Order of the Federal Environmental, Industrial and Nuclear Supervision Service (Rostechnadzor) No. 505 of 8 December 2020
Unofficial translation. Only the Russian original published in the official sources of the Russian Federation has legal force. This translation is provided for reference and does not replace the official document.
1. These Federal Norms and Rules in the field of industrial safety, "Safety Rules for Mining Operations and the Processing of Solid Minerals" (hereinafter referred to as "the Rules"), establish requirements aimed at ensuring industrial safety and preventing accidents and cases of occupational injury at facilities where mining operations and the processing of non-combustible solid minerals are carried out, as well as at facilities where mining operations not related to mineral extraction are carried out.
2. The Rules have been developed in accordance with Federal Law No. 116-FZ "On Industrial Safety of Hazardous Production Facilities" of 21 July 1997 (Collected Legislation of the Russian Federation, 1997, No. 30, Art. 3588; 2018, No. 31, Art. 4860), and Law of the Russian Federation No. 2395-1 "On Subsoil" of 21 February 1992 (Collected Legislation of the Russian Federation, 1995, No. 10, Art. 823; 2020, No. 24, Art. 3753).
3. The Rules establish industrial safety requirements for the activities of organisations carrying out the design, construction and operation of facilities at which mining operations are carried out for the purpose of extracting solid minerals (including for the purpose of extracting commonly occurring minerals and developing placer mineral deposits), mining operations at facilities not related to mineral extraction, and mineral processing operations, as well as for organisations engaged in the manufacture, installation, operation and repair of technical devices used at mining industry facilities.
4. In each organisation operating facilities where mining operations and mineral processing are carried out, the forms and procedure for completing logs and registers, the keeping of which is required in accordance with the requirements of the Rules, shall be approved by the organisation's technical director. All employees of the organisation vested with authority to complete logs and registers, as well as to monitor the keeping thereof, shall be familiarised against signature with the local documents (acts).
5. The requirements for the safe conduct of mining operations and mineral processing established by the Rules shall be mandatory for compliance by legal entities and individuals, including individual entrepreneurs, in the territory of the Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as "organisations"), regardless of the form of ownership. Control over compliance with the requirements of the Rules rests with the heads and specialists of organisations. State mining supervision is carried out by the federal executive authority authorised in the field of industrial safety.
6. Persons found guilty of violating the requirements established by the Rules shall be liable in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.
7. Facilities at which mining operations and mineral processing are carried out that are classified, in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, as hazardous production facilities shall be subject to registration in the state register of hazardous production facilities (Article 2 of Federal Law No. 116-FZ "On Industrial Safety of Hazardous Production Facilities" of 21 July 1997).
8. Organisations operating facilities at which mining operations and mineral processing are carried out shall, in cases established by the legislation of the Russian Federation, prepare industrial safety declarations (Article 14 of Federal Law No. 116-FZ "On Industrial Safety of Hazardous Production Facilities" of 21 July 1997).
9. Organisations operating facilities at which mining operations are carried out shall have documents, executed in accordance with the established procedure, defining the specified boundaries of the mining allotment. Mining operations shall be carried out within the boundaries of the mining allotment (Article 7 of Law of the Russian Federation No. 2395-1 "On Subsoil" of 21 February 1992).
10. Organisations operating facilities at which mining operations and mineral processing are carried out shall organise and carry out production control over compliance with industrial safety requirements. Responsibility for organising production control rests with the head of the organisation operating the facility. Responsibility for carrying out production control rests with the officials of the organisation upon whom such duties have been placed by the head of the organisation. Organisations operating hazardous production facilities at which mining operations and mineral processing are carried out shall: develop regulations on production control; develop industrial safety management systems; conclude compulsory civil liability insurance contracts in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation on compulsory civil liability insurance of the owner of a hazardous facility for harm caused as a result of an accident at the hazardous facility (Article 8 of Federal Law No. 116-FZ "On Industrial Safety of Hazardous Production Facilities" of 21 July 1997); develop action plans for the localisation and elimination of the consequences of accidents and conclude service contracts with professional emergency rescue units (services) whose response time to the command post (accident site) will allow emergency rescue operations provided for in the operational part of the action plan for the localisation and elimination of accidents (hereinafter referred to as the "PLA") to commence promptly. The standard response time of the PASS (F) to the facility shall be established in the PLA; in cases established by the legislation of the Russian Federation, create their own professional emergency rescue units (services) and auxiliary mine rescue teams; conduct training alarms at least once a year to determine the organisation's readiness for actions to rescue people and to localise and eliminate the consequences of accidents.
11. Organisations operating facilities at which mining operations and mineral processing are carried out shall develop and implement a set of actions for preparing facilities and structures for the spring-autumn flood period, approved by the head of the organisation (facility). The set of actions shall contain information on the technical and organisational solutions to be implemented, the dates of their implementation and the persons responsible for their implementation and monitoring. Where mining operations are carried out in avalanche-hazardous and mudflow-hazardous areas (sections), action plans for the avalanche (mudflow) protection of facilities, containing the relevant safety measures and approved by the head of the facility, shall be developed at such facilities.
12. Heads of organisations (facilities) operating facilities at which mining operations and mineral processing are carried out shall organise the development of actions to prevent accidents at the hazardous production facility on the basis of a hazard assessment at each workplace and at the facility as a whole. At each facility at which mining operations and mineral processing are carried out, the operating organisation shall create conditions enabling employees of the facility and of contracting organisations, in the event of an accident, to leave without hindrance any section where harm to their health cannot be ruled out. Conditions (organisational and technical) shall be created enabling the timely transportation of injured persons or persons suddenly taken ill, in a manner safe for their health, from the territory of the facility to the place where qualified medical assistance is provided. Responsibility for creating such conditions rests with the head of the facility (organisation).
13. All injuries, accidents and incidents that occur at facilities at which mining operations and mineral processing are carried out shall be subject to registration, investigation and recording in accordance with the requirements established by the legislation of the Russian Federation (Article 12 of Federal Law No. 116-FZ "On Industrial Safety of Hazardous Production Facilities" of 21 July 1997). For each injury or acute illness, the person responsible for the shift (dispatcher, operator) shall notify the management of the organisation (facility) and call an ambulance team. The workplace at which an injury or accident occurred, provided this does not endanger the life and health of persons, shall be preserved unchanged until an inspection is carried out and the relevant decision is taken by the investigation commission appointed in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of the Russian Federation. Responsibility for the preservation of the site at which the injury or accident occurred rests with the head of the facility. The resumption of work after the elimination of the consequences of an accident shall be carried out on the basis of the written permission of the head of the facility.
14. At facilities at which mining operations and mineral processing are carried out, a first-aid post equipped with communication facilities shall be organised. First aid shall be provided by a person having secondary specialised medical education (paramedic, nurse). In organisations with fewer than 100 employees, medical provision may be carried out at the nearest medical institution. First-aid kits shall be available at each section, in workshops and repair shops, as well as on transport equipment and in sanitary and welfare facilities.
15. Organisations operating facilities at which mining operations and mineral processing are carried out shall provide mine surveying support for the safe conduct of mining operations on the basis of an appropriate licence, or shall conclude contracts for mine surveying support of the work with organisations holding a licence (Government Resolution No. 1467 of 16 September 2020 "On Licensing of Mine Surveying Work").
16. Organisations operating facilities at which mining operations and mineral processing are carried out shall have available the legislative and regulatory legal acts establishing industrial safety requirements, the Rules, instructions for the safe performance of all types of work carried out, process regulations, process charts (work execution projects) for the conduct, technology, maintenance and repair of equipment and mechanisms, and shall ensure compliance therewith.
17. Blasting operations and the storage and manufacture of explosive materials at hazardous production facilities where mining operations are carried out shall be conducted in compliance with the Federal Norms and Rules in the field of industrial safety establishing requirements for the production, storage, manufacture and use of industrial explosive materials. In organisations operating hazardous production facilities at which mining operations using explosive materials and the processing of minerals extracted using explosive materials are carried out, a procedure for the actions of employees upon discovery of explosive materials in mine workings, blasted rock mass or other places not intended for the storage of explosive materials shall be developed and approved by the organisation's technical director.
18. Where a deposit is developed simultaneously by open-pit and underground methods, and also where underground drainage workings are operated, joint actions to ensure the safety of employees at facilities where underground and open-pit mining operations are carried out shall be implemented, approved by the organisation's technical director, and shall include: coordination of plans and schedules for mining and blasting operations; the use of a forced ventilation scheme for underground facilities; verification by representatives of the professional emergency rescue unit (service) of the condition of the atmosphere in underground facilities after mass blasts at open-pit mining facilities; prevention of the hazard of water inrush into underground mine workings from the open-pit mining facility; the availability, for persons forming part of the shift technical supervision who admit employees to perform work at workplaces, of instruments for monitoring the content of toxic blast products in the atmosphere. Monitoring of the implementation of such actions is carried out by the technical directors and specialists of the open-pit and underground mining facilities.
19. Mining operations shall be carried out on the basis of the following, developed by organisations: a mine development scheme (where available); design documentation; an annual mine development plan.
20. Design documentation for facilities at which mining operations and mineral processing are carried out shall be subject to approval in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation. Design documentation for the mothballing and decommissioning, and, in cases established by the legislation of the Russian Federation, for the technical upgrading of facilities at which mining operations and mineral processing are carried out shall be subject to an industrial safety review. Deviations from the design documentation shall not be permitted (Article 19 of Law of the Russian Federation No. 2395-1 "On Subsoil" of 21 February 1992).
21. Where, in the design, construction, operation, reconstruction, technical upgrading, capital repair, mothballing or decommissioning of a facility for the construction of underground structures, the conduct of mining operations and the processing of minerals classified as a hazardous production facility, a departure from the industrial safety requirements established by these Rules is required, or such requirements are insufficient and (or) have not been established, the person preparing the design documentation for the construction or reconstruction of the hazardous production facility may establish industrial safety requirements for its operation, capital repair, mothballing and decommissioning in the safety case for the hazardous production facility.
22. To test new mineral deposit development systems and improve existing systems and their parameters (including where unmanned technology is used), the operating organisation shall conduct pilot industrial tests (hereinafter referred to as "PIT") in accordance with documentation developed with due regard to the design documentation and the opinion of a specialised design organisation (institute). The safety of conducting the PIT is substantiated in the safety case developed for the hazardous production facility. The PIT shall be conducted in accordance with a test programme approved by the organisation's technical director and the mine development plan. The persons responsible for conducting the PIT shall be appointed by the organisation's technical director.
23. The PIT programme shall contain: actions for the implementation of industrial safety measures; the grounds for conducting the tests; the scientific and technical assessment of the specialised organisation (institute) regarding the proposed tests; data characterising the test facility; the aim and objectives of the tests; information on the persons responsible and co-executors involved in the tests; the conditions for conducting the tests; the procedure for organising and conducting the tests; actions for monitoring the conduct of the tests; the start date and time frame for conducting the PIT; the procedure for processing and presenting information on the conduct of the tests.
24. The duration of the PIT shall not exceed 1 year. The results of the PIT shall be reviewed by the operating organisation and reflected in a report on the conduct of the PIT, containing information on the progress of the tests, the problems identified and conclusions. The report on the conduct of the PIT is signed by the persons responsible for conducting the PIT and is approved by the organisation's technical director. Following the PIT, the operating organisation (where necessary) makes the relevant amendments to the design documentation.
25. Design organisations shall exercise author's supervision over the implementation of design decisions during the construction, reconstruction, technical upgrading, mothballing and decommissioning of hazardous production facilities.
26. Process regulations for production processes shall be developed for each production process in organisations operating hazardous production facilities where mining operations and mineral beneficiation are carried out, in accordance with the requirements contained in this paragraph. Deviations from the requirements and parameters established by the process regulations for production processes shall not be permitted. Process regulations for production processes (hereinafter referred to as "PRPP") shall be developed for each production process defined by the Rules and shall contain: the specifics and particulars of the organisation of the performance of the principal and auxiliary production processes in each structural subdivision of the facility; requirements for the procedure for the operation and repair of technical devices used in the specific process production process; the procedure and sequence for performing specific process operations (work); actions to ensure control over production processes, industrial and fire safety, and the prevention and avoidance of accidents, incidents, cases of injury and losses of explosive materials, and the established ventilation regime. 26.1. PRPP shall be approved by the technical directors of the operating organisations. The PRPP "Sinking of Vertical Mine Workings (Mine Shafts)" shall contain: methods and measures for the safe performance of mining operations, support, transportation of rock mass and prevention of cases of falls of pieces thereof; the particulars of mining operations in specific mining-geological and mining-technical conditions; the stages of work for equipping, supporting and lining shafts, and the installation and dismantling of utilities, sinking and stationary equipment; information on the provision of monitoring instruments, automation, communication and signalling systems. 26.2. The PRPP "Driving of Horizontal and Inclined Mine Workings" shall contain: methods and measures for the safe performance of mining operations, support, transportation of rock mass, and prevention of cases of falls of pieces thereof and the formation of "slabbing"; the particulars of mining operations in specific mining-geological and mining-technical conditions; measures for the safe use of mining equipment for driving mine workings and for resuming mining operations after their suspension for more than 3 days, as well as for the restoration of mine workings where they are returned to operating mode from wet or dry mothballing mode. 26.3. The PRPP "Conduct of Stoping Operations" shall contain: methods and measures for the safe performance of stoping operations, the breaking and drawing of ore from the stope, transportation, and prevention of falls of pieces of rock mass and the formation of "slabbing"; the particulars of mining operations in specific mining-geological and mining-technical conditions; the parameters of development systems and methods for the safe extraction of the mineral; the procedure for organising stoping operations. 26.4. The PRPP "Operation of Mine Hoists" shall contain: actions for the safe operation of hoisting installations depending on their types and purpose, and the types of hoisting vessels and attachment devices; the procedure and methods for monitoring the technical condition of mine hoisting machines and equipment; the procedure and measures for the safe lowering and raising of people, cargo and equipment, for carrying out inspection and adjustment of the hoisting installation, and for examining hoisting ropes and the condition of the shaft support. 26.5. The PRPP "Ventilation of Mine Workings (Mines)" shall contain: methods and parameters of ventilation with due regard to the specific conditions of the mine (in accordance with the design documentation); measures for organising ventilation and calculating the required volume of air, and for the safe conduct of work under gas conditions (where present); the operating modes of main fan installations and local ventilation fans and measures for their safe operation; the procedure for compiling ventilation plans; the procedure and frequency for taking air samples for the content of harmful gases and dust content; the procedure for the provision, issue, storage and maintenance of monitoring and measuring instruments, including rapid-testing instruments; measures for protecting employees from radiation and the procedure for exercising radiation control (where hazardous factors are present); methods and the procedure for monitoring the air environment, including the distribution of the general mine air current among the district mine workings; measures for restoring the normal ventilation regime and admitting people after a mass blast. 26.6. The PRPP "Operation and Repair of Process Transport" shall contain: measures for the safe operation and repair of process transport and equipment, and the procedure for monitoring their technical condition; requirements for employees admitted to operate, repair and maintain process transport and equipment; the procedure for using signalling, centralisation and interlocking systems in the operation of process transport and equipment; methods and the procedure for transporting employees, equipment and materials. 26.7. The PRPP "Protection of the Mine from Flooding and Protection of Surface Facilities from the Harmful Effects of Mining Operations" shall contain: measures for protecting mine workings from flooding, for the safe operation of mine dewatering installations, and for eliminating possible brine inflows and water inrushes into underground mine workings; methods and the procedure for observing the development of deformations on the earth's surface, as well as for carrying out work related to the decommissioning and mothballing of underground mine workings. 26.8. The PRPP "Conduct of Backfilling Operations" shall contain: the type of backfilling operations, backfill parameters, information on the materials used and the condition of backfill pipelines; measures for the safe conduct of backfilling operations and the procedure for monitoring their conduct. 26.9. The PRPP "Handling of Industrial Explosive Materials" shall contain: measures for the safe performance of work with explosive materials (transportation, manufacture, storage, conduct of blasting operations); measures for the safe operation of the process equipment used (charging and mixing equipment, transport for the carriage of explosive materials, transport-charging machines) and their repair; safety requirements for the arrangement of underground explosive materials warehouses and stationary underground explosives manufacturing points; requirements for personnel admitted to work with explosive materials; the procedure for the recording and protection of explosive materials. 26.10. The PRPP "Conduct of Stripping and Extraction Operations" shall contain: the parameters of the development system and measures for the safe conduct of mining and drilling-and-blasting operations, and the performance of work with explosive materials; measures for preventing and avoiding the formation of overhangs and cornices ("slabbing"); methods and measures for the safe use of mining equipment and the transportation of rock mass; the procedure for the formation and operation of dumps; the procedure for exercising control over the conduct of mining operations. 26.11. The PRPP "Dust and Gas Suppression and Ventilation of Open Pits" shall contain: information on the composition of the atmosphere at the facility where open-pit mining operations are carried out; the procedure for admitting workers to workplaces after blasting operations; measures for controlling dust and gases and ensuring natural air exchange and ventilation; measures for protecting employees from radiation and the procedure for exercising radiation control (where hazardous factors are present); the procedure and methods for artificial ventilation. 26.12. The PRPP "Protection from Flooding" shall contain: measures for dewatering and protection from flooding, including for the safe operation of dewatering installations during the flood period; methods and the procedure for eliminating possible cases of flooding; the procedure for monitoring dewatering boreholes, the operability of dewatering installations, and the availability of the technical and material resources necessary to prevent or eliminate flooding; the procedure for the safe operation of dewatering installations and dewatering boreholes. 26.13. The PRPP "Transportation, Crushing and Sorting of the Mineral" shall contain: measures for the safe performance of work in the transportation, crushing and sorting of the mineral; measures for the safe operation and repair of process equipment; the procedure for using signalling, centralisation and interlocking systems in the operation of process transport; the procedure and methods for monitoring the technical condition of process equipment. 26.14. The PRPP "Beneficiation of Minerals" shall contain: measures for the safe performance of work in the beneficiation of the mineral; measures for the safe operation and repair of process equipment; the procedure for using signalling, centralisation and interlocking systems in the operation of process transport; the procedure and methods for monitoring the technical condition of process equipment. 26.15. The PRPP "Storage, Preparation, Transportation and Use of Chemical Substances and Reagents" shall contain: measures for the safe performance of loading and unloading operations, and the storage and transportation of reagents; safety requirements for containers (packaging), reagent storage places, ventilation, dust suppression and aspiration devices. 26.16. The PRPP developed shall be considered by the technical councils of organisations and approved by the organisation's technical director. Following this, the PRPP shall be brought into effect by order of the organisation. The list of process operations for which PRPP must be developed, given in the Rules, may be supplemented depending on the specific conditions of the facility, as well as in the event of changes to process schemes or the introduction of new systems and equipment.
