Underground wires; current-carrying capacity; installation
Sec. 4. (a) All underground power wires and cables shall have
adequate current-carrying capacity, shall be protected from
mechanical injury, and with the exception of trailing cables and
power cables connected to junction boxes, shall be installed in a
permanent manner.
(b) Wires and cables not incased in armor shall be supported by
well installed insulators and shall not touch combustible materials,
roof, or ribs. However, this does not apply to ground wires, grounded
power conductors, and trailing cables.
(c) Power wires and cables installed in rope-and-belt haulage
slopes shall be insulated adequately and fully protected against
mechanical injury.
(d) Splices in power cables shall be made in accordance with the
following:
(1) Mechanically strong with adequate electrical conductivity.
(2) Effectively insulated and sealed so as to exclude moisture.
(3) If the cable has metallic armor, mechanical protection, and
electrical conductivity equivalent to that of the original, armor
shall be provided.
(e) All underground high potential transmission cables shall be:
(1) installed only in regularly inspected airways or
haulageways;
(2) covered, buried, or placed so as to afford reasonable
protection against damage by wrecked trips, trolley equipment,
roof falls, and blasts;
(3) guarded where persons regularly work or pass under them
unless they are six and one-half (6 1/2) feet or more above the
floor or rail;
(4) securely anchored, properly insulated, and guarded at ends;
and
(5) covered, insulated, or placed to prevent contact with trolley
and other low-voltage circuits.
(f) All power wires and cables shall be insulated adequately where
they pass into or out of electrical compartments, where they pass
through doors and stoppings, and where they cross other power wires
and cables.
(g) Where track is used as a power conductor:
(1) both rails of mainline tracks shall be welded or bonded at
every joint, and cross bonds shall be installed at intervals of not
more than two hundred (200) feet. If the rails are parallel with
a feeder circuit of like polarity, such parallel feeder shall be
bonded to the track rails at intervals of not more than one
thousand (1,000) feet;
(2) at least one (1) rail on secondary track-haulage roads shall
be welded or bonded at every joint, and cross bonds shall be
installed at intervals of not more than two hundred (200) feet.
However, rail joints in such secondary haulage roads need not
be bonded where a copper feeder adequate in size parallels the
track and is electrically connected thereto at intervals of not
more than two hundred (200) feet by crossbonds;
(3) track switches on entries shall be well bonded; and
(4) in rooms where electric equipment is dependent upon the
room track rails as a power conductor, rail joints shall be
secured by means of fish plates, angle bars, or the equivalent,
and at least one (1) rail shall be bonded at each joint.
(h) All power circuits and electric equipment shall be deenergized
before work is done on them. However, employees may, where
necessary, repair energized trolley wires if they wear insulated shoes
and lineman's gloves.
(i) Trolley wires and trolley feeder wires shall be installed on the
side of the entry opposite the clearance space and shelter holes,
except where the wires are guarded or are six and one-half (6 1/2)
feet or more above the top of the rail.
(j) Trolley-wire hangers shall be so spaced that the wire may
become detached from any one (1) hanger without creating a shock
hazard.
(k) Trolley wires shall be aligned properly and installed on
insulated hangers at least six (6) inches outside the rail.
(l) Trolley wires and trolley feeder wires installed after March 8,
1955, shall be provided with cutout switches at intervals of not more
than two thousand (2,000) feet and near the beginning of all branch
lines.
(m) Trolley wires and trolley feeder wires shall be kept taut and
not permitted to touch the roof, ribs, timbers, or any combustible
material.
(n) Trolley wires, and trolley feeder wires unless insulated, shall
be guarded adequately at both sides of doors and at all places where
it is necessary to work or pass under them unless they are more than
six and one-half (6 1/2) feet above the top of the rail.
(o) Trolley wires and trolley feeder wires shall be guarded,
anchored securely, and insulated properly at the ends.
(p) In any mine opened after March 8, 1955, or in any old mine
that may be reopened or reequipped after March 8, 1955, trolley
wires or other exposed conductors shall not carry more than three
hundred fifty (350) volts, except when authorized by the director.
(Formerly: Acts 1955, c.168, s.71; Acts 1971, P.L.358, SEC.10.) As
amended by P.L.144-1986, SEC.187; P.L.243-1987, SEC.10.
Last modified: May 27, 2006