2182
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 79

Notices.

52. Every notice required by these regulations and the additional rules of the mine to be posted up shall be posted up in some conspicuous place where it may be conveniently read or seen by the persons affected, and so often as it becomes defaced, obliterated, or destroyed shall be renewed with all reasonable despatch.

Use of Cages.

53. No person shall enter the cage until authorized to do so by the onsetter or banksman, as the case may be, or leave the cage until it shall have stopped at the landing-place, and persons while waiting at the top or bottom of the shaft or any entrance into the shaft, or while in the cage, shall behave in an orderly manner, and shall obey the directions of the banksman or onsetter, as the case may be, and shall not impede the banksman or onsetter in the discharge of his duties. The banksman or onsetter, as the case may be, shall not, when persons are being raised or lowered, signal the cage away until the gates or other rigid fences with which the cage is provided are in position, and no person other than an official or person authorized in writing by the manager to give signals shall when riding in the cage interfere with the gates or fences.

Conduct of Workmen.

54. Subject to any directions that may be given by any official of the mine, no workman shall, except so far as may be necessary for the purpose of getting to and from his work, or in case of emergency or other justifiable cause necessarily connected with his employment, go into any part of the mine other than that part in which he works, or travel to or from his work by any road other than the proper travelling-road.

55. Every workman engaged at the face, or in stonework, or in timbering, shall carefully examine his working-place before commencing work and before recommencing work after the firing of a shot, and after any interruption of work during the shift. Where several persons are working together and one of them is in charge, the examinations required by this regulation shall be made by the man in charge.

Supports.

56. Where the work of erecting the supports of the roof and sides of working-places is done by the workmen employed therein it shall be the duty of the workmen to carry out the following requirements:—

(a.) Where props, or props and bars, or chocks are used to support the roof at the working-face, the roof under which any work of getting coal or filling tubs is carried on shall be systematically and adequately supported, and the props or chocks shall be set at such regular intervals and in such manner as may be specified in the notice hereinafter mentioned.

(b.) In all parts of a roadway in which sets or trains consisting of three or more tubs are coupled or uncoupled the roof and sides shall be systematically and adequately supported, and in such parts and in all other parts of the roadway the roof or sides of which require to be supported, if props or bars are used as supports, such supports shall be set at such regular intervals and in such manner as may be specified in the notice hereinafter mentioned.

(c.) The manager shall by notice specify the manner in which the supports are to be set, and advanced, and the maximum intervals to be observed on roadways between the supports and at the face—

(i.) Between each row of props;

(ii.) Between adjacent props in the same row;

(iii.) Between the front row of props and the face;

(iv.) Between the holing-props or sprags;

(v.) Between face sprags;

(vi.) Between chocks.

(d.) Nothing in this regulation shall prevent a workman from setting supports in his working-place at more frequent intervals than those specified in the notice aforesaid, where necessary for safety.

(e.) If the Inspector considers that the system of supporting the roof and sides adopted in any part of a mine is unsatisfactory, either by reason of the distances fixed or otherwise, he may require the manager to fix some less distance or otherwise modify the system, and the manager shall comply with the requisition.

This regulation shall apply only to all mines where additional rules with regard to timbering have not been made by the Additional Rules Committee.

Danger-signals, &c.

57. No person shall, without authority, pass beyond any fence or danger-signal or open any locked door.

Lights.

58. No person shall allow any burning wick or part of any such wick or other burning material to lie about in the mine, and every workman on leaving his working-place shall take his light or lights with him.

Safety-lamps.

59. Every person using a safety-lamp shall examine the same externally and assure himself that it is locked and in good order before entering the mine, and shall from time to time while in the mine examine the lamp to see that it is in safe working-order, and he shall when he has completed his shift return the lamp to the lamp-room. If the lamp is injured while in his possession he shall at once carefully extinguish the light.

60. No person shall when trying or examining for the presence of gas with a safety-lamp raise the lamp higher than may be necessary to allow the presence of gas to be detected.

Working-places.

61. Every workman working at the face shall to the best of his power carry on his work so as at all times to leave a free passage for the air-current. He shall also to the best of his power leave his working-place at the end of his shift in such condition as to allow of work being safely resumed therein; and if he finds it impossible to do so he shall fence it off and report the fact as soon as possible to the fireman-deputy or other official.

Sleeping in Mine.

62. No person shall sleep whilst below ground in the mine, or whilst in charge of any winding, hauling, ventilating, or signalling machinery or apparatus, or boilers.

Signalling-apparatus.

63. No unauthorized person shall work or interfere with any signalling-apparatus in or about the mine.

Fences.

64. The onsetter at any entrance into a shaft which is provided with a fence not worked by the cage or cages shall not begin to remove the fence until either the cage is stopped at the entrance, or it has reached such a position in the shaft that by the time the fence is removed the cage will be opposite the entrance, and shall close the fence immediately he has signalled the cage away, and shall not permit any other person to remove the fence while he is on duty.

Shafts.

65. No person shall attempt to go on or across the uncovered space of the shaft-bottom except for the purpose of working in the shaft-bottom, and no person shall be allowed to work in such space unless the cages are stopped.

Trains for Conveyance of Workmen.

66. Trains run for the conveyance of workmen, whether above or below ground, and, whether on the premises of a mine or on a line or siding belonging to such mine, shall be under the entire control of a person appointed to accompany and have charge of the train; and no person shall attempt to get into or out of the train when in motion, nor ride upon the footboard (if any) or upon the buffers or couplings, nor refuse to comply with the directions of the person in charge, nor in any way obstruct or interfere with such person in the discharge of his duties; and any person failing to comply with this regulation shall be reported by the person in charge to the manager or underviewer.

Animals in Mines.

67. Every person having charge of a horse, pony, mule, or donkey shall drive it carefully and shall observe any directions that may be given to him by the horse-keeper or by the official under whose direction he works.

68. (1.) No person below ground shall ride upon any animal.

(2.) No workman other than the rope-attendant shall ride on any haulage-rope, and then only with the written permission of the manager.

Dangerous Behaviour.

69. No person shall throw any stone or other missile, or fight or behave in a violent manner, in or about the mine.

70. No person employed in or about the mine shall negligently or wilfully do anything likely to endanger life or limb in the mine, or negligently or wilfully omit to do anything necessary for the safety of the mine or of the persons employed therein.