27. Organisations operating facilities at which mining operations and mineral processing are carried out shall ensure the staffing of the workforce and the admission to work of persons meeting the relevant qualification requirements and having no medical contraindications.
28. Organisations operating hazardous production facilities at which mining operations and mineral processing are carried out shall ensure the training and certification of employees in the field of industrial safety.
29. Heads and specialists of facilities at which activities involving mining operations, mineral processing and the construction of underground structures are carried out shall have appropriate education.
30. Technical direction means the direct management of process operations at production facilities by officials who are technical directors, exercised within the powers established by job descriptions. Persons having appropriate higher or secondary specialised education shall be admitted to the technical direction of work at facilities at which mining operations and mineral processing are carried out. Mining-technical education at mines, ore mines, placer mines, open pits, dredges, dredgers, cuts and subsoil development facilities not related to extraction shall be required for: heads and technical directors of organisations (facilities), heads of sections (workshops), specialists of engineering services and their deputies; shift supervisors (section heads), technical directors and shift dispatchers.
31. At each facility at which mining operations and mineral processing are carried out, a list of types of work subject to enhanced safety requirements, approved by the organisation's technical director, shall be determined. Work subject to enhanced safety requirements shall be performed under a permit to work and under the direct management of a person from technical supervision. Workers performing work of increased hazard shall undergo a medical examination (assessment) for alcohol and drug intoxication at the start of the working day (shift). At the end of the working day (shift), a medical examination (assessment) is carried out on the basis of a decision of the head of the facility.
32. Workers carrying out mining operations and mineral processing operations shall have vocational education corresponding to the type of work performed, shall be trained in safe working methods, shall know the emergency alarm signals, the rules of conduct in the event of accidents, and the locations of rescue and firefighting equipment, and shall be able to use them. Workers shall be guided by instructions on the safe conduct of process operations and shall know methods of providing first aid. Upon taking up employment, and also at least every 6 months, workers shall undergo training (instruction) in safe methods and techniques for performing work, and, at least once a year, a check of their knowledge of occupational instructions. The results of the check shall be recorded in minutes with an entry made in the relevant instruction log.
33. Employees visiting facilities at which mining operations and mineral processing are carried out shall be provided with, and shall be required to use, special clothing, special footwear and serviceable personal protective equipment providing protection for the head, respiratory organs, sight and hearing, corresponding to their occupation and working conditions, in accordance with the established standards. Persons who are not on the staff of a facility at which mining operations and mineral processing are carried out, but who need to visit it, shall be provided with personal protective equipment.
34. Workers engaged in work involving the combination of occupations shall be trained in safe working methods and instructed in all types of combined work. The servicing of machines and mechanisms whose control involves the operational switching-on and switching-off of electrical installations shall be carried out by electrical process personnel holding the relevant electrical safety qualification group, giving personnel the right, under a permit (order) with an entry in the operational log, to carry out operational switching of cable lines within the limits of the mining equipment assigned to them and its connection point.
35. Where the nature of work changes, and also after injuries or accidents have occurred, or after gross violations of the requirements for the safe conduct of work have been committed, unscheduled instruction shall be provided to employees of the facility.
36. Work shall be carried out on the basis of a permit issued against signature to the person performing the work or in electronic form in accordance with the Permit System Regulation, which shall be developed by each organisation and approved by its head. The permit for the performance of work is issued by an authorised official. The Permit System Regulation shall contain the procedure for issuing (performing, completing) a shift permit and the form of the permit issuance log (book). The form of the permit issuance log (book) shall contain sections (columns) on the location, type, start and end time of the work, the measures for the safe performance of the specific type of work, and the condition of the work sites at the end of the shift. It shall be prohibited to issue a permit for the performance of work at locations where breaches of safety requirements exist, except for work to remedy such breaches.
37. Before starting work, each employee shall verify the safe condition of their workplace and check the presence and serviceability of the safety devices, protective equipment, tools and appliances required for the work. Where an employee discovers a breach at the workplace, they shall, without starting work, report it to the person exercising technical supervision, and where they notice a danger threatening people or production facilities, they shall report it to the shift technical manager and warn the persons under threat. The person exercising technical supervision means an official who directs production activities during the shift at the section, site or workshop.
38. Each workplace shall be inspected during the shift by the person exercising technical supervision, who shall not permit work to be carried out where breaches of safety requirements exist.
39. Mine workings and the roads leading to them, at locations presenting a danger of people, machines and mechanisms falling into them, shall be fenced off and marked with warning signs. Cave-ins, sumps, funnels, disused shafts, drainage boreholes and other vertical workings shall be covered. Access of employees to locations not meeting industrial safety requirements shall be prohibited, except for work carried out to remedy such non-compliance in accordance with additional safety measures.
40. For the performance of work by the personnel of a contracting organisation on the territory of a facility conducting mining operations and the processing of solid minerals, a permit to work (admission certificate) shall be drawn up. In it, the organisation operating the facility shall indicate the hazardous factors and define the boundaries of the section or facility where the admitted organisation may perform work and bears responsibility for its safe performance.
41. Contracting organisations performing work at facilities conducting mining operations and the processing of minerals shall comply with the requirements of the Rules and the local (regulatory) documents developed within the organisation.
42. The shutdown of life-support facilities (power stations, mine dewatering installations, ventilation and air-heating installations, boiler houses, fire-fighting system pump stations) without the written permission of the technical manager of the operating organisation (except in emergency cases) shall be prohibited.
43. The admission to work and presence on the territory of facilities where mining operations and the processing of minerals are conducted of persons in a state of alcoholic, narcotic or toxic intoxication shall be prohibited. The admission and presence on the territory of a facility conducting mining operations and the processing of minerals (production buildings, structures, mine workings) of employees of third-party organisations and other persons not in an employment relationship with the operating organisation shall be organised in accordance with a procedure approved by the head of the organisation. Before admission to the territory of the facility, all persons visiting it shall undergo induction training on the use of personal protective equipment, compliance with safety requirements and the location of emergency exits. The induction training is conducted by a designated employee under a programme developed and approved by the technical manager of the organisation (facility). Persons not in an employment relationship with the operating organisation (except for employees of other organisations performing work at the facility under a contract) shall be accompanied by employees designated by an administrative document of the head of the facility or the head of the structural subdivision.
44. Organisations operating facilities where mining operations and the processing of minerals are conducted shall exclude the access of unauthorised persons to the territory of the facilities and to the production buildings and structures. The procedure for access to the territory of the facilities and to the production buildings and structures is established by the head of the operating organisation (facility).
45. Water removed from the territory of mining facilities shall be discharged into the nearest watercourse or into a location precluding its return penetration through cracks, cave-ins or water-permeable rock into the workings and the waterlogging of adjacent territories. The discharge (drainage) of water into dumps shall be prohibited. Water obtained as a result of dewatering a deposit shall be discharged only after clarification or purification from harmful impurities in accordance with the design documentation. Process pipelines laid on the surface, including the day surface, shall be earthed and equipped with devices ensuring their complete drainage of water.
46. The movement of people on the territory of facilities conducting opencast mining operations and the processing of minerals is permitted only along specially arranged pedestrian walkways or along the shoulders of roads, facing the direction of traffic movement. All employees shall be made familiar, against signature, with the movement routes. The route for the movement of people shall be approved by the technical manager of the facility. During the hours of darkness, pedestrian walkways and crossings over railway tracks, roads and conveyor lines shall be illuminated.
47. The transport of employees to the work site shall be carried out using special-purpose vehicles. The routes and speed of the transport of people shall be approved by the technical manager of the facility (where the vehicle belongs to a contracting organisation, they shall additionally be agreed with the head of the contracting organisation). Boarding areas for people shall be level. The arrangement of boarding areas on the carriageway of a road shall be prohibited. The transport of people in vehicles not intended for that purpose shall be prohibited.
48. The structures of buildings and installations at facilities conducting mining operations and the processing of solid minerals shall be inspected not less than once a year by a commission appointed by the technical manager of the facility in accordance with a schedule approved by the technical manager of the organisation. Reports shall be drawn up on the results of the inspections carried out and approved by the head of the organisation (facility). Exceeding the permissible loads on the load-bearing structures, floors, decks and platforms of buildings and installations shall be prohibited. Markings shall be made on the elements of buildings and installations indicating the maximum permissible load, together with diagrams showing the placement of materials and the officials responsible for their storage.
49. Buildings and installations shall be provided with lightning protection. Inspection and verification of the condition of the lightning conductors and the resistance of the earthing device shall be carried out before each thunderstorm season, with the corresponding results recorded in the log.
50. Stairs to working platforms and mechanisms of the surface complex of mining and mineral processing facilities shall have an angle of inclination of: not more than 45 degrees for those in constant use; not more than 60 degrees for those visited 1-2 times per shift; up to 90 degrees in sumps and wells. The width of the stairs shall be not less than 0.7 m, the height of the steps not more than 0.3 m, and the width of the steps not less than 0.25 m. The metal steps of stairs and platforms shall be made of chequered metal. The use of rungs in sumps and wells may be permitted.
51. Service platforms, crossover bridges and stairs, installation openings, pits, sumps, wells and trenches located in buildings and installations shall be fenced with a handrail with a cross-bar not less than 1.1 m high, with continuous boarding along the bottom of the handrail to a height of not less than 0.14 m. Installation openings, pits, sumps, wells and trenches located in buildings and installations shall be covered with decking (gratings) over their entire surface and provided with crossover bridges not less than 1 m wide. At crossing points over trenches, pipelines and conveyors, bridges not less than 1 m wide shall be installed, with handrails not less than 1.1 m high and toe boards not less than 0.14 m high. When decking or gratings are removed, the open installation and other openings shall be fenced with temporary barriers. Temporarily open wells and process tanks shall have barriers not less than 1.1 m high. The placement of materials and spare parts on the covers (decking, gratings) of installation openings and sumps shall be prohibited.
52. Pipes, chutes and other utilities shall not obstruct working platforms and, where they cross walkways and working platforms, shall be positioned at a height of not less than 2 m above floor level.
53. In buildings and installations of the surface complex of facilities conducting mining operations and the processing of minerals, the minimum distance between machines and apparatus, and from walls to the overall dimensions of equipment, shall be: not less than 1.5 m on main walkways; not less than 1 m on working walkways between machines; not less than 0.7 m on working walkways between a wall and machines; not less than 0.6 m on walkways for servicing and repair. To service shut-off valves without remote control located above floor level at a height of more than 1.5 m, mobile or stationary platforms not less than 0.8 m wide shall be arranged. The minimum width of walkways intended for the transport of large replacement assemblies and parts during equipment repair shall be determined by the largest cross-sectional dimension of the assemblies and parts, with an addition of 0.6 m on each side. It shall be prohibited to obstruct the places where equipment operates and the approaches to them with objects impeding the movement of people, machines and mechanisms. All workplaces and the approaches to them shall be kept clean and illuminated (not less than 10 lux).
54. Special places shall be provided for the storage of materials, spare parts, tools and production waste. Stationary storage places for fuels and lubricants shall be equipped with automatic fire-extinguishing equipment. Fuels, lubricants and wiping materials at workplaces shall be stored in closed metal containers in quantities not exceeding a three-day requirement for each type of material. The storage of combustible and readily flammable substances at workplaces shall be prohibited.
55. Production and ancillary premises, installations, structures and warehouses, as well as places for the storage of fuels and lubricants, shall be provided with primary fire-extinguishing equipment and fire-fighting equipment.
56. An external fire-fighting water supply system shall be installed at the industrial sites of organisations in accordance with the design documentation.
57. Production buildings and installations shall be equipped with ventilation, gas-cleaning, dust-collection and air-conditioning systems capable of maintaining the composition of the air environment at workplaces within the limits of the applicable sanitary standards. Control over the composition of the atmosphere at workplaces shall be carried out continuously on the basis of an air sampling schedule approved by the technical manager of the facility. The sampling locations and their frequency shall be established in the schedule, but not less than once a quarter or after a change in technology. All premises in whose atmosphere gases, aerosols and other impurities harmful to human health may be present shall be equipped with exhaust ventilation and fitted with monitoring and measuring instruments with alarm systems for the exceedance of the maximum permissible concentrations (hereinafter, MPC) of harmful substances. The reserve ventilation system shall be interlocked with the operation of the VRZ monitoring instruments and shall start automatically when the established values are exceeded. The procedure for the operation and maintenance of ventilation systems shall be determined by process regulations (instructions) approved by the technical manager of the organisation. The procedure for the evacuation of people from hazardous zones in the event of the concentration of harmful substances in the atmosphere of production premises exceeding the MPC, and for their use of personal protective equipment, shall be specified in the plan of actions for the localisation and elimination of the consequences of accidents at hazardous production facilities. At all mineral processing facilities, a reserve of PPE shall be built up for the facility's personnel.
58. The operation, maintenance and repair of technical devices, and their installation and dismantling, shall be carried out in accordance with the operating manual, technical data sheets (forms) and other documentation of the manufacturers. The technical characteristics specified by the manufacturers shall be maintained throughout the entire period of operation of the technical devices. Changes to the design of technical devices shall be made in agreement with the manufacturer. In the absence of the manufacturer of an EASC, after changes have been made to the design of the technical device, it shall be subject to an industrial safety expert review to confirm its compliance with industrial safety requirements.
59. The mandatory requirements for technical devices used in the conduct of mining operations and the processing of solid minerals, and the forms of assessment of their compliance with such mandatory requirements, are established in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation on technical regulation (Federal Law No. 184-FZ of 27 December 2002 "On Technical Regulation"). Technical devices used at a hazardous production facility are, before use and during operation, subject to an industrial safety expert review, if the form of assessment of the compliance of such technical devices with the mandatory requirements applicable to them is not established by technical regulations. The conclusion of the industrial safety expert review, based on the results of the examination and testing, is the basis for the operating organisation's decision to carry out repair, continue operation within the established parameters (with parameter restrictions), or withdraw the equipment from operation. Before the main process equipment (technical devices) is used at hazardous production facilities of the mining industry, the operating organisation may, in agreement with the manufacturer, conduct tests for its trial use under the specific conditions of the facility (for example, a mine, an opencast pit or a plant). Before testing begins, a commission headed by the technical manager of the organisation shall be established, which shall include responsible specialists of the operating organisation, the manufacturer and other organisations (as necessary). The test programme shall be approved by the head of the organisation and agreed with the organisation manufacturing the sample under test and other organisations (as necessary). The test programme shall contain: the object of testing; the aims and objectives of testing; the conditions and procedure for testing; the requirements for testing and measuring equipment; the duration (scope) of testing; the metrological support for testing; the material and technical support for testing; the safety requirements for conducting testing; the requirements for the qualification and training of personnel operating the equipment and for safety measures; the procedure for processing and recording the test results. The start date and time frame for testing technical devices and equipment shall be established by the test programme. The testing period shall not exceed 1 year. A test report shall be drawn up following the tests. The test results shall be recorded in a protocol containing information on the course of testing, the problems identified and the conclusions. The test report and the protocol shall be signed by the members of the commission and approved by the technical manager of the facility (organisation). Following the tests, the operating organisation shall (as necessary) make the corresponding changes to the design documentation.
