W. Va. Code R. § 36-27-13

Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 43, October 25, 2024

Section 36-27-13 - Safety Devices on Surface Haulage Equipment

13.1. Sixty (60) days after the effective date of this section all surface mines, surface areas of underground mines, which utilize or operate vehicles capable of carrying 100-tons or greater, which operate in close proximity of smaller vehicles, as identified in Section 13.1(a), shall implement the following enhancements in order to maximize the visibility of operators and coordination of equipment.

13.1.a. All maintenance, service, foreman or other utility vehicles shall be equipped with strobe lights and/or whip antennas, or other suitable devices as approved by the Director, or to be escorted by a vehicle equipped with such devices. This requirement excludes employee vehicles that are traveling on designated access road(s) to and from work.

13.1.b. Equipment operators of haulage vehicles capable of carrying 100-tons or greater shall conduct a complete walk around of the equipment before it is placed in operation at the beginning of the shift and anytime the operator dismounts the machine.

13.1.c. Equipment operators of haulage vehicles capable of carrying 100-tons or greater shall sound an audible warning device three times before the machine is placed in operation, and after the machine has set idle while in operation for periods that exceed normal cycle times.

13.1.d. Reflective numbers or other clearly distinguishable identification markers, at a minimum of at least five (5) inches in height or as approved by the Director or his authorized representative, shall be installed, in conspicuous places, on all four sides of all vehicles capable of carrying 100-tons or greater.

13.1.e. All vehicles capable of carrying 100-tons or greater shall be equipped with two-way communications.

13.1.f. At no time shall a smaller vehicle travel into a blind spot of a vehicle over 100-ton capacity without communicating with the operator of the larger vehicle and receiving positive confirmation from that operator that it is safe to approach.

All employees of the mine shall receive a briefing of these procedures within thirty (30) days of the effective date of this rule and these procedures shall be included in the employees annual retraining, newly hired miner training, and hazard training.

13.2. Within One Hundred and Eighty (180) days after the effective date of this section all trucks with a 230-ton capacity or greater on or around a surface mine or surface area of an underground mine will be equipped with a camera, approved by the Director or other devices approved by the Director and the Technical Review Committee, at the rear of the truck to reduce blind spot hazards.

13.3. Within One Year after the effective date of this section the West Virginia Board of Coal Mine Health and Safety will review the effectiveness of the cameras on the rear of the 230-ton capacity or greater off road haulage vehicles.

W. Va. Code R. § 36-27-13