148
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 6

Special Rules for the St. Helen’s Coal-mine, under “The Regulation of Mines Act, 1874.”

Mines Department,
Wellington, 1st February, 1886.

THE under-mentioned special rules for the St. Helen’s Coal-mine are published in accordance with the provisions of section 31 of “The Regulation of Mines Act, 1874.”

J. BALLANCE,
(For the Minister of Mines.)

The penalties for the violation of any special rules established under “The Regulation of Mines Act, 1874,” and for offences against the Act, are provided for in sections 22 to 28, in Part VI.

SPECIAL RULES.

Manager.

1. The mine, and all the operative details of the management thereof, shall be under the control and daily supervision of the manager, whose duty it shall be to carry out, and see carried out, the various provisions of any Act for the time being in force for the regulation of mines, so far as incumbent upon him or those acting under his control or direction, and to see that the mine is properly ventilated, and that sufficient materials and appliances are always provided for the proper carrying out of all necessary operations. He shall be responsible for the appointment of a sufficient number of competent persons to carry out the requirements of the Act and the special rules, and also to see that the working of the mine is carried on with all reasonable provisions for the safety of the persons employed.

2. In addition to and without in any way restricting his general duties, the manager shall examine all parts of the mine daily, and also all the air-courses of the mine, and all stoppings and brattices connected with the same, and cause remedies to be provided immediately for all defects that may be found on such examination.

3. A safety-lamp shall be used in making all such examinations as aforesaid.

4. He shall see that a sufficient quantity of timber for props and other purposes is daily supplied to the workmen, and cause the same to be cut in proper lengths and laid down in the working-places, it being the earnest desire of the company that every proper protection shall be afforded to the lives of the workmen. He shall see that all the roads and tramways throughout the mine are kept in a safe and workable state.

5. He shall give all necessary instructions to the men or boys in the mine respecting their work, and shall see daily that these rules are duly observed.

6. He shall daily make a correct entry of the readings of the barometer and thermometer in the Mine Registry.

Overmen.

7. The manager may appoint one or more overmen to assist him in the performance of his general and the above special duties, subject, however, to his own general supervision and control.

Firemen.

8. The manager shall appoint one or more competent persons to act as firemen of the mine.

9. Before the time appointed for any shift commencing work in any part of the mine, the firemen appointed to inspect the mine for that shift shall inspect with a safety-lamp the whole of the workings in which such shift is to be employed and the roadways leading thereto, and shall make a true report of the condition thereof so far as the ventilation is concerned. Every such report shall be recorded without delay in the Mine Registry, and shall be signed by the person making the same.

10. In making the examinations provided for by the foregoing rules the fireman shall mark with chalk the day of the month upon the face of each working-place, as 1, 5, 10, 25, or other numbers, as the case may be. He shall be careful to ascertain that every part of the mine and roadways so to be examined are free from fire-damp, choke-damp, or other impurities, and are safe for workmen to enter and work therein; and, in case fire-damp or other impure air shall be discovered in any working-place, road, or level, the fireman shall, in the first instance, thoroughly clear the same of such impurity if that can be done easily, and shall thereupon report to the miners and other workmen that the same are safe; but, if the impurity cannot be readily or at once cleared out, the miners and workmen shall not be permitted to enter such working-places, roads, or levels until the impure air shall have been, by further appliances, entirely dispelled. He shall prevent miners or other workmen entering the roads or working-places until a report shall have been made that they are safe. If no fire-damp, choke-damp, or other impurity shall be discovered or suspected to remain after such inspection, the fireman shall so report to the miners and workmen, and allow them to proceed to work, and shall thereupon without delay enter such report in the Mine Registry.

11. In case, from any cause, the operations of the mine shall have been discontinued for an unusual length of time and thereafter resumed, no workman shall be allowed to enter the mine until the manager or fireman shall have first entered and reported on the state of the workings; and in discharging this duty the manager or fireman must proceed with great caution, and shall not go further into the workings than he, from his own experience, shall deem safe; and, in case there are reasonable grounds for apprehending the presence of impure air, he shall return to the mine-mouth and remain there until precautionary measures shall have been applied to restore the proper ventilation of the mine.

12. All entrances to any place not in actual course of working and extension shall be properly fenced across the whole width of such entrance, so as to prevent persons entering the same.

13. He shall report to the Manager—
    (a.) Any deficiency in the amount of ventilation;
    (b.) Any violation by workmen of the rule as to entering the mine before inspection;
    (c.) Any use or attempted use of gunpowder or other blasting material without permission;
    (d.) Any damage done to fences, signals, or marks in the mine.

Roadsmen.

14. The roadsmen, in their different divisions and shifts, shall daily make careful inspection of the whole drawing-roads and headings from the mine-mouth and throughout the mine, and shall keep the same free of all obstructions, and of the fixed height and width necessary for proper passage and ventilation.

15. They shall repair and remedy all damages and defects in the roads, and shall examine, put, and keep in proper condition all trap-doors, and shall see and enforce that the same be kept close, and, wherever practicable, shall make and keep all trap-doors self-acting.

16. They shall report daily to the mine manager at the termination of each shift. They shall also report daily to the mine manager any instance of neglect on the part of the miners in not carrying on their coal-faces or walls in accordance with the plan pursued in working the mine, or in not propping up and securing the roof of the superincumbent strata in those parts of the workings under their care.

17. As removing falls from the roofs of drawing roadways and air-courses, repairing defects, and supporting loose strata are within the roadsmen’s duties, and as they are charged with the maintenance of all drawing-roads and passages in the mine, they are enjoined to proceed with the greatest caution, both for their own safety and the successful execution of their duties. In their operations they must exercise the greatest care, and are required to prevent all other workmen coming near any defective places, or interfering with them when at work. They are required to undertake no repairs of unusual magnitude or danger without sufficient assistance, and until provided with every necessary material, which will be supplied to them by the company on application to the mine manager. The progress of their work must be reported at the termination of every shift to the mine manager.

Miners and Workmen.

18. Every workman now or hereafter employed in any of the company’s works or workings, whether on surface or underground, shall be subject to these rules, a copy of which he will be required to sign on entering the company’s employ; and shall obey the commands or instructions of the manager, or of the overman, if any, in charge of the mine or part of the mine in which he is working.

19. Miners and other workmen are expressly forbidden to proceed towards or into their working-places at the commencement of any shift until it shall have been intimated to them by the foreman that the travelling-roads and working-places have been examined and are apparently safe to enter.

20. Till such intimation of apparent safety shall have been made, miners and workmen shall either remain at the pit-head or mouth of the mine, or at some other place assigned to them for the purpose. If no such place shall have been assigned at which to remain, they shall always understand that the pit-head or mine-mouth, whichever it may in their case be, is the proper place at which they are required to wait the requisite intimation.

21. On beginning work at every shift miners and others shall be bound to satisfy themselves concerning the safety of their working-places, independently of such intimation as aforesaid, and they shall thereupon work at their appointed coal-faces or other work continuously, industriously, and without unnecessary intermission while the shift continues, and shall obey the orders applicable to the safe and proper