60. Technical devices in operation shall be serviceable and fitted, in accordance with the requirements of the manufacturers and these Rules, with signalling devices, monitoring and measuring equipment, and devices that disconnect the drive when discharge devices, funnels or chutes become blocked, and shall have protection against overloads and over-hoisting. Where the components of a technical device become worn or fail, the technical manager of the facility (subdivision of the organisation) shall arrange an inspection of the technical device and decide whether it may continue to be operated pending maintenance or planned preventive repair, or whether the technical device is to be replaced or withdrawn from operation pending the corresponding repair. The surfaces of structures and equipment elements that may be a source of danger shall be marked with safety signs with warning colouring in accordance with the design documentation. Moving parts of mechanisms shall be guarded, except for parts whose guarding is impossible owing to their functional purpose. Machines and mechanisms with a hydraulic or pneumatic drive, as well as vessels operating under pressure, shall be equipped with sealed (or stamped) pressure gauges and safety valves set to the pressure in accordance with the established operating parameters of the equipment. Belt conveyors shall have devices for the mechanical cleaning of the belt and drums from adhering material, or shall have a coating that prevents adhesion. The drive, take-up and end stations of belt conveyors, the idlers of the carrying and return strands, and the loading and unloading devices, shall have guards preventing the manual removal of spilled material at the drums while the conveyor is running, and shall be interlocked with the conveyor drive. The take-up devices of conveyors shall be fitted with limit switches that disconnect the conveyor drive when the take-up carriage reaches its extreme positions. Conveyors shall be fitted with devices that disconnect the conveyor in the event of the belt stopping (slipping) while the drive is engaged (the belt speed falling to 75 per cent of normal), devices preventing lateral belt drift, and sensors for lateral belt drift that disconnect the conveyor drive when the belt runs beyond the edges of the drums and idlers. Conveyors with an angle of inclination of more than 6 degrees shall be fitted with braking devices on the drive. Where the angle of inclination of the conveyor structure exceeds 10 degrees, the conveyor shall have devices for catching the carrying strand in the event of a break. Crossover bridges shall be installed for crossing over the conveyor. Conveyors shall provide for the possibility of emergency stopping of the conveyor from any point along its length. The manual cleaning of a conveyor while it is running, the transport of materials and equipment on the conveyor belt, and the transport of people on conveyors not intended for that purpose, shall be prohibited. Organisations operating conveyor transport installed on the surface (for example, at the production sites of plants or mines) shall comply with the requirements for the operation of continuous process transport established for facilities conducting opencast mining operations.
61. Before the start-up and commencement of operation of process equipment, machines and mechanisms, the machine operator (operator) shall ensure the safety of employees and persons nearby, and give a pre-start warning sound signal, the meaning of which all employees of the EASC shall be made familiar with against signature. In doing so, the signal shall be audible (visible) to all persons working in the zone of action of the machines and mechanisms. The pre-start warning signal for the start-up of process equipment shall be audible throughout the hazardous zone and its duration shall be not less than 6 seconds. In the case of remote start-up of a process chain of apparatus, the operator shall give an audible warning signal of not less than 10 seconds' duration. After the first signal, a time interval of not less than 30 seconds shall be provided, after which a second signal of 30 seconds' duration shall be given before the start-up of the first process apparatus. The start-up of mechanisms and equipment shall be interlocked with the device providing the above pre-start signalling. The start-up of equipment shall be accompanied by an announcement over the public address system indicating the name and process numbering of the equipment being started. In places with an elevated noise level, the notification of employees shall also be carried out by means of light signalling.
62. When operating a process chain of apparatus and conveyor lines with centralised control, the following shall be provided: pre-start signalling before the start-up of the first mechanism of the process chain or of the conveyor of the conveyor line; automatic transmission of a signal along the entire length of the chain of apparatus or conveyor line being started, operating until the start-up of the last mechanism is complete; centralised start-up of mechanisms beginning with the last (counting from the loading point), with disconnection in the reverse order; the impossibility of centralised or local repeated switching-on of a faulty mechanism when the protection has operated; the simultaneous disconnection of all mechanisms preceding the one that has stopped; emergency disconnection of the drive in the event of a fault in the electric motor or blockage of the transfer device (operation of the chute-blockage sensor); two-way telephone, radio or public-address communication between the unloading and loading points of the process line and between the points where drives are installed and the operator of the control panel; local interlocking preventing the start-up of the given mechanism from the remote control panel. A table of signals shall be placed on the operating mechanism or near it. Every incorrectly given or unclear signal shall be interpreted as a "Stop" signal.
63. In the event of a power supply failure or the stoppage of equipment for any other reason, all drive electric motors shall have devices to prevent their spontaneous switching-on when the power supply is restored.
64. The design, installation and operation of compressors, lifting mechanisms, steam boilers and vessels operating under pressure used at facilities conducting mining operations and the processing of solid minerals shall comply with the requirements established by the corresponding technical regulations or federal norms and rules in the field of industrial safety.
65. At deposits of solid minerals being explored, prepared for extraction and worked, work shall be carried out to identify the proneness of the rock to rock bursts and gas- and geodynamic occurrences. Where such hazards are present, mining operations shall be conducted taking these factors into account.
66. At facilities conducting mining operations, a record shall be organised and kept of all persons who have gone down into the mine and who have come up (left) to the surface, in accordance with an instruction developed and approved by the head of the facility. All persons, after leaving (coming up from) the mine, shall hand in their individual accumulator lamps to the lamp room. If, 1 hour after the end of the shift, it is established that the lamps have not been handed in by all the persons who went down into the mine, the lamp room employee shall report the names of the persons who have not handed in their lamps to the shift technical manager, the technical manager of the facility and the head of the facility. Responsibility for organising the record of employees rests with the head of the facility, and for carrying it out, with the persons designated by an administrative document.
67. The descent of people into the mine and their presence in mine workings without a permit or the permission of the facility's management shall be prohibited.
68. Before descending into the mine, all employees and other persons shall be issued with serviceable isolating self-rescuers. The total number of self-rescuers at the mine shall exceed by 10 per cent the number of mine employees engaged in underground work in the largest shift by headcount, taking into account the employees of contracting organisations. Where the calculations establish that the evacuation time of employees in the event of an accident at their workplaces exceeds the protective action time of a self-rescuer, places for their group storage shall be equipped at the mine, ensuring the serviceability and safekeeping of the self-rescuers. The location of the group storage places shall be approved by the technical manager of the facility and specified in the plan of actions for the localisation and elimination of the consequences of an accident. The number of self-rescuers at the mine held in the group storage places for isolating self-rescuers at the work sections shall exceed the largest headcount of section employees in a shift by 10 per cent. The group storage places for self-rescuers shall be marked, illuminated, known to all persons engaged in underground work, and, if necessary, capable of being opened without obstruction. Employees carrying out work in underground conditions shall be trained in the use of self-rescuers. Verification of employees' knowledge of the rules for the use of self-rescuers shall be carried out by section heads or their deputies not less than once every 6 months. Responsibility for the safekeeping of self-rescuers held in group storage rests with the section head, and for their provision, with the head of the facility. Verification of the serviceability of self-rescuers shall be carried out quarterly by the head of the mine's (section's) dust and ventilation service. The results of the verification shall be recorded in a report.
69. Employees of the facility (organisation) who visit underground mine workings shall be made familiar with the main and emergency exits from the mine to the surface by direct passage from the workplace along the workings and emergency exits, accompanied by persons exercising technical supervision. Repeat familiarisation of workers with the emergency exits is conducted by persons exercising technical supervision every 6 months, and, where the emergency exits change, within 24 hours. The results of the familiarisation shall be entered in the "log of workers' familiarisation with emergency exits", which shall provide for the following sections to be completed: the name of the organisation, mine and section; the date; the surname, first name and patronymic (if any) of the worker; the name of the emergency exit and its location; the route along which the workers' familiarisation was carried out; familiarisation with the rules of personal conduct during accidents; the workers' signatures; the position, surname, first name, patronymic (if any) and signature of the person who conducted the familiarisation with the emergency exits and the rules of personal conduct during accidents; comments of the technical manager of the facility.
70. The operational part of the plan of actions for the localisation and elimination of accidents for facilities conducting underground mining operations engaged in the development of mineral deposits shall also be developed in electronic form using software enabling information to be displayed on an information display (panel, video wall) installed at the command post, to ensure the possibility of visual review and operational control over the performance of the priority actions for the localisation and elimination of an accident, provided for by the items of the accident elimination plan marked on the axonometric diagram of mine ventilation and on the plans of the surface complex, and other tasks. As a protective measure for persons unable to reach fresh air within the protective action time of their isolating self-rescuers, mines shall provide emergency air supply chambers (hereinafter, EASC), intended to shelter them until the accident is eliminated. The location, capacity, fitting-out (equipping) and number of EASCs shall be established by the design documentation. A compressed-air pipeline shall be run into the EASC, and the chamber's working shall be sealed with a gas-tight bulkhead with a tightly closing door made of non-combustible material. The EASC shall be equipped with a telephone connection to the mine dispatcher, fitted with instruments enabling control over the condition of the mine atmosphere, with means of individual and collective protection, fire-extinguishing equipment, first-aid equipment, and drinking bottled water safe for human consumption in a volume of not less than 10 litres. Direction signs pointing towards the EASC, made of retroreflective materials, shall be installed in the mine workings.
71. Each workplace shall be ventilated, illuminated and equipped with accident notification equipment in accordance with the design. It shall be prohibited to issue a permit for and send to work in mine workings (faces) remote from the mine-wide emergency exits fewer than two workers. The list of remote mine workings (faces) from which the time for people to reach fresh air or the mine-wide emergency exits in the event of an accident (the stoppage of the main ventilation installations) exceeds 30 minutes shall be approved quarterly by the technical manager of the facility.
72. To notify persons engaged in underground mining operations, in addition to telephone communication, wireless emergency notification signalling built into the individual accumulator lamp shall be provided. The emergency notification system shall ensure the wireless transmission of notifications to every employee located in the mine, irrespective of their location, at any time.
73. It shall be prohibited to bring in tobacco products and smoking and ignition devices, to smoke, or to use open flame in underground mine workings and above-ground mine buildings.
74. Mine workings whose condition poses a danger to people, or in which work has been temporarily suspended, and the collars of pits and areas of surface collapse, shall be protected by barriers bearing the relevant prohibition signs, or isolated by blank stoppings. The procedure and type of barriers are determined by the technical manager of the facility. Disused vertical and inclined workings shall be covered.
75. Waiting areas shall be provided at mine shafts used for raising and lowering people, and at the lower receiving landings of capital inclined workings equipped with hoisting installations for the conveyance of people. The exits from waiting areas shall be located in the immediate vicinity of the mine shaft.
76. Mines shall be equipped with a personnel positioning system enabling their location within mine workings to be monitored, including in the absence of electric power. The positioning system shall ensure the detection, in real time, of a person's location in all workings in operation, with transmission of information to a display (panel, video wall) installed in the facility's control (command) room. Information on the location of people in mine workings shall be kept at the mine for not less than one month from the date of its receipt. Responsibility for the proper functioning of the positioning system and the safekeeping of the information received rests with the manager of the facility.
77. Mines shall be equipped with a search system for workers, enabling their search within mine workings, including through rock falls and in the absence of electric power. The search system shall ensure the detection of a person and the determination of his location, including under a fall through a layer of rock mass.
78. A mine shall have not less than two separate exits providing for the travel (exit) of people to the surface and having different directions of ventilating air currents. Each level, floor (sub-floor), block shall have not less than two separate exits to adjacent levels or to shafts.
79. Break-throughs and entrances to chambers for service purposes, and also the mine workings adjoining them for a distance of not less than 5 m on both sides of the chamber and opposite the chamber itself, shall be supported using the same material as the chamber. The floor level of the chamber of the central underground substation and the main drainage station shall be higher than the rail head mark of the pit bottom (at the point of its junction with the shaft along which the drainage pipes are laid) by not less than 0.5 m. The central underground substation supplying the main drainage pumping station shall be connected to a travelling road leading from the pump room and adjoining the shaft at a height of not less than 7 m from the floor level of the pit bottom, and shall be connected to the pit bottom by a travelling road with an airtight door, which shall be designed for a pressure of 0.1 MPa.
80. If a mine has, apart from the two exits, other exits without permanent attendance, they shall be guarded or closed from the outside with latches that open freely from within. Horizontal and inclined mine workings that constitute mine-wide emergency exits shall be lit. The list of mine workings subject to mandatory lighting by mains luminaires shall be approved by the technical manager of the organisation. Workings serving as emergency exits shall be inspected by specialists appointed by the manager of the facility not less than once a month, with an entry made in the log of inspection of supports and the condition of mine workings. The "log of inspection of supports and the condition of mine workings" shall provide for the following sections to be completed: name of the organisation, mine; date of inspection; name of the working and the location where defects were found; defects found during the inspection of each working; planned measures for rectifying defects, indicating the time limits for their completion, the persons responsible, and the signature of the person who gave the instruction; a precise list of the work performed, indicating the time of its completion; the signature of the persons who accepted the repair work; the signature of the person who inspected the mine workings. Signs shall be installed in mine workings and at their intersections, containing information on the name of the mine workings, the directions to emergency exits to the surface, and the distance to them. The signs shall be made of retroreflective materials or lit. Mine workings shall be lit in accordance with the illumination standards specified in Table No. 1.
81. Where two exits from underground workings to the surface are vertical mine shafts, they shall be equipped, apart from mechanical hoists (one of which shall be a cage hoist), with ladderway compartments. A ladderway compartment in one of the shafts may be absent if the shaft has two mechanical hoists with an independent power supply. In shafts more than 500 m deep, ladderway compartments may be absent, provided that both shafts have two mechanical hoists with an independent power supply. In vertical shafts up to 70 m deep, where ladderway compartments are present in both shafts, the mechanical hoist in one of them may be absent.
82. Where two exits from underground workings to the surface are inclined shafts with an angle of inclination of less than 45 degrees, one of them shall be equipped with mechanical conveyance of people if the difference in elevation of the inclined shaft exceeds 40 m; where the difference in elevation exceeds 70 m, both shafts shall have mechanical hoists, one of which shall be equipped for the conveyance of people. In the event of failure of the mechanical hoist, provision shall be made for people to be able to exit via the shaft. For this purpose, the following shall be equipped: in shafts with an angle of inclination from 7 to 15 degrees - handrails fixed to the support; from 15 to 30 degrees - gangways with steps and handrails; from 30 to 45 degrees - ladders. Where the angle of inclination of the shafts exceeds 45 degrees, the installation of ladders and their equipping shall be carried out in the same manner as in vertical workings, and the two exits from underground workings to the surface shall be equipped in accordance with the requirements of the Rules.
83. In vertical workings, ladders shall be installed at a slope of not more than 80 degrees. Above the collar of the working and above each landing in the working, ladders shall project by 1 m, or metal brackets shall be securely fixed into the support over the landing opening, the inner side of the brackets shall be not less than 0.04 m from the support, the distance between brackets shall not exceed 0.4 m, and the width of the bracket shall be not less than 0.4 m. The installation of ladders, to ensure the possibility of free movement of mine rescuers wearing respirators, shall satisfy the following conditions: the clear dimensions of the openings, excluding the area occupied by the ladder, shall be, along the length of the ladder, not less than 0.7 m, and in width not less than 0.6 m; the distance from the base of the ladder to the support of the working shall be not less than 0.6 m; the distance between landings shall be not more than 8 m; ladders shall be sound, securely fixed, and positioned so that they are not located over openings in the landings. The width of the ladder shall be not less than 0.4 m, the distance between rungs shall not exceed 0.4 m, and the distance between the stringers of the ladder shall be not less than 0.28 m. The opening above the first ladder shall be closed by a trapdoor. Ladders and landings shall be kept in good working order and cleared of dirt and ice.
84. Arranging entrances (exits) from raises equipped with ladders directly onto haulage workings shall be prohibited. For this purpose, special recesses with a width and depth of not less than 1.2 m and a height of 2.0 m shall be driven.
