to position the machine and place the ATRS against the
				roof shall be operated from under permanently supported roof unless the design
				of the system will provide adequate protection for the miner while setting such
				supports.
10.5.2. The ATRS shall be
				placed firmly against the roof before any work is performed inby permanent roof
				supports and shall remain against the roof while work is being done.
10.5.3. All hydraulic jacks affecting the
				support capacity of an ATRS shall have check valves or equivalent protection,
				to prevent support failure in the event of a sudden loss of hydraulic
				pressure.
10.5.4. ATRS used in
				conjunction with single bolt installation are required to elastically support,
				at a minimum, a deadweight load of eleven thousand two hundred fifty (11,250)
				pounds for each five (5) foot by five (5) foot square area of the roof intended
				to be supported.
10.5.5. ATRS
				consisting of pads and/or crossbars used in single or multiple rows must
				elastically support, at a minimum, a deadweight load in pounds of 450 X (L + 5)
				X (W + 5); where L is the length of the support structure from tip to tip and W
				is the width taken at the center line of a support structure to the center line
				of another support structure.
10.5.6. The actual capacity to support
				elastically a deadweight load shall be certified by a registered professional
				engineer.
10.5.7. The distance that
				the ATRS may be set inby the last row of permanent supports shall be dependent
				on the spacing requirements of the permanent roof supports and must be approved
				by the Director in the adopted approved roof control plan.
10.5.8. No person shall work or travel beyond
				the ATRS unless the distance between the coal face and the ATRS is five (5)
				feet of less; in addition, no person shall work or travel left or right of the
				ATRS unless a coal rib, a permanent support, or a temporary support is within
				five (5) feet of the ATRS:
Provided,
That when such five (5) foot
				limit is being determined for an ATRS consisting of a ring then said five (5)
				foot limit shall be determined from the center of the ring.
10.5.9. The inch tram control speed of a roof
				bolting machine shall not exceed one-half (1/2) of the maximum tram control
				speed:
Provided,
That in no case shall the inch tram control speed
				exceed eighty (80) feet per minute when the roof bolting machine is being used
				to establish the ATRS.