2726
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 93

192. The manager or other qualified official appointed by him shall every day personally inspect the appliances so provided, and satisfy himself that they are in conformity with the above requirements. There shall be provided and kept in good condition at every mine employing more than fifty persons a suitably constructed ambulance-carriage, unless the mine is so situated that it can be served by suitable public appliances, or unless arrangements are made for a group of mines situate within a circle having a radius of not more than six miles for the joint provision of an ambulance-carriage.

REGULATIONS FOR THE CONTROL OF OPERATIONS IN CONNECTION WITH PROSPECTING FOR, PRODUCTION, AND STORAGE OF MINERAL OILS AND NATURAL GAS.

Definitions.

193. “Apparatus” means electrical apparatus, and includes all apparatus, machines, and fittings in which conductors are used, or of which they form a part.

“Authorised person” means a competent person appointed in writing by the well-manager to carry out certain duties.

“Board of Examiners” means the Board of Examiners appointed pursuant to sections 226 and 227 of “The Mining Act, 1908.”

“Casing” means the pipe commonly used within wells drilled for natural gas or petroleum.

“Circuit” means an electrical circuit forming a system or branch of a system.

“Conductor” means an electrical conductor arranged to be electrically connected to a system.

“Earthed” means connected to the general mass of earth in such manner as will insure at all times an immediate discharge of electrical energy without danger.

“High pressure” means a pressure in a system normally above 650 volts, but not exceeding 3,000 volts, where the electrical energy is used or supplied.

“Inspector” means an Inspector of Mines appointed under the Mining Act, 1908.

“Live” means electrically charged.

“Oil” means crude or refined mineral oil and their products, excluding water.

“Open sparking” means sparking which, owing to the lack of adequate provision for preventing the ignition of inflammable gas external to apparatus, would ignite such inflammable gas.

“Pressure” means the difference of electrical potential between any two conductors through which supply of energy is given, or between any part of either conductor and the earth.

“System” means an electrical system in which all conductors and apparatus are electrically connected to a common source of electromotive force.

“Well” means a borehole drilled for the purpose of developing natural gas or petroleum, or a borehole producing natural gas or petroleum.

“Well-manager” means the person having actual control of well operations.

“Well operations” mean drilling, operating, or abandoning such well as hereinbefore defined, or the refinement of oil produced therefrom.

“Well-operator” means any legally responsible person, persons, firm, partnership, syndicate, corporation, company, or association that drills, operates, or abandons, or purposes to drill, operate, or abandon, such well as hereinbefore defined.

“Workman” includes every person employed in working for wages, or on contract, on or in connection with any well operations.

Workmen.

194. No person under the age of eighteen years shall be employed at well operations.

195. Every workman at well operations shall be supplied by the manager or authorised person with a copy of these regulations, and shall be warned by such manager or supervisor of the danger of the ignition of inflammable gas or oil.

196. If more than six persons are employed at one time at any well operations there shall be provided near such operations, and not in the engine-house, boiler-house, or any building in which oil is stored or dealt with, sufficient accommodation for enabling the workmen to conveniently wash themselves and to dry and change their clothing.

Officials.

197. All well operations shall be continuously supervised by a person duly authorised by the well-manager, and approved of in writing by the Inspector.

198. All well operations, however conducted, shall be under the daily control of a well-manager, whose name and address shall be notified in writing to the Inspector.

199. On and after the 1st day of January, 1916, no person shall be employed to act in the capacity of well-manager and have charge of well operations unless he is the holder of a service permit granted by the Board of Examiners.

200. A service permit shall not be granted unless the applicant satisfies the Board of Examiners that he resides in New Zealand, and that he has had in the aggregate at least three years’ practical experience in various capacities at well operations where gas and oil have been dealt with, and is a person of ability, sobriety, and good conduct.

201. The Board of Examiners shall have the power to refuse to grant a service permit or to cancel any permit granted as aforesaid.

202. If a well-manager is at any time incapacitated from performing his duties, or is about to be absent from the well operations for more than six working-days, he or the well-operator shall appoint some person, approved in writing by an Inspector, as deputy manager during such incapacity or absence; but no such deputy shall act for more than fourteen working-days at any one time, unless authorised to do so by an Inspector.