85. An underground mine working is an artificial cavity in the earth's crust formed as a result of the conduct of mining operations. The principal classification criteria for underground mine workings are considered to be their spatial location and purpose. Capital mine workings shall be taken to include workings driven for the purpose of opening up a deposit or part thereof for subsequent extraction: vertical and inclined shafts (including blind shafts), adits, pit-bottom workings, underground crushing and skip- or conveyor-loading complexes, capital ore passes and waste passes, lift raises, crosscuts opening up deposits, inclined ramps (declines) driven from the surface and also connecting haulage levels; main field drifts, production and utility chambers (for fuels and lubricants, storage and manufacture of explosive materials, refuelling points, parking and repair of equipment, the main drainage complex, etc.), special ventilation, backfill and drainage workings of mine-wide significance, and boreholes of mine-wide significance. Development mine workings shall be taken to include workings driven to prepare the opened-up part of a deposit for extraction: haulage drifts of the hanging wall, haulage cross-cuts, drifts and cross-cuts of an intermediate level, ventilation, travelling and material raises, crosscuts driven to intersect parallel ore bodies, inclined ramps to sub-levels driven from a capital inclined ramp, boreholes of local (panel) significance (ventilation, degassing, drainage, dewatering, cable). Stope-preparation workings shall be taken to include workings necessary for the conduct of stoping: tramming and drilling drifts and cross-cuts, slot, drilling and ore-pass raises, undercut workings, drawpoints, break-throughs, backfill workings, and workings intended for the forced caving of the enclosing rocks. Exploration workings shall be taken to include workings and boreholes necessary for the exploration of individual deposits or areas of deposits subject to priority development.
86. The support of mine workings and their junctions shall be installed in a timely manner in accordance with the project documentation, technological regulations, and support and roof control plans. The mine support shall ensure the working condition of mine workings and safe work within them throughout their entire service life. Where mining and geological conditions change at underground mineral extraction facilities, as provided for by the project documentation, the shape of the cross-section, the type and parameters of the support of mine workings and their junctions shall be selected on the basis of the actual mining and geological situation and the classification of the rock mass by degree of disturbance (stability), taking into account the regulation on the support and maintenance of mine workings developed by the operating organisation, which shall be approved by the technical manager of the organisation. Support and roof control plans (hereinafter - the plans) shall define, for each mine working and its junctions, the measures for the safe conduct of work, the type of support, the methods of support installation, and the sequence. Standard support and roof control plans (for each mine working) may be developed, provided that the requirements for their content established by these Rules are observed. The plans shall be drawn up taking into account the purpose, the specific mining and geological and mining engineering conditions of driving the workings, and their service life. The plans shall be drawn up by the section supervisor for each working and approved by the technical manager of the facility. The plans may be developed and approved by contracting organisations carrying out mining operations (support of mine workings) on the territory of the underground mining facility, on the basis of an executed work admission certificate agreed with the technical manager of the facility. Where mining and geological and mining engineering conditions change in a mine working, work in it shall be stopped until the support and roof control plan has been revised (amended). The originals of the plans shall be kept by the technical manager of the facility. Copies of the plans shall be kept by the section supervisor and in the premises where permits are issued. Workers engaged in the erection of support, persons exercising technical supervision directing such work, and also workers conducting blasting operations, shall be made familiar with the plans against signature before the commencement of work. The plans consist of graphic material and an explanatory note. The graphic material of the plan shall contain: a diagram and the sequence of preparation of the block, panel, chamber, and face for stoping, indicating their dimensions; diagrams of the haulage and transport of rock mass, delivery of backfill material, the layout of haulage tracks, the ventilation of development, stope-preparation and stoping workings, and the cross-section of the drainage ditch; plans, cross-sections and longitudinal sections of the block, chamber, panel, face and working, which shall show: the clear cross-sections of development and stope-preparation workings, the configuration and dimensions of the working, the position of the deposit relative to the working, the methods of supporting and controlling the roof of the working and the stoping space, of junctions of horizontal, inclined and vertical workings at the scraper-haulage and screening levels and at sub-levels, the design, details and dimensions of the permanent and temporary support, the lag of the support behind the face, the shapes and dimensions of panel, support and barrier pillars, the methods and sequence of filling the extraction panel; a daily schedule for the organisation of stoping operations in the block, panel, chamber, longwall face, face, showing the sequence (continuity, cyclicity) and duration of the production processes and the erection of support (temporary, permanent). The explanatory note to the plan shall contain: the mining and geological and mining engineering characteristics of the seam, deposit and enclosing rocks; the justification for the methods of supporting and controlling the roof of the working and the stoping space: the choice of the shape of the cross-section, the support, the type and design of the support, the choice of the shapes and dimensions of the permanent and temporary panel, support and barrier pillars, the methods of backfilling operations, and the means of mechanisation for support installation; the calculation of the requirement for support material; measures taking into account the specific features of supporting and controlling the roof of the working and the stoping space.
87. Where deformation appears in support elements, mine-surveying observation shall be established with a frequency of measurement determined by the chief mine surveyor in agreement with the technical manager of the organisation. Where signs of support failure appear, work in the working shall be stopped and people withdrawn to a safe place. During re-supporting and repair of dead-end horizontal or inclined workings, the possibility of withdrawing people in the event of sudden collapse or water inrush shall be ensured. In conditions of stable rock, and also where the technological service life of a working does not exceed the period of its stable condition, the driving of workings may be carried out without support.
88. Before work is carried out in a mine working, it shall be inspected by a person exercising technical supervision for the safe conduct of work in it (availability of the necessary ventilation, absence of loose rock).
89. Scaling of loose rock in mine workings up to 3.5 m in height may be carried out by instructed workers using scaling tools. Where the height of a mine working exceeds 3.5 m, the removal of loose rock shall be carried out by mechanised means using special equipment or explosive materials. Where scaling of loose rock is carried out from the specialised lifting platform of a scaling machine, the lifting platform shall be equipped with a protective canopy.
90. In horizontal workings where rail transport is used, free passages for people of not less than 0.7 m shall be provided between the side of the working, the equipment installed, and the most protruding parts of the rolling stock. The width of the free passage for people shall be maintained along the entire length of the working, and the height of the passage shall be not less than 2 m. On the opposite side of the working, clearances of not less than 0.25 m shall be provided between the side of the working and the most protruding parts of the rolling stock. In workings with conveyor transport, the width of the free passage for people shall be not less than 0.7 m, and on the opposite side a maintenance clearance of not less than 0.4 m shall be provided between the wall of the working and the most protruding parts of the conveyor. The distance from the rock mass transported by the conveyor to the roof (support) of the workings shall be not less than 0.3 m. The distance between the axes of rail tracks in double-track workings, along their entire length, shall be such that the clearance between the most protruding parts of oncoming rolling stock is not less than 0.2 m. The width of door openings in stoppings of various purposes shall ensure clearances on both sides of not less than 0.5 m between the door jambs and the most protruding parts of the transport equipment.
91. In workings driven by roadheaders, where machines with internal combustion engines (hereinafter - ICE) are operated, the clearances on both sides may be reduced to 0.3 m, provided that recesses are constructed on one side with a depth of 0.7 m, a width of 1.2 m and a height of 2 m at intervals of every 25 m. At the collar of the working, a notice reading "Passage prohibited during transport movement" shall be installed.
92. Clearances between the most protruding part of a transport vehicle and the side (support) of the working or equipment installed in the working shall be adopted depending on the purpose of the workings and the speed of movement of the machine: in workings intended for the transport of ore and for communication with stope faces, clearances of not less than 1.2 m on the side of the passage for people and 0.5 m on the opposite side shall be adopted. Where a footpath 0.3 m high and 0.8 m wide is constructed, or recesses are constructed at intervals of every 25 m, the clearance on the side of the free passage for people may be reduced to 1 m. Recesses shall be constructed with a height of not less than 2 m, a width of not less than 1.2 m, and a depth of not less than 0.7 m; in load-haul-dump workings of stoping blocks intended for the loading of ore and its delivery to the haulage working, in workings under driving, at a machine speed not exceeding 10 km/h, and where the presence in such workings of persons not connected with the operation of the machines is excluded, clearances of not less than 0.5 m on each side shall be adopted; in tramming workings (inclined ramps) intended for the delivery of equipment, materials and people (in vehicles) to stoping blocks, at speeds exceeding 10 km/h: 0.6 m on each side where the movement of people on foot is excluded; 1.2 m on the side of the passage for people and 0.5 m on the other side, where the movement of people on foot is not excluded. The height of the working for the free passage of people along its entire length shall be not less than 2 m.
93. At the entrances to workings along which self-propelled vehicles travel and where the passage of people is not provided for, prohibition signs shall be posted, which shall be made of retroreflective materials or lit.
94. In workings of potash and salt mines driven by roadheaders, the clearances on both sides may be reduced to 0.3 m, provided that recesses are constructed on one side at intervals of every 25 m along the length of the working, with a depth of not less than 0.7 m, a width of not less than 1.2 m and a height of not less than 2 m.
95. The distance from the most protruding part of a machine to the roof of the working shall be not less than 0.5 m.
96. In double-track workings at points where coupling and uncoupling of mine cars is carried out, and shunting operations are performed at capital loading and unloading points (bunkers, ore passes, waste passes), and also in single-track pit-bottom workings of cage shafts (loaded and empty branches), the distance from the wall (support) or from equipment and pipelines installed in the workings to the most protruding part of the rolling stock shall be not less than 0.7 m on both sides. The arrangement of passages for people between the tracks in double-track workings shall be prohibited. In mine workings where people board passenger train cars, a free passage with a width of not less than 1.0 m and a height of not less than 2.0 m shall be provided along the entire length of the rolling stock stop.
97. In capital mine workings where, in accordance with the work technology, load-haul-dump machines with internal combustion engines are permanently used and people pass through, the carriageway of the working shall be separated from the passage for people, and also from the zone of operation of other self-propelled vehicles, by kerbs, guard rails, or by raising the pedestrian zone to a height of not less than 0.2 m.
98. In workings with one-way traffic, along which self-propelled vehicles with trailed platforms travel, the width of the carriageway shall exceed the width of the vehicle by not less than 1.2 m.
99. In workings with two-way traffic, the width of the carriageway shall exceed the width of two vehicles by not less than 1.2 m, and where trailed platforms are transported, by not less than 1.5 m.
100. In mine workings whose width does not permit two-way traffic to be organised, the movement of vehicles in two directions may be permitted, provided that passing bays are constructed for vehicles to pass each other, equipped with traffic lights or signs made of retroreflective materials, regulating the procedure and speed of movement of vehicles in the section. The width of the passing bay shall exceed the width of two vehicles by not less than 1.0 m.
101. At sections where vehicles turn, the carriageway of the working shall be widened by an amount ensuring compliance with the specified clearances.
102. In workings where self-propelled vehicles are operated, the width of passages for people shall be not less than 0.7 m.
103. Passages for people shall be marked with signs.
104. Travelling compartments of raises, including those under driving, shall be separated from the ore or material compartment by a partition and shall have sound landings and ladders, with the exception of raises driven by mechanised means.
105. During the driving, deepening or repair of inclined workings, persons working at the face shall be protected against the danger of a skip breaking away, and mine cars or other objects falling from above, by not less than two sound barriers, the design of which shall be approved by the technical manager of the mine. One of the barriers shall be installed at the collar of the working, and the other not higher than 20 m from the place of work. The simultaneous conduct of work in inclined workings at different elevations shall be prohibited. Where an inclined working is constructed with the discharge of rock via a pilot borehole, the project shall provide for measures precluding the fall of workers into the borehole (a grating with a mesh size of not more than 0.3 x 0.3 m, or a flared mouth of not less than 1.1 m in height). Brackets for the tracks of the lining erector shall be inspected every shift by a person exercising technical supervision. The installation of new brackets or the replacement of defective brackets shall be carried out using mechanisation equipment in the presence of a person exercising technical supervision.
106. Organisations operating mines that develop mineral deposits opened up by mine shafts driven through water-bearing rocks shall establish a water-suppression service (section) for preventive and repair work in mine shafts, or shall engage contracting organisations to carry out such work.
107. All horizontal and inclined mine workings in operation shall be inspected not less than twice a month. During inspections, the responsible persons exercising technical supervision shall observe the condition of the support, fixtures and equipment in accordance with the purpose of the mine workings. The assignment of mine workings to persons exercising technical supervision, and the procedure and frequency of inspections of workings, shall be established by the technical manager of the facility. The results of inspections shall be entered in the log of inspection of supports and the condition of mine workings. All mine workings in operation shall be inspected quarterly by a commission headed by the technical manager of the facility, for compliance with the project documentation, the plans, and these Rules. Based on the results of the inspections of mine workings, an inspection report shall be drawn up, and on its basis a schedule for the re-supporting of mine workings and bringing them into a safe condition, approved by the manager of the facility. The conduct of work in mine workings that have violations of the requirements of the safety rules shall be stopped until they are brought into a safe condition.
108. The support and guides of vertical and inclined mine shafts used for lowering and raising people and loads shall be inspected daily by specially appointed persons. The procedure and frequency of inspections of the support and guides of vertical shafts equipped with systems for continuous monitoring of the smoothness of movement of skips and counterweights shall be established by the technical manager of the facility, but not less than once a week. The results of continuous monitoring shall be analysed monthly by specially appointed persons. Where hazardous defects are identified, the raising and lowering of people (loads) shall be stopped.
109. Mine shafts intended solely for ventilation shall be inspected not less than once a year, for which purpose they shall be equipped with the relevant devices (a cage, a bucket and a rescue ladder). The inspection shall be carried out using monitoring instruments and equipment enabling their condition to be determined.
110. Major repair and re-supporting of mine shafts shall be carried out under a project approved by the technical manager of the organisation. After completion of the support repair, the mine shaft shall be inspected in detail by a person appointed by the technical manager of the facility, and tests of the hoisting installation and the conveyance shall also be carried out.
111. The position of the walls of the mine shaft and of the guides within it shall be subject to verification (profiling) by the mine-surveying service of the operating or a specialised organisation. The timing and methods of profiling shall be established by the technical manager of the operating organisation for each shaft, but not less than once every three years. The results of profiling shall be reflected in the mine-surveying documentation.
112. When cleaning the sump of a mine shaft, or carrying out any other work in it, the movement of hoisting conveyances in the shaft shall be completely stopped, and persons working in the sump shall be protected against the possible fall of objects from above.
113. The collars of vertical and inclined workings in operation and under driving, equipped with hoisting installations, shall be fenced on the non-working sides with walls or metal mesh of not less than 2.5 m in height, and shall be equipped at shafts and intermediate levels with safety grilles or interlocked doors preventing lowering and raising while the grilles or doors are open. The collars of inclined workings shall project not less than 0.5 m above ground level and shall be fenced to a height of not less than 1.1 m. Rail tracks shall be equipped with devices preventing the rails from shifting downward, the design of which shall be developed in accordance with the project. On rail tracks at cage hoists, closed retaining stops or other devices shall be installed, precluding the presence of mine cars in front of the shaft in the absence of a cage. Where a mine shaft intersects a horizontal working, a bypass working shall be made for the passage of people, or a passage shall be provided beneath the ladderway compartments of the shafts. Inclined workings along which loads are moved and people pass shall have compartments for the passage of people, located above the gauge of the rolling stock. The width of the passage shall be not less than 0.7 m. The arrangement of a passage below the gauge of the rolling stock shall be permitted, provided that it is fenced off from the loading compartment. Where rock is discharged along an inclined working under its own weight, the passage for people shall be fenced off by continuous boarding. Inclined workings, depending on their angle of inclination, shall be equipped as follows: from 7 to 15 degrees - with handrails; from 15 to 30 degrees - with steps and handrails; from 30 to 45 degrees - with ladders and handrails; more than 45 degrees - with ladderway compartments.
114. Access to the collars of mine shafts and pits not located in headframe buildings shall be through a door fastened with a lock. Where shafts or pits serve as emergency exits, the lattice doors at the collars of the workings shall be fastened with latches that open from within without a key, and at working levels with latches without locks.
115. Stoping shall commence only after the driving of all development and stope-preparation mine workings provided for by the project documentation and necessary for commencing stoping operations in the block (panel), the organisation of ventilation, and other measures ensuring the safety of the work.
116. In the event of a temporary stoppage of stoping operations (exceeding three days), they may be resumed only with the written permission of the section supervisor, after the face has been brought into a safe condition.
117. Where stoping operations are conducted simultaneously on adjacent floors, the faces of the upper floor shall lead the faces of the lower floor by a safe distance determined by the project.
118. Drawpoints or chutes shall not be located on the axis of the working of the lower level (sub-level), or opposite workings serving for the transfer of ore to lower levels (sub-levels). In scraper-haulage drifts (cross-cuts), a free passage of not less than 2/3 of the height of the working shall always be maintained. The conduct of work in scraper drifts (cross-cuts) shall be prohibited where rock mass is hung up in drawpoints and without proper covering of the discharge openings.
119. The detonation of charges in a chamber, a scraper drift (cross-cut), a screening chamber, or other workings located above the haulage level, shall be prohibited until the discharge workings leading to the haulage working have been filled with rock mass to a distance of not less than 3 m from their collar.
120. When working on benches and widening raises from top to bottom, workers shall use safety harnesses attached by a rope to a reliable anchor point.
121. Leaving, in a stoping chamber, the crown pillar as the floor of the chamber above may be permitted only provided that the drawpoints (ore passes) are filled and the condition of the floor satisfies the stability requirements for the crown pillar.
122. Access workings to worked-out stopes shall be closed off. Admission of persons to worked-out stopes shall be prohibited.
123. At the start of a shift and during the performance of work in a mine working, the stability of its roof and sides shall be checked. If there is a risk of a fall of rock mass fragments, work in the mine working shall be stopped and persons withdrawn to a safe place. Work shall be resumed only with the written permission of the technical manager of the facility.
124. While a scraper is in operation, workers shall not be present on the scraper path or within the range of the scraper rope. The scraper winch shall be installed so that a clearance of at least 0.7 m is left on one side for servicing the winch, and a clearance of at least 0.6 m on the other side for erection work.
125. Screens shall be securely installed and fenced off on the side of the passage for persons in accordance with the design. The screen grating shall be a solid metal structure. It shall be prohibited to place scraper winches and vibrating units intended for ore drawing directly on the screen. The height of the screening chamber shall be at least 2 m in the clear, and the width of the free passage at the screen shall be at least 0.5 m.
126. To pass rock mass where it hangs up in chutes, ore passes and manholes, workers shall use tools allowing the hang-up to be cleared from a safe distance. Hang-ups and arches formed in broken ore (in the stope) shall be cleared from a safe location by blasting charges using detonating cord fed on poles, or by other safe methods.
127. During work involving caving of side rock and the roof, if caving of the roof is delayed beyond the interval established by the specifications, forced caving shall be applied. In such cases, stoping operations shall be prohibited, and caving work is carried out in accordance with the actions approved by the technical manager of the mine.
128. Before caving work begins, the exits from the area to be caved shall be cleared of materials and equipment and, where necessary, additionally supported.
129. It shall be prohibited to apply mining methods involving caving of ore and country rock where the overlying rock contains quicksand, undrained sands, loams or karst filled with water or gases.
130. Roof caving shall be carried out under the direct supervision of a person exercising technical supervision, in accordance with the work organisation design.
131. When caving overlying rock and the flexible mat, under top-slicing-with-caving systems: blasting of the supports when abandoning drifts and the longwall face shall be carried out using electric detonators or detonating cord; the collars of rises shall be securely covered; stoping to extract a slice shall be prohibited where the flexible mat has hung up or its caving is delayed, until this is remedied, and also while the overlying rock is moving and caving; when extracting the first slice of the ore body being worked, a reinforced mat shall be laid on the floor to form the flexible mat, and measures shall also be taken to create a six-metre protective rock cushion by artificially caving the overlying rock through blasting of charges in holes drilled in the roof of the working; between the caved space and the drift or longwall face in operation, not less than one and not more than three worked-out drifts or strips shall be left, which shall be carefully supported; dismantling of the face after blasting operations from an adjacent drift shall be prohibited.
132. Under the sub-level drift system: ore breaking from open drifts shall be carried out using safety belts; in fractured and unstable ore, breaking from open drifts shall be prohibited; the presence of persons in an open stope shall be prohibited; the width of drifts on sub-levels in stable ore shall be at least 2 m and the height at least 2.5 m, and the height of closed drifts up to 3 m; where stable ore is worked, a stepped arrangement of sub-levels may be used, in which case the maximum lead of the steps shall not exceed 6 m; when breaking ore from sub-level workings, blasting of fans of holes from these workings into the stope shall be prohibited unless three fans of holes have been drilled in advance.
133. Under shrinkage stoping systems: persons shall be prohibited from being present in the shrinkage stope during ore drawing and from drilling and breaking ore before the roof and sides have been scaled down; the distance between the roof and the broken ore shall not exceed 2.5 m; where thin ore bodies are worked, boards shall be laid on the surface of the ore held in the stope, from which shotholes are drilled; after ore has been broken over the entire height of the stope, the entries to it shall be closed; the lead of the face line of adjacent blocks, where they are worked without leaving pillars, shall be determined by the design.
134. Under block (sub-level) caving systems: persons shall be prohibited from being present in the boundary workings of a block fully prepared for caving; while a block (chamber) is being worked, the caving process shall be monitored from special workings connected to the boundary workings, inspection cross-cuts or by means of deep control boreholes; where caving of ore is delayed (lags behind), ore drawing shall be stopped; where several sub-levels are worked simultaneously under the sub-level caving system, each upper sub-level shall lead the one below by a distance established by the design, but not less than a length equal to the height of one sub-level; under the block (level) caving system, inspection raises used for observing the caving process shall be driven outside the outline of the block (chamber) at a distance precluding their disturbance; drilling workings shall be connected to the haulage level or the secondary breaking (scraper) level by raises holed through to ventilation workings. When breaking ore with deep boreholes: where a slot is formed by blasting charges in deep boreholes, guards shall be installed around the slot to prevent persons from falling into it; the driving of drilling drifts or crosscuts and of deep boreholes from them shall lead the caving line of the face by not less than one drilling crosscut (drift).
135. Under the top-slicing-with-caving system: the width of the drift and the height of the slice shall not exceed 3 m; a block may be worked simultaneously in several slices, provided that work in one slice lags behind work in another by a distance ensuring normal caving of the flexible mat and rock, but not less than 10 m.
136. The drawing of water-bearing rock mass from ore passes shall be carried out in the presence of a person exercising technical supervision, in accordance with the established procedure for organising and performing the work, and provided that the ore passes are equipped with remotely controlled chute gates or that scraper winches and other devices and measures precluding the presence of persons beneath the ore pass are used.
137. Under the open-stoping and room-and-pillar systems, the parameters and procedure for the extraction of reserves shall be determined by the design.
138. The need for and expediency of backfilling operations, the choice of backfilling methods, and the technology for transporting backfill mixtures and materials into the mined-out space are substantiated by the design.
139. The laying of trunk pipelines and their equipping shall be carried out in accordance with the design, and of branch pipelines - in accordance with diagrams and specifications approved by the technical manager of the facility. The routes of trunk pipelines shall be equipped with pressure monitoring instruments, devices for the emergency discharge of backfill mixture and water, and telephone (radio) communication with the operator of the backfill complex and the mine dispatcher. The flushing diagram for the backfill pipeline for clearing blockages is determined by the design.
140. The commencement and completion of backfilling operations for each section shall be recorded in a certificate approved by the technical manager of the mine.
141. Under the system of horizontal slices with hardening backfill: where slices are extracted upward, the specified strength of the hardening backfill in the floor of the stope shall ensure the safe movement of the self-propelled equipment used over it; where slices are extracted downward, the load-bearing backfill layer shall, by the start of working of the slice below, have the specified strength ensuring safety during stoping operations beneath it.
142. The stability of the backfill mass shall be assessed in accordance with the requirements for the specified strength of the hardening backfill: for exposure in the side of the stope - depending on the height of the exposure; for exposure in the roof of the stope - depending on the span of the working.
143. Access to stope faces shall be by manways equipped in accordance with the requirements of the Rules, which shall at all times be kept clear of rock mass and maintained in a condition fit for use.
144. Under the system of working with strutted support on steep and inclined ore bodies, persons shall enter the stope face by a man-way ensuring safe movement from step to step by ladders; working platforms in the stope shall cover the entire cross-section of the stope slot; safety platforms, located on struts not more than 1.3 m below the level of the working platforms, shall cover not less than 2/3 of the area of the stope slot.
145. Under the sub-level caving system, entry into the space being caved shall be prohibited.
146. Under the forced block caving system, it shall be prohibited for persons to leave the workings into the voids formed during undercutting and caving of the rock mass, beyond the limits of the undercut workings.
147. The exits of level and sub-level workings into stopes shall be fenced off.
148. Underground crushing complexes and block crushers shall be equipped in accordance with the design.
149. The design shall provide for: methods of preventing and protecting against the ejection of material fragments from crushers; means of cleaning aspiration air of dust or discharging it into the mine's general return air current; safety measures for lowering persons into the working space of crushers and for clearing jammed crushers, and protection against a possible dust explosion; means of protecting the operator by means of grated mechanical guards; methods of removing oversize pieces of ore from the working space of crushers.
150. Extraction of pillars shall be carried out in accordance with the design. When extracting inter-chamber, above-drift and crown pillars: before crown and inter-chamber pillars are caved, the support of the haulage workings of the level shall be inspected, and if it does not conform to the design documentation, work shall be stopped until re-timbering has been carried out; it shall be prohibited to extract inter-chamber pillars by systems requiring the driving of workings where the adjacent stopes are not backfilled or not filled with ore (rock mass); it shall be prohibited, for the purpose of preparing a pillar for extraction or of extracting stopes adjacent to it, to drive workings in the pillars that impair their stability and are provided for by the design; crown pillars, sill pillars and inter-chamber pillars shall, where the stope is not filled, be extracted by one of the mass caving methods; all preparatory work for caving the crown pillar and inter-chamber pillars shall be carried out before extraction of the stope is completed; it shall be prohibited to carry out any work or for persons to be present in the workings of the crown pillar of an unfilled stope, except for work on charging mine chambers and boreholes; where the crown pillar is caved over a worked-out and discharged stope by means of deep boreholes, the drilling of these shall be carried out from workings safe with respect to caving, located outside the outline of the crown pillar; when extracting an above-drift pillar, the drilling of shotholes in the pillar and the drawing of ore shall be carried out only from beneath the support of the drift or crosscut; with continuous support, individual support frames shall be removed, and with spaced support, the lagging shall be partially removed; extraction of pillars by systems requiring the driving of workings above screening levels shall be carried out only after the worked-out stope has been backfilled or caved; it shall be prohibited to leave pillars for a height of more than one level in unfilled stopes and more than two levels in filled stopes; during mass caving of pillars, measures shall be taken to preclude the dangerous effects of an air blast. In all cases, not later than two days before blasting, the professional emergency rescue teams (services) and the territorial bodies of the federal executive authority authorised in the field of industrial safety shall be notified of this; where the settlement of rock mass is delayed during caving of pillars, or where they are not fully caved, in the area concerned no other work shall be carried out until the hang-up has been cleared.
151. The oxygen content of the air in workings where persons are or may be present shall be not less than 20 per cent (by volume). Measurements of the oxygen content of the air shall be carried out in accordance with the procedure established by the technical manager of the organisation. The carbon dioxide content of the mine air shall not exceed 0.5 per cent at workplaces, 0.75 per cent in workings with the mine's general return air current, and 1 per cent when driving and restoring workings through fallen ground. The combined content of the flammable gases methane and hydrogen in workings shall not exceed 0.5 per cent by volume (10 per cent of the lower explosive limit concentration). The hydrogen content in charging chambers shall not exceed 0.5 per cent, and the methane content at facilities where a "gas regime" has been established shall not exceed 1 per cent. The air in operating underground workings shall not contain toxic gases (vapours) in excess of the maximum permissible concentration given in Table No. 2.
151. The organisation of ventilation and the volume of air required to ventilate individual workings and the mine as a whole shall be determined for each deposit. The air calculation and the organisation of ventilation shall be carried out in accordance with a methodology approved by the technical manager of the facility (organisation). At operating mines, the calculation shall be carried out not less than once every six months. The calculation shall be carried out face by face, by summing the requirements of individual faces, operating workings, blocks, sections, panels, seams and mine-wide service chambers, with the introduction of substantiated safety factors. Air entering underground mine workings shall have a temperature of not less than 2 °C. The temperature of air entering underground workings of mines working mineral deposits located in permafrost zones is established in accordance with the design for development of the mineral deposit.
152. The minimum air velocity (m/s) in mine workings is determined by the formula: (m/s), where S is the cross-sectional area of the working, m2, and P is the perimeter of the working, m. The maximum velocity of the air current shall not exceed the following limits: in stoping and development workings - 4 m/s; in crosscuts, ventilation and main haulage drifts, and main inclines - 8 m/s; in other workings - 6 m/s; in air crossings (overcasts) and main ventilation drifts - 10 m/s; in shafts used for lowering and hoisting persons and materials - 15 m/s; in ventilation boreholes, ducts and raises without ladderway compartments, the velocity of the air current is not limited. The temperature of the air at the faces of development and stoping workings and at workplaces with the constant presence of personnel shall not exceed 26 °C. Where the air temperature exceeds 26 °C, cooling of it shall be provided.
153. Mines shall have mechanical ventilation. Ventilating underground mine workings by natural draught alone shall be prohibited. The mine ventilation shall be organised so that seams, levels, panels, blocks and stopes are ventilated separately by means of the mine's overall ventilation pressure differential.
154. If the established ventilation regimes of workings are disrupted, if the oxygen content is below 20 per cent, or if the content of toxic gases in them exceeds the maximum permissible concentrations (MPC), persons shall be immediately withdrawn to a fresh air current. Access of persons to unventilated workings shall be closed.
155. The combination of mines with independent ventilation into a single ventilation system shall be carried out in accordance with the design.
156. Service chambers shall be ventilated by a separate current of fresh air, with the spent air discharged directly into the return air current of the section (mine). Inclines (ramps) along which machines with internal combustion engines constantly travel are ventilated by a separate air current.
157. The supply of fresh air and the discharge of the return air current through one and the same shaft or adit shall be prohibited, except where these workings are being driven, in which case the ventilation procedure is determined by the design.
158. All possible measures shall be taken to prevent concentrated and distributed air leakage throughout the course of its movement. Actions to reduce the amount of air leakage in the ventilation network shall be developed and approved annually by the technical manager of the facility.
159. The supply of fresh air to working zones and the removal of return air currents through fallen ground and caved areas shall be prohibited, except in cases of accident elimination.
160. Operating workings shall be continuously ventilated by an active air current, except for dead-ends up to 10 m long, which are ventilated by diffusion.
161. Where the permissible level of flammable gases (methane + diatomic hydrogen) in the atmosphere of mine workings exceeds 0.5 per cent (10 per cent of the lower explosive limit concentration), all work in them shall be stopped, persons withdrawn to a fresh air current, electric power and internal combustion engines switched off, and measures for degassing taken.
162. Organisations operating mines where the release of flammable or toxic gases has been detected (or is predicted from geological data) shall have a report from a scientific organisation on the composition, scale, locations and nature of the release of gases and vapours. Organisations operating mines working deposits of pyrite, antimony and polymetallic ores shall have a report from a scientific organisation containing information on the risk of explosion (ignition) of sulphur or sulphide dust. On the basis of the data obtained, a set of actions for the safe performance of work under "gas regime" and (or) "dust regime" conditions is developed. Depending on the specific conditions, the "gas regime" and (or) "dust regime" may be extended to individual working zones (sections, blocks, panels, seams, levels) or to the mine as a whole.
163. The "gas regime" ("dust regime") is established: where relevant geological data exist - by the deposit development design, before construction begins; where flammable or toxic gases are detected, or where a risk of dust explosion is established in the course of mining operations or operation of the facility - an order is issued by the technical manager of the organisation, which is sent for the purpose of notification to the territorial body of the federal executive authority authorised in the field of industrial safety. The "gas regime" and "dust regime" at a facility may be discontinued after receipt of a report from a scientific organisation (institute) on the absence and predicted probability of the release of gases and vapours and of the risk of dust explosion. The "gas regime" and "dust regime" are discontinued by the subsoil user, with notification of the federal executive authority authorised in the field of industrial safety. Organisations operating mines (sections, blocks, panels, seams, levels) at which the "gas regime" and (or) "dust regime" has been established submit annually, not later than the end of the first quarter of the following year, to the territorial body of the federal executive authority authorised in the field of industrial safety, information containing details of the composition, scale, locations and nature of the release of gases (dust).
164. To ensure the safety of mining operations at mines under "gas regime" and (or) "dust regime" conditions, special actions for conducting mining operations under these conditions shall be developed by scientific organisations (institutes) and approved by the head of the organisation. Before being introduced at the organisation, the special actions developed and approved shall be sent to the executive authority authorised in the field of industrial safety for a determination of their compliance with the established safety requirements. Where mining-geological, hydrogeological and gas conditions change, the special actions shall be revised.
165. Special actions for conducting mining operations under "gas regime" conditions shall include: the procedure for classifying individual working zones or the mine as a whole as hazardous by gas; safety measures for driving and stoping operations and drilling of boreholes; additional safety requirements and the procedure of conduct for officials and workers in zones where the "gas regime" applies; the procedure and frequency for taking gas measurements by workers; measures to be taken to increase ventilation and to prevent gassing and to degas workings; the procedure for monitoring the condition of the mine atmosphere; additional safety measures for the operation of electrical equipment and machines with internal combustion engines, including the need to use explosion-proof equipment; safety measures for blasting operations; the procedure for conducting hot work; fire protection measures; the procedure for degassing and investigating the causes of gassing of mine workings; a set of measures for forecasting, preventing and localising the consequences of gas-dynamic phenomena; additional requirements for drawing up and implementing the action plan for localising and eliminating the consequences of accidents at hazardous production facilities. Mining plans shall show (indicating the position at the given level) zones of tectonic disturbance hazardous with respect to the release of flammable and toxic gases, geological exploration and drainage boreholes, and other places of possible accumulation or release of flammable and toxic gases (carbonaceous formations, bituminous rock, rock containing inclusions of organic remains, and voids of previously worked-out sections and workings). At potash mines, when classifying working zones as hazardous by gas, registered blower gas emissions from gas-dynamic phenomena, predicted zones hazardous with respect to vibro-seismic effects, and established hazard categories of working zones (indicating the position at the level) shall be shown. Special actions for conducting mining operations under "dust regime" conditions shall include: the procedure for classifying individual working zones or the mine as a whole as hazardous by dust; safety measures for driving and stoping operations and drilling of boreholes; additional safety requirements and the procedure of conduct for officials and workers in zones where the "dust regime" applies; the procedure and frequency for taking dust samples for measurement purposes; measures to be taken to increase ventilation and dust-explosion safety; the procedure for monitoring the condition of the mine atmosphere; additional safety measures for the operation of electrical equipment and machines with internal combustion engines, including the need to use explosion-proof equipment; safety measures for blasting operations; the procedure for conducting hot work; fire protection measures; a set of measures for forecasting and preventing an explosive concentration of dust; additional requirements for drawing up and implementing the action plan for localising and eliminating the consequences of accidents at hazardous production facilities. At mines with a "gas regime", a list of mine workings hazardous with respect to accumulations of flammable and toxic gases shall be drawn up once a quarter and approved by the technical manager of the facility. At mines with a "dust regime", a list of mine workings hazardous with respect to accumulations of dust shall be drawn up once a quarter and approved by the technical manager of the facility. Where geological and mining-technical conditions change, the necessary corrections and additions shall be made to the list of sections of the said workings within twenty-four hours.
166. All persons visiting underground mine workings in which the release of flammable or toxic gases has been detected or is predicted (under "gas regime" conditions) shall be provided with, and shall carry, verified and calibrated individual gas detectors that automatically measure their content, with a function for prompt notification by audible and visual signals. Gas detectors shall automatically measure oxygen and, where it is insufficient (less than 20 per cent), shall promptly give notification by audible and visual signals. Where 0.5 per cent or more of flammable gases (methane + diatomic hydrogen) or toxic gases in excess of the MPC are detected in the atmosphere of a mine working, the person who took the measurement shall immediately stop work in that working, withdraw persons from it, disconnect the electric power, switch off internal combustion engines, and notify the mine dispatcher and the person exercising technical supervision. All instances of the detection of flammable and toxic gases shall be recorded in the log of gas content measurements and gassing records, which shall be kept by the dust and ventilation service (section). The log of gas content measurements and gassing records shall provide for the following sections to be completed: the date and time of detection of gassing (hours, minutes); the name of the level, section, working; the content of methane, hydrogen and toxic gases at the place of gassing, per cent (place of measurement, maximum concentration); the cause of gassing, the type of gassing (process-related, emergency); the duration of gassing; actions to prevent gassing; and the signatures of the heads of the process section and of the dust and ventilation service section.
167. Actions for degassing workings shall provide for: de-energising electrical equipment and electrical networks and eliminating other sources of ignition in workings along which the return air current will move; posting watches (in the fresh air current) and prohibition signs at places where persons may approach workings along which the return air current moves during degassing; the choice of the method and procedure for degassing; monitoring of the degassing of the working and of the fresh air current (the concentration of gases at the point where the return and fresh air currents meet shall not exceed: 1 per cent for flammable gases, the MPC for toxic gases); inspection of workings after degassing before persons are admitted to them. Degassing of workings shall be carried out under the direction of a person exercising technical supervision holding a position not lower than deputy head of section, with the participation of representatives of a professional emergency rescue team (service).
168. Ventilation devices (doors, stoppings, airlocks, overcasts, regulators) shall ensure maximum airtightness under any ventilation regime. Their design shall preclude the possibility of loss of airtightness and short-circuiting of air currents. In workings connecting intake and ventilation shafts, stone, concrete or other stoppings made of non-combustible materials shall be installed. It shall be prohibited to use combustible materials in the construction of overcasts.
169. The regulation of air currents in mine-wide workings is carried out only on the instructions of the head of the dust and ventilation service (section), and in intra-block workings - on the instructions of the head of section in agreement with the dust and ventilation service (section).
170. Underground workings shall be ventilated continuously by main ventilation fans and auxiliary main ventilation fans installed in accordance with the design.
171. The fan installation for ventilation during the sinking of a shaft shall be installed on the surface at a distance of not less than 15 m from the shaft. The air intakes of fan installations shall be located on the surface in zones not contaminated by dust, smoke or harmful gases, and not closer than 25 m from places where combustible and readily flammable materials are stored and used. The ventilation procedure shall be carried out in accordance with the design.
172. The method of ventilating mines shall be established by the design.
173. Main fan installations shall consist of two independent fan units, one of which shall be a standby unit. Fans for new and reconstructed installations shall be of the same type and size. The volume of air supplied to the mine by the main fan installations shall be recorded by automatic monitoring equipment, the sensors of which shall be installed in all ventilation shafts (ventilation ducts) involved in the ventilation scheme. The monitoring results shall be transmitted remotely to the mine dispatcher in real time. Monitoring of the volumes of fresh air, its distribution through the workings and its temperature shall be carried out by the dust and ventilation service not less than once a month and whenever the ventilation regime changes. Inspection and adjustment of the main fan installations shall be carried out not less than once every two years.
174. The capacity of main fan installations shall be determined by the design documentation, taking into account the maximum quantity of air required for the ventilation of underground workings and the volumes at all stages of the work performed. During operation, main fan installations shall be tested and adjusted not less than once every six months to ensure the design air exchange modes. Test reports shall be attached to the technical passport. Operation of fan installations without a technical passport shall be prohibited. Buildings of main fan installations shall be made of slow-burning materials and shall have working and standby lighting. Fan reversal diagrams, individual fan characteristics and instructions for the person servicing the fan installation shall be posted in the buildings.
175. If a main or auxiliary fan installation is stopped for more than 30 minutes, people shall be withdrawn from all mine workings included in the ventilation scheme of these fan installations to workings with a fresh air current. Work may be resumed only after ventilation and inspection of the condition of the mine atmosphere in stopes and dead-end workings by technical supervision personnel. If the main fan installation is stopped for more than 2 hours, people shall be withdrawn from all workplaces from the mine to the surface. Work in the mine may be resumed only with the permission of the technical manager of the organisation.
176. Main fan installations shall ensure the reversal of the ventilation air current entering the workings. Auxiliary fan installations shall ensure the reversal of the ventilation air current only where this is provided for by the action plan for the localisation and elimination of the consequences of accidents at hazardous production facilities. Switching fan installations to reverse operating mode shall be completed in not more than 10 minutes. The air flow passing through the main workings in the reverse ventilation mode shall be not less than 60 per cent of the air flow passing through them in the normal mode.
177. Inspection of reversing devices for correct operation without reversing the air current through the workings shall be carried out by the chief mechanic (power engineer) and the head of the dust and ventilation service (section) of the mine not less than once a month. Testing of the reversing devices with passage of the reversed air current is carried out once every 6 months during non-working hours under the direction of the technical manager of the facility by the head of the dust and ventilation service, the mechanic and the power engineer of the mine, in the presence of representatives of the professional emergency rescue team (service), and is recorded in a certificate, which shall be attached to the action plan for the localisation and elimination of the consequences of accidents at hazardous production facilities. Testing of the reversing devices shall be carried out after a change in the ventilation scheme adopted at the mine and when the main ventilation fans are replaced. The number of workers required for testing the positions of operation of the reversing devices provided for by the provisions of the operational part of the action plan for the localisation and elimination of the consequences of accidents, and their locations in the mine workings of the mine, are established by the technical manager of the facility. On reversal of the air current, the following shall be determined and recorded in the reversal test certificate: the depression generated by the fan before reversal and during reversal; the fan output (in m3/s) before reversal and during reversal; the time taken to change the direction of the current and to return it to the normal direction; the duration of fan operation with the current reversed; the direction of movement of the ventilation air current with the fan stopped (zero mode); the deficiencies found during the reversal test. The time for reversal of the ventilation air current shall be not less than the time required for people to travel from the most remote mine working to workings with a fresh air current constituting general mine escape routes, or to the surface. Where a ventilation mine shaft has two fans - a duty fan and a standby fan - testing of the reversing devices is carried out with the damper closed, first at the standby fan, then, after starting the standby fan and stopping the duty fan, at the second fan. Where a ventilation mine shaft has one fan, testing of the reversing devices is carried out with the fan stopped, without switching it to reverse mode.
178. The system of workings through which the reversed air current will pass shall meet the following requirements: the resistance of the system shall not be less than the resistance of the mine to the normal movement of the air current, to avoid a significant increase in the fan output and overloading of its motor; the resistance of the workings to the reversed current shall not significantly exceed the resistance of the mine during normal ventilation, to avoid a reduction in the fan output to a value below 60 per cent of normal. Responsibility for the serviceable condition of the reversing devices lies with the mechanic (power engineer) of the mine, who shall check the serviceability of the fan installation not less than once a week. The results of the inspection shall be recorded in the fan installation inspection and reversal test log. Main and auxiliary fan installations shall be inspected daily by workers designated by the technical manager of the mine, and weekly by the chief mechanic and the head of the dust and ventilation service of the mine. The requirements for carrying out this work, as well as work on servicing main and auxiliary fan installations by fan operators, and the conditions for permissible operation of fans without an operator (in automatic mode), shall be established by the design documentation.
179. Main ventilation fans shall be stopped for repair or for a change in their operating mode by written order and with the implementation of measures approved by the technical manager of the mine. Sudden stoppages of fans caused by their malfunction or interruption of the power supply shall be reported immediately to the dispatcher, the technical manager of the mine, the chief (senior) mechanic and power engineer, the head of the dust and ventilation service, and the mine duty officer. The duration and time of the stoppage shall be recorded in the fan operation log. If the operating fan is stopped and the standby fan cannot be started, the doors of the airlock building above the shaft or the devices closing off the shaft collar shall be opened.
180. Main fan installations of mines shall have two independent, mutually redundant power lines from an electrical substation or power station.
181. Where standby generating capacities (modules) are used, the mine shall be provided with a fuel reserve and qualified personnel for starting and servicing the standby generators. This requirement also applies to the conditions for operating main mine drainage installations for the purpose of preventing flooding of mine workings.
182. Local ventilation fans (hereinafter - LVF) for supplying air to dead-end workings, at any angle of their inclination, shall be installed in accordance with a ventilation passport approved by the technical manager of the facility; the capacity of the LVF shall not exceed 70 per cent of the quantity of air supplied to its intake by the general mine depression. The LVF shall be installed in the fresh air current at a distance of not less than 10 m from the outlet of the return current, and the distance from the end of the delivery pipeline to the face or to the combine control panel (when driving workings with combines) shall not exceed 10 m. The passport shall include: a ventilation diagram indicating the fresh and return air currents, fans and ventilation structures; an explanatory note with a calculation of the quantity of air required for ventilation. Where a local ventilation fan is installed directly at the junction with a ventilation raise, a ventilation stopping shall be erected ensuring airtightness and preventing recirculation. When driving raise workings, the lag of the ventilation pipeline behind the face by more than 6 m shall be prohibited. When driving raise workings using mechanised systems and ventilating the face with an air-water mixture, removal of the return current from the face shall be ensured by means of an exhausting local ventilation fan. Each raise shall be provided, for the duration of driving, with a device for remote sampling. The results of air sampling in development and stoping faces shall be recorded every shift in the log of results of analysis of mine air samples and certified by the signature of a technical supervision person. The lag of ventilation pipes behind the shaft face shall be determined by the design and shall not exceed 15 m. When loading ore with a grab, that distance may be increased to 20 m. When driving horizontal workings, the lag of ventilation pipes behind the face shall not exceed 10 m where the face cross-sectional area is not more than 16 m2, and where the face cross-sectional area is more than 16 m2, the value of the lag of the ventilation pipes shall not exceed 15 m.
183. Ventilation plans shall be available at the mine. Ventilation plans are drawn up by plotting all ventilation devices and equipment onto copies of the mining plans of the main levels. At mines developing groups of veins (ore bodies), and where work is carried out on several levels, ventilation plans shall be drawn up for the main levels together with axonometric ventilation diagrams. Where a single ore deposit is being mined and work is carried out on one level, only a ventilation plan shall be drawn up. Where several deposits on a level are opened up by common workings within a single ventilation system, a general level-by-level ventilation plan shall be drawn up. Ventilation plans and diagrams are approved by the technical manager of the mine, and for mines interconnected with one another, by the technical managers of the mines.
184. The following conventional symbols shall be plotted on ventilation plans: movement of the ventilation air current: fresh - by red arrows and return - by blue arrows; ventilation devices: measuring stations indicating their cross-section, the quantity of air entering and its velocity, stoppings, crossings, ventilation doors; communications and fire-fighting equipment required for eliminating accidents: networks of underground water pipelines and air pipelines with fire hydrant nuts and valves; points for switching air pipelines to water supply; locations of pumps and sumps indicating their capacity; locations of emergency air supply chambers (hereinafter - EASC), underground refuge chambers, points for switching to self-rescuers, and wagons with fire-fighting equipment and materials for stoppings; stores of fire-fighting materials; fire doors. For convenience in arranging all information on communications and fire-fighting equipment, it shall be plotted on separate sheets of auxiliary plans.
185. The following conventional symbols shall be plotted on the axonometric ventilation diagram of the mine: movement of the ventilation air current: fresh - by red arrows and return - by blue arrows; main and auxiliary ventilation fans indicating their actual and rated capacity in m3/s and depression in mm of water column; air heater installations; fire-fighting sprinkler devices; locations of telephones; locations of fire extinguishers; locations of group storage of self-rescuers; locations of local ventilation fans, their capacity and the quantity of air supplied to them; the quantity of air entering the mine, a level, wings, sections and blocks (chambers); the quantity of air leaving the mine, a wing, a level and a section; mine and block escape routes.
186. A separate table on the axonometric ventilation diagram or on the ventilation plan shall indicate: the number of measuring stations on the intake current, on the return current, and the total number of stations; the total quantity of air entering the mine; external and internal mine leakages (inleaks): through the ventilation shaft collar, airtight buildings, hatches, stoppings, flap valves for current reversal, in pit-bottom yards, through ventilation devices along the path of air movement up to the start of the section drifts, and through the mined-out space in the sections; the equivalent orifice for each wing of the mine (section) served by a separate fan, and also for the mine as a whole.
187. An explanatory note shall be attached to the ventilation plan, indicating: the types of duty and standby main ventilation fans, the presence of reversing devices and telephone communication; the number, types and capacity of local ventilation fans; information on the ventilation of development workings (number of faces) by means of general mine depression and by local ventilation fans; the number of stoping faces (chambers, blocks, longwalls) ventilated in series; in this case, of two chambers ventilated in series, only the second is subject to accounting; a list of the available instrumentation and the need for it. When drawing up ventilation plans, measures for improving the state of ventilation at the mine shall be developed, with the time limits for their implementation and the necessary equipment indicated. When developing measures for improving mine ventilation, provision shall be made for: bringing ventilation workings into a safe, design condition; dividing the main fresh air current into separate parallel currents for the separate ventilation of individual sections and blocks; reducing the length of ventilation workings by driving new ventilation cross-cuts, ventilation shafts and boreholes, particularly at mines with substantial air leakages; the construction of ventilation devices: stoppings, hatches, doors and crossings, to reduce air leakages and lower local resistances; the replacement of installed fans with higher-capacity (more powerful) ones.
188. Ventilation plans are drawn up once every six months in three copies and are updated monthly; all changes in the location of ventilation devices (doors, stoppings, ventilation windows), local ventilation fans, and the directions of ventilation currents shall be marked on the ventilation plans not later than the following day and confirmed by the signature of the head of the dust and ventilation service and the technical manager of the mine, with the date of the change indicated on the plans. The first copy shall be kept by the head of the dust and ventilation service of the mine, the second - at the professional emergency rescue team (emergency rescue service), and the third - by the technical manager of the mine as part of the set of the action plan for the localisation and elimination of the consequences of accidents at hazardous production facilities.
189. The following shall be carried out monthly in underground mine workings: measurements of the quantity of air entering along levels, wings, blocks, sections, panels, chambers and faces, with a comparison of the measured and calculated values; sampling to determine the qualitative composition of the air in all working zones associated with disturbance of the continuity of the rock mass. Measurements of the quantity of air shall also be carried out where the ventilation mode is changed. In all other places, sampling is carried out in accordance with a schedule approved by the technical manager of the facility, not less than once a quarter. The procedure for air sampling shall be approved by the technical manager of the facility. Monitoring of face gassing after blasting operations and ventilation shall be carried out before people are admitted to the face by technical supervision personnel using rapid instrumental monitoring devices. Points for measuring the quantity of air shall be equipped with measuring stations arranged on straight sections of mine workings not less than 4 m long. All measuring stations shall have boards on which the following are recorded: date of measurement, cross-sectional area of the measuring station, the calculated and actual quantity of air, and its velocity. For measuring the velocity, pressure and temperature of the air, and for rapid analysis of its qualitative composition for all regulated gaseous and dust components, mines shall be equipped with instrumentation that has undergone verification in accordance with the established procedure. At mines, an air-depression survey shall be carried out not less than once every three years, and also where the ventilation scheme of the mine (wing, level) is changed or the main ventilation fan is replaced. At poorly ventilated mines with an equivalent orifice of less than 1 m, air-depression surveys shall be carried out not less than once a year. The air-depression survey shall be carried out by organisations having qualified personnel and provided with the necessary instrumentation. The results of the air-depression survey shall be approved by the head of the organisation that carried out the survey and drawn up in the form of a report containing: an assessment of the effectiveness of the operation of the ventilation system as a whole and of its individual elements, such as the main fan installation, the main and auxiliary air heater installations, auxiliary fan installations, devices intended for air redistribution, and mine atmosphere monitoring systems; a conclusion on the condition of the ventilation network in the reverse ventilation mode and the effectiveness of the operation of the reversing fan installations of the main and auxiliary ventilation; an assessment of the state of air distribution indicating distributed and concentrated air leakages; measures aimed at improving the condition of the ventilation network, providing consumers with the required quantity of air, and eliminating identified non-conformities with industrial safety requirements. Based on the results of the air-depression surveys, the technical manager of the organisation shall approve measures containing the time limits for eliminating the identified deficiencies.
190. A dust and ventilation service (section) headed by a manager (head) shall be organised at each mine. The staff establishment of the service (section) is approved by the head of the facility (organisation) and consists of a number of workers necessary for performing all the tasks assigned to it, including ensuring the organisation of the ventilation mode of mine workings and of the mine as a whole, in accordance with the design documentation and the requirements of the Rules. The staff of the service (section) of mines hazardous in respect of gas and dust shall be manned with gas monitors in a number ensuring shift-by-shift monitoring of compliance with the dust and ventilation mode in accordance with the design and safety requirements.
191. Persons appointed as gas monitors shall be selected from among workers who have not less than one year of experience of work in underground conditions and who have undergone training and a knowledge check in this profession.
192. The design and conduct of mining and geological exploration work, and the protection of undermined facilities against the harmful effects of mining operations and of underground structures and mines against flooding, shall be carried out in accordance with measures (instructions) for protecting mines against flooding and protecting facilities on the earth's surface against the harmful effects of underground workings, developed by the subsoil user together with scientific organisations for the specific mining and geological conditions of the deposits or sections of the deposit, and approved by the technical manager of the organisation. In areas where balance and off-balance reserves of potash salts of categories A, B, C1 and C2 occur, and within the protective zone around those areas, the drilling of oil and gas production wells shall not be permitted, to ensure compliance with the requirements in the field of safe subsoil use and industrial safety. These requirements do not apply to barren areas not containing potash salt reserves within the outer contour of the potash deposit and located outside the protective zones. Industrial development of hydrocarbon deposits shall not be permitted in areas of predicted potash salt resources (reserve categories P1, P2). The width of the protective zone around wells (well pads) is determined in accordance with the dimensions of the radius of the protective pillar around deep wells (well pads), calculated in accordance with the established procedure, and shall be not less than 500 m. The depth of the protective zone extends 300 m below the base of the underlying rock salt, but not less than 800 m below the potash deposit. The parameters of the protective zones of oil and gas production wells (well pads) are determined from the results of studies (calculations) before the design of the development of hydrocarbon deposits begins, which are agreed with the subsoil users carrying out the development of potash salt deposits. Responsibility for the results of the calculations lies with the subsoil user - the customer of the work. For the purpose of carrying out mine surveying instrumental observations to study the process of rock mass movement, determine the magnitude of deformations of the earth's surface and of facilities located on its surface, and predict hazardous situations, including in areas of mining allotments combined in plan with hydrocarbon and salt deposits, observation stations shall be established in the form of profile lines of ground survey markers. The establishment of observation stations on the earth's surface and in mine workings, and the frequency and methods of instrumental measurements, are determined by the design documentation for mine surveying work, agreed with the state mining supervision authority.
193. The following shall be carried out on an ongoing basis at the deposit: geological exploration work for the purpose of clarifying the mining and geological and hydrogeological conditions for the development of industrial seams and the structure and condition of the water-protective strata of the rock mass; geomechanical monitoring of the condition of the geological environment within the boundaries of the mining allotment to ensure the safety of mining operations and the protection of facilities on the earth's surface being undermined.
194. Before sinking or deepening a mine shaft begins, a borehole shall be drilled at the centre of the design cross-section and core shall be taken for the entire design depth of the shaft. Waterproofing of aquifers shall be ensured when sinking shafts. When the shaft face of the mine approaches the zone of contact of the salt deposit with an aquifer to a distance of not less than 20 m, advance control and exploratory drilling shall be carried out from the shaft face.
195. Where panel or panel-and-block methods of preparing the mine field are used with a retreat order of mining, off-seam preparation of the mine field or of individual sections thereof shall be adopted. The adoption of other variants shall be justified by technical and economic calculations ensuring the safety of mining operations.
196. The mining system applied, with rigid or yielding pillars, depending on the mining and geological conditions of the mine fields, shall ensure the integrity of the water-protective strata for the entire service life of the mine.
197. Beneath the territories of populated areas built up with multi-storey (more than 3 storeys) buildings and structures, and also within the zone of influence of mining operations on them, only one seam shall be mined, with backfilling of the mined-out space.
198. The degree of filling of the mined-out space with backfill is determined by the design. Outside urban built-up areas, where two or more productive seams are mined jointly, the integrity of the water-protective strata shall be ensured in accordance with design documentation prepared with regard to the requirements established by regulatory documents on protecting mines against flooding and protecting facilities on the earth's surface against the harmful effects of underground mining operations, and also the implementation of measures provided for by the instructions for protecting mines against flooding and protecting facilities on the earth's surface against the harmful effects of underground workings.
199. Closely spaced seams are mined with coaxial arrangement of the stoping chambers, with the face line of stoping operations on the upper seam advancing by not less than 50 m.
200. Mechanised mining of outburst-hazardous carnallite seams shall be carried out in accordance with the design.
201. Reserves of potash salts and productive layers of rock salt left in protective pillars of various purposes may be wholly or partly mined only under specially developed designs.
202. Backfilling of the mined-out space of mines may be carried out using waste from processing plants or off-grade salt from the driving of off-seam mine workings, by mechanical or hydraulic methods, in accordance with the design. The areas where backfilling operations are carried out, the timing of their performance, and the completeness of filling of the voids are determined by the design. Where voids are formed during the driving, support and repair of mine workings, they shall be backfilled or grouted with non-combustible material.
203. Where poorly ventilated zones arise in mine fields, underground mobile (auxiliary) fan installations shall be used to organise their effective ventilation. When driving workings with roadheader systems, ventilation shall be carried out by the forcing or combined method. Under the combined ventilation method, the forcing method is the primary one, and on reaching the maximum permissible concentration of combustible gases in the atmosphere of the working of 0.5 per cent (10 per cent of the lower explosive limit concentration), the exhausting fan shall be automatically switched off together with the mining equipment. Only the forcing method of ventilation shall be used for clearing gas from the workings.
204. The velocity of air movement in shafts used for lowering and hoisting people and materials shall not exceed 15 m/s (except in cases of an increase in the velocity of air movement, with the provision of additional measures for the safe servicing of shafts and the movement of people, by decision of the technical manager of the organisation).
205. Within working areas and blocks, canvas stoppings made of non-combustible material may be used between workings with intake and return air currents.
206. Timber used in individual cases in potash mines for the construction of crossings, stoppings and support elements shall, before being lowered into the mine, be treated with a fire-retardant compound of fire-protection efficiency group 1. Where the guaranteed period of fire-protection efficiency has expired, in accordance with the instructions of the manufacturer and (or) the contractor performing the fire-protection work, the head of the organisation shall ensure that the timber undergoes repeat treatment.
207. Where cables and ventilation pipes are laid on the same side of a mine working during driving by the combine method, the distance between them shall be not less than 0.5 m.
208. Filling of kerosene cutting torches at underground storage points for fuels and lubricants (hereinafter - FL) is permitted only in the presence of the person responsible for carrying out hot work. Not less than 2 powder fire extinguishers, a container with sand in a volume of 0.2 m3, and a shovel shall be located at the places where welding work is carried out.
209. When checking the condition of the shafts of salt mines, the following shall be carried out: recording of brine inflows and sampling - not less than once a month; visual inspection of the intervals of location of keilkranz rings, tubbing bolted joints and caulking joints - not less than once a quarter; inspection of the condition of the tubbing lining and the space behind the tubbing, carried out by a commission appointed by the technical manager of the mine - not less than once every two years. The results of the inspection shall be recorded in the log of the results of inspection of the condition of mine shafts.
210. The design documentation of mines shall contain a "Protective Measures" section, which shall provide for measures aimed at preventing the flooding of the mine and protecting facilities located on the earth's surface from the harmful effects of mining operations. The protective measures provided for by the design are refined annually by the mining operations development plans, taking into account the specific mining and geological conditions. The fire-fighting and sprinkler pipeline network may be kept unfilled with water (dry pipeline) where there is a risk of flooding of salt and potash mines and provided that additional fire safety measures are developed. The additional measures shall be approved by the head of the facility.
211. Opening-up and mining of the deposit shall be carried out in waterproofed sections, leaving protective waterproofing pillars and determining the locations for the construction of watertight stoppings in the event of emergency brine inflows. The division into waterproofed sections shall be determined by the design.
212. The locations for erecting permanent watertight stoppings shall be plotted on the mining operations development plans. In the event of a breakthrough of brines or fresh water into mine workings, permanent stoppings shall be erected under the protection of temporary stoppings to waterproof the emergency section, and all measures shall be taken to eliminate brine inflows and the ingress of water. Brine inflows in mine shafts shall be eliminated by grouting (cementation) of the space behind the tubbing and behind the lining, or by other methods under specially developed designs.
213. Logs recording brine inflows in underground mine workings shall be kept at mines, and analysis shall be carried out of the chemical composition of the brines, the nature of their occurrence and the degree of hazard. The log of cases of the occurrence of brines in workings at potash and salt mines shall provide for the following sections for completion: name of the organisation, mine, shaft; location of the occurrence of the brine; characteristics of the brine (chemical composition, temperature, specific gravity); results of observations (inflow in m3/h, salt saturation of the solution, head); measures taken; signature of the person who carried out the observations.
214. Emergency stores of materials and equipment shall be set up at mines for the prompt erection of waterproofing stoppings, in accordance with a list approved by the technical manager of the organisation. Waterproofing stoppings are constructed in accordance with standard structural schemes approved by the technical manager of the facility.
215. At mines, the following shall be left as measures for protection against flooding and for the protection of surface facilities from the harmful effects of mining operations: support pillars: inter-chamber pillars, inter-drift pillars and pillars at development workings; protective pillars: water-insulating pillars, inter-mine pillars, pillars along the workings of main directions where the mine field is worked in water-insulating sections (blocks), pillars left beneath anomalous zones (tectonic fractures, weakened zones) and near-borehole pillars.
216. All boreholes drilled within mine fields that intersect water-bearing horizons shall be plugged in accordance with the project documentation, and protective (near-borehole) pillars shall be left around them where required by the hydrogeological conditions of the deposit.
217. To reduce the subsidence of the layers of the water-protective strata at permanent and long-idle boundaries of stoping operations, buffer zones shall be created by altering the parameters of the mining system or by backfilling the mined-out spaces.
218. The final time limits for backfilling operations after completion of extraction are established by the project and apply while the project is being implemented. When filling the mined-out space with clay-salt slurry, the possibility of it flooding adjacent sections and workings in which mining operations are being carried out or planned shall be excluded. The storage of slurry in large-section chambers created in the underlying rock salt shall be carried out under a special project.
219. The condition of support pillars, crown pillars and worked-out chambers shall be inspected by a commission appointed by order of the technical manager of the facility, within the time limits established by that person, but not less than once a year.
220. The choice of measures for the protection of buildings, structures and natural features located on the surface shall be made on the basis of a determination of the possible deformations of the earth's surface, taking into account the mining measures for the protection of mines (shafts) against flooding.
221. Project documentation for the abandonment or mothballing of a mine shall be developed and approved in accordance with the established procedure not less than 5 years before the end of the operation of the mine.
222. The requirements are mandatory for organisations that carry out the construction and operation of brine-extraction wells created in mineral salt deposits, and that carry out research and design-and-engineering work.
223. The basis for the construction of a brine field or a brine-extraction well is an approved working project (the project).
224. A brine-extraction well (underground dissolution well) is a permanent mine working, the design and wellhead equipment of which shall ensure reliable isolation of the well bore from surface and underground waters, the tightness of the hydraulic system, and long-term operation for the period of complete extraction of the balance reserves. The delivery of the dissolving agent (solvent) and the withdrawal of the resulting product (brine) are carried out through the bore, containing one or several freely suspended process pipe strings, and the extraction of the mineral by dissolution is carried out in an underground chamber located in the commercial seam.
225. The brine-extraction well and the underground chamber formed shall ensure the preservation of stability and tightness throughout the entire period of operation of the brine field.
226. The technical solutions adopted in the projects shall ensure the reliable operation of the brine field, the protection of facilities located on the earth's surface within the zone of influence of mining operations, and shall exclude selective extraction.
227. The rocks underlying and overlying the salt-bearing strata shall protect the underground working against the ingress of supra-salt, sub-salt and lateral contact waters.
228. In the absence of aquicludes in the rocks overlying and underlying the working salt-bearing strata, underground workings shall be created on condition that protective pillars of salt or of competent host rock, of a thickness justified by calculations for each specific case, are left in the roof and floor of the working.
229. The location of sections of a brine field in zones of tectonic disturbances, karst development, mudflows, rockfalls and other processes capable of causing the destruction of surface and underground structures shall not be permitted.
230. Organisations carrying out the construction of brine fields shall carry out the reclamation of disturbed land plots.
231. Drilling in supra-salt rocks and through the productive salt strata shall be carried out by the rotary method with core sampling. The core recovery rate for drilling through the salt strata shall be not less than 80 per cent. The number and location of wells drilled with core sampling are determined by the project.
232. In the course of drilling the well to the depth of setting the shoe of the main casing string and on completion of drilling the well to the design depth, geophysical surveys shall be carried out: bore inclinometry, caliper logging of the uncased interval, determination of the well bottom-hole depth, thermometry, electric logging, gamma-ray logging, neutron gamma-ray logging and acoustic logging.
233. The permissible deviation of the bore of an underground dissolution well shall not exceed 5 degrees within the average deviation cone, the generatrix of which forms an angle of 1 degree with the vertical passing through the wellhead. When drilling directional-horizontal wells, the deviation of the well bottom hole from the base of the productive salt seam shall be not more than 1 m.
234. The deviation of the well bore shall be measured with an inclinometer at every 25 m of well drilling; the distance between measurement points shall be not more than 5 m.
235. The choice of well design, the depth of running the pipe strings and the drilling technology shall be determined by the project.
236. The well tightness test shall be carried out by a commission that shall include representatives of the brine field and of the drilling organisation. The test results shall be recorded in a certificate. The tightness of all casing strings shall be tested before drilling out the cement plug in the lower part of the strings, and also after drilling it out and deepening 2 to 2.5 m below the casing shoe. The strings and the cement sheath in the annular space are tight if, within 30 minutes, the pressure drops by not more than 0.5 MPa at a test pressure above 7 MPa, and by not more than 0.3 MPa within 30 minutes at a test pressure below 7 MPa. Observation of the pressure change shall begin 5 minutes after the required pressure has been created. The tightness test of wells may be carried out using packers or packer devices.
237. During the construction of wells, certificates shall be drawn up for: hydraulic tests of casing and process pipe strings run into the well; the running and cementing of casing strings; laboratory tests of the physico-mechanical properties of the cement used for plugging the well; control measurements of the drilling tool; and tightness tests of the casing strings and their plugging.
238. A record card shall be kept for each brine-extraction well, reflecting the principal geological, technical and process data on the well from the start of its construction to its complete abandonment.
239. The process development scheme and its parameters shall be based on the results of mathematical modelling of the process of underground dissolution of the chamber (group of chambers in the case of a continuous mining system) for the specific mining and geological conditions of the salt deposit being worked.
240. Buildings, structures and process equipment of the surface complex of a brine field shall be designed in accordance with the requirements of the regulatory documents for the design of the corresponding buildings and structures.
241. For brine pipelines in which, owing to the conditions of their laying, ice formation and salt crystallisation are possible, one of the following solutions shall be provided: draining the brine from the pipeline when its pumping is stopped; heating the brine and thermally insulating the pipeline; or forced continuous circulation of the brine through the pipeline.
242. For brine pipelines with a design internal pressure exceeding 1.5 MPa, and also for crossings under railways and roads, across water barriers and ravines, on pipe-rack supports and in tunnels, steel pipes shall be used.
243. Shut-off and control valves installed on pipelines shall be made of steel and shall comply with the first class of seat tightness.
244. Explosion-hazardous and fire-hazardous premises and structures of a brine field shall have working and emergency lighting, and the wellhead platforms of process wells shall have working lighting with explosion-proof luminaires.
245. The project of a brine field shall provide for the following types of communication: administrative telephone communication carried out through the enterprise's automatic telephone exchange; loudspeaker production communication from the brine field control room; fire and security alarm systems; and television and radio communication.
246. Directional wells shall be insulated against the ingress of surface and underground waters and against leaks of solvent (non-solvent) and brine from them.
247. The conductor pipe, surface casing and casing string are cemented along their entire depth.
248. For process maintenance and the performance of repair work during the operational period, the project shall provide for wellsite structures (permanent operational derricks, a control point, a drain sump, a pipe-laying platform, hoist platforms).
249. The design of deposit preparation for operation using the hydraulic fracturing method shall be carried out on the basis of preliminary pilot-industrial work performed at the deposit, or using data on the hydraulic fracturing of salt seams under similar mining and geological conditions.
250. The height of the preparatory working is determined based on the content of insoluble inclusions, the thickness of the productive strata, the depth of the well and the conditions necessary for putting it into operation.
251. The duration of the preparatory leaching shall be determined based on the parameters of the preparatory working (radius and height of the stage) and the average values of the radial rate of salt dissolution, determined by the chemical composition of the salt and the temperature at the working depth. The average radial rate of dissolution of mineral salts at a temperature of 293 K (20°C) is, in m/day: for halite 0.12-0.15; sylvinite 0.15-0.29; bischofite 0.67; carnallite 0.5.
252. The preparatory leaching of wells shall be carried out with fresh water. In the absence of a brine storage facility, where the brine obtained during leaching is sent for processing, leaching of wells with weakly saturated brines is permitted, as well as the use of various methods for intensifying leaching (jet nozzles, hydraulic fracturing, magnetisation of the solvent).
253. The discharge of off-grade brine into worked-out mine workings shall be carried out subject to the following conditions: the volume of the worked-out mine working is equal to or exceeds the design volume of the off-grade brine subject to disposal; the discharge of brine into the worked-out mine working will not entail contamination of water-bearing horizons; there is no threat of an inrush of brine into adjacent operating mine workings; and the actions and special work necessary for the disposal of off-grade brines in worked-out mine workings are determined by the project.
254. The volume of the settling tank, depending on the delivery rate of off-grade brine, shall ensure six-hour settling of the brine and the accumulation of the insoluble suspended matter that has precipitated.
255. The design of the injection well shall ensure: reliable isolation of the absorbing horizon from the overlying water-bearing horizons; optimum penetration of the absorbing horizon; the possibility of measuring the wellhead pressure and the flow rate of the brine injected into the well; and the possibility of carrying out work to restore the injectivity of the injection well.
256. Settling ponds with anti-seepage liners shall be provided at injection wells for the collection of off-grade brine extracted to the surface during the restoration of injectivity in the course of injection.
257. The operation of brine-extraction wells shall be carried out on the basis of a project that determines the mining method appropriate to the mining and geological conditions of the natural salt deposit, and the measures for the protection of undermined facilities.
258. The diameter of the chamber shall be determined by calculation based on the average radial rate of salt dissolution for the given deposit and shall be monitored by sonar surveys.
259. During the operational period, fresh water, off-grade brine, steam condensate, mother liquor and other industrial effluents, the chemical composition suitability of which is determined by the project, shall be used as the solvent.
260. The extraction of unrecovered reserves in an underground dissolution chamber, identified during sonar surveys, shall be carried out under a separate project.
261. The mothballing and abandonment of wells, as well as of the entire brine field, shall be carried out under a project.
262. Complete or partial blockage of the working pipe strings by insoluble deposits or salt crystallisation shall be detected by a change in the pressure ratio at the wellhead and shall be monitored once per shift.
263. A break in the brine-intake string shall be detected by a decrease in the concentration of the outgoing brine and by a change in the pressure ratio at the wellhead of the water-supply and brine-intake strings. Monitoring is carried out not less than once per shift.
264. Monitoring of the tightness of wells shall be carried out every shift.
265. Monitoring of the level of the non-solvent shall be carried out not less than once a week.
266. The quantity of liquid non-solvent for leaching the preparatory working or the next stage is determined by the project depending on the diameter of the chamber roof and taking into account the variability of the thickness of its layer along the radius, decreasing from the well axis towards the periphery of the chamber.
267. Monitoring of the position of the "non-solvent - brine" level in the dissolution chamber shall be carried out using the sub-shoe method and the pressure-gauge method, electronic level sensors, pulsed neutron-neutron logging and temperature logging.
268. The frequency of measurements of the position of the "non-solvent - brine" level is determined by the selected method of deposit mining and may vary: where the stage or battery dissolution method is used, by instrumental methods (electrical-contact or pressure-gauge) - daily; sub-shoe monitoring is carried out once every 3 to 5 days, and geophysical methods (pulsed neutron-neutron, temperature logging) - once a month; where the "deep water supply" method is used, the level of the non-solvent is measured once in a period of one to three months.
269. All operations for measuring the level of the non-solvent in chambers and the actions for injecting and extracting the non-solvent are recorded in working logs.
270. A sonar survey of the shape of the underground chamber is carried out after complete mining of each stage, but not less than once a year. In the event of a violation of the design operating regime of the well, unscheduled sonar surveys shall be carried out.
271. Sonar measurements of the shape of the chamber are carried out by surveying horizontal or inclined cross-sections of the chamber over its entire height. The cross-sections shall be referenced by azimuth and depth. The measurement results shall be presented in the form of horizontal and vertical profiles. Twin chambers shall be presented on combined profiles.
272. The brine-extraction organisation shall prepare the well for the sonar survey, including the following actions: withdrawal of the brine-lift string from the well; raising the water-supply pipe string by two to three pipes; running a gauge (templating); and holding the well for one week to equalise the concentration profile over the height of the chamber.
273. The extraction of unrecovered reserves in an underground dissolution chamber, identified during sonar surveys, shall be carried out under a separate project.
274. Tight worked-out underground dissolution chambers shall be used as underground gas and oil storage facilities or as containers for the utilisation, backfilling or disposal of industrial waste. The justification for their secondary use is determined by the project.
275. Instrumental observations of surface subsidence are mandatory at all brine fields. The establishment of observation stations, the frequency and methods of instrumental measurements are determined by the project for the performance of mine surveying work, approved by the state mining supervision authority. The results of instrumental observations shall be used in establishing, selecting and refining measures for the protection of buildings, structures and natural features against the harmful effects of dissolution chambers, and for forecasting subsidence and deformations.
276. Brine-extraction organisations shall compile, systematise and update data on the mining and geological, geomechanical and mining-technical conditions of deposit development, the condition of undermined artificial (surface, underground) and natural features, agricultural land, and surface and underground waters. The data shall include information on undermined natural, artificial surface and underground features, and on the area where mining operations are conducted.
277. Information on undermined artificial surface and underground features shall contain: a technical description of the features; mining plans; topographic referencing; permissible and limiting deformations under the operational safety conditions of features not connected with brine extraction; the technical condition of the features; and environmental passports of the features.
278. Information on the area where mining operations are conducted shall contain: geological and hydrogeological data on all wells existing in the area; a topographic surface plan showing the boundaries of the mining allotment and the land allotment; a plan of the mine-surveying and hydrogeological observation stations (a regular-monitoring hydrogeological station is established under a special project); exploration, mapping and water-intake wells existing in the area shall be preserved for possible use as observation wells; data on the results of observations at the stations (mine-surveying and hydrogeological monitoring); a plan of subsidence isolines for the entire observation period; and certificates recording changes in the situation within the territory of the mining allotment (relocation of routes, power lines, roads, construction of new structures, pipeline ruptures, the formation of cracks and sinkholes, waterlogging, salinization, contamination with petroleum products).
279. Information on brine-extraction wells shall contain: well numbers, the topographic referencing of the wells, certificates giving a brief account of the history of drilling, inclinometry, preventive and major repairs carried out, the design and as-built construction of the wells, data from sonar surveys of underground workings; copies of the principal mining and geological documentation (geological, structural-tectonic and lithological-stratigraphic structure, hydrogeological conditions of the site); standard logging diagrams, findings on the procedure and quality of cementing; certificates of pressure testing of the strings and cement bridges, signed by the persons performing the work; data on the physico-mechanical and physico-chemical properties of the rocks and the kinetics of dissolution; data on the preparatory and operational leaching of wells (consumption of working agents, position of the working strings, monitoring of the non-solvent level, emergency situations at the wells, tightness of the well-chamber); and working logs for the entire period of operation of the wells.
280. The mining of the mine field, as well as of panels, blocks and sections, shall be carried out from the boundaries of the mine field in retreat order, unless a different order is established by the project documentation.
281. The mining of permafrost placers by longwalls shall be prohibited where the temperature of the sands and roof rocks (at a depth of 0.5 m from the exposure plane) is minus 1°C or higher. In such cases, the development workings shall be supported with continuous support without the support lagging behind the face.
282. The temperature of the air supplied to the mine shall be determined by the project documentation and shall ensure protection of the rocks against thawing.
283. During the construction and operation of the mine, the organisation of geophysical investigation of the deposit shall be ensured for the purpose of identifying talik zones and conducting hydrogeological monitoring, and measures shall be developed for the protection of the mine against flooding and outbursts of rock mass.
284. The height of the stoping space shall be not more than 3 m. Where the height is greater, scaling and support of the roof shall be carried out using mechanised means. The lag of floor cleaning (certification) behind the longwall face shall not exceed 12 m.
285. If loose slabs or signs of spontaneous caving of rock appear at the face, work shall be stopped and personnel withdrawn, except for work to eliminate the hazardous caving.
286. In the event of caving of the longwall, work may be resumed only after driving a new cross-cut.
287. The project for mining dimension-stone deposits, and the support and roof-control record, shall be developed on the basis of geological-geophysical data, the physico-mechanical properties of the rocks and drilling results, indicating the safe thickness of the crown pillar. A stepped increase in the thickness of the crown pillar shall be prohibited.
288. During layer-by-layer extraction, support props shall be installed on a cleared inter-layer berm (at a distance of not less than 2 m from the upper edge of the underlying layer). Undercutting or cutting of inter-layer berms by stone-cutting machines shall be prohibited.
289. Process charts, approved by the technical manager of the organisation, shall be drawn up for all operations: sawing out, laying out, forming blocks, moving stone-cutting machines and vehicles, work in opposing workings, and the assembly and disassembly of the stone-cutting machine.
290. It shall be prohibited: to move vehicles into the face without the permission of the team leader (the operator of the stone-cutting machine); to break off incompletely sawn stone in the upper part of the face by hand; to move the machine towards or away from the face; and to remove or install cutting heads without de-energising.
291. Projects for the mining of deposits (sections) by the underground leaching method shall provide for actions to prevent working and pit solutions from entering transport workings and workings used for the movement of personnel. When monitoring possible spreading of solutions beyond the boundaries of their collection zone, the drilling of a system of observation wells shall be provided. Work involving the use of reagents shall be carried out using personal protective equipment.
292. When preparing the stoping zone for leaching, control of its actual contour shall be carried out. During the preparation of a block for leaching, the mine-surveying service of the mine shall carry out observations of rock subsidence and deformation.
293. Before the start of leaching operations in a block, all previously drilled wells, except observation wells, shall be plugged, development and cut workings shall be driven, and the construction of the drainage level for collecting the pit solutions shall be completed. Before feeding the working solutions into the block, the filtration characteristics of the rock mass and the possibility of solution leakage shall be checked by passing water through it.
294. The drainage level and the irrigation levels shall have not less than two exits, one of which shall provide for the exit of personnel to the level above.
295. Ventilation of the workings of the irrigation and drainage levels shall be carried out under a forcing scheme with separate discharge of the return air currents directly to the surface. When reversing the overall mine ventilation, the reversal of air currents in the leaching section shall be prohibited.
296. Pipelines for feeding and pumping out acidic solutions shall be made of acid-resistant materials (special grades of steel, polyethylene).
297. When operating polyethylene pipelines, the project shall provide for safety measures, fire-safety measures and protection against the effects of static electricity. The laying of pipelines along mine workings shall be carried out at a distance of not less than 0.5 m from power cables. The use of polyethylene pipelines in mines hazardous by gas or dust, or by spontaneous combustion of ores or host rocks, shall be prohibited.
298. Vessels and tanks shall be filled with reagents, acidic and pit solutions to not less than 0.15 m below the upper edge, and shall be equipped with automatic filling-level control and light signalling. The hatches of vessels and tanks containing solutions, having dimensions of more than 0.2 m, shall be closed. They shall be opened only after they have been completely emptied of solutions.
299. Where the distance to the workplaces exceeds 1 km, specially equipped vehicles shall be used for the transport of personnel.
300. The technical manager of the mine shall annually approve the layouts of haulage tracks and the movement of self-propelled (trackless) equipment for each level, indicating: the procedure for manoeuvring in the shaft-bottom yard and at loading points, the permissible speeds of transport movement, the sizes of trains, the location of signalling devices and signs and their meaning. All mine personnel shall be made familiar with the layouts and the organisation of work.
301. Standard signal signs shall be installed along the haulage working, indicating the name of the working, chainage station numbers, track crossings, approach to loading and exchange points, places for boarding personnel, the need for and extent of speed restriction, the start of braking, and the fencing-off of the area where repair work is being carried out.
302. In workings along which self-propelled machines travel, standard road signs governing movement shall be installed. The layout of sign locations shall be approved by the technical manager of the mine. A clear passage for personnel and the carriageway in haulage workings shall be marked with indicators. The layout of the signs and indicators is approved by the technical manager of the mine.
303. When transporting personnel in special passenger mine cars, the speed of the trains shall not exceed 20 km/h. At passing points, the speed shall be not more than 10 km/h.
304. The transport of personnel shall be carried out only on machines and factory-made trailers to them specially provided for this purpose. Trailers shall be equipped with braking devices and rear light signalling.
305. When transporting materials and equipment, accompanying workers may be located on the vehicle if special places are provided for them.
306. When personnel are boarding or alighting, the operator of a self-propelled vehicle intended for the transport of personnel shall remain in the cab of the machine.
307. Machines shall move through workings at a speed ensuring the safety of personnel and equipment, but not more than 20 km/h. When machines pass each other in a working, their speeds shall be not more than 10 km/h.
308. On straight sections of a horizontal working exceeding 500 m in length, with the permission of the technical manager of the mine, the speed of loaded and empty machines for the transport of personnel may be increased to 40 km/h.
309. A clear passage for personnel and the carriageway in haulage workings shall be delimited by indicators. In stoping workings, places for the passage of personnel shall be marked. In workings where the speed of machines exceeds 20 km/h, and in inclined transport workings, where walkways are provided, the mandatory installation of guard rails and the raising of walkways shall be provided to prevent machines from running into them.
310. The places where personnel board and alight from vehicles shall be illuminated.
311. Tools and spare parts, which shall be secured and shall not protrude beyond the dimensions of the vehicles, may be carried in vehicles intended for the transport of personnel. The delivery of explosive, readily flammable and poisonous materials in vehicles intended for the transport of personnel shall be prohibited, as shall the attachment of freight mine cars to the trains.
312. An inspection of vehicles shall be carried out every shift, before the transport of personnel, by a person of technical supervision or a specially appointed worker. The results of the inspection shall be entered in an onboard log, the form and procedure for completing which shall be established by the technical manager of the organisation, and, for self-propelled transport with internal combustion engines, in a waybill.
313. Workings in which conveyor belts are used shall be supported with non-combustible materials. The use of general industrial-purpose conveyor belts underground shall be prohibited.
314. Conveyor lines equipped with fire-retardant and flame-retardant belts shall be provided with automatic fire-extinguishing and alarm equipment at the drive stations, with information relayed to the dispatcher. Trunk and district conveyors equipped with a flame-retardant belt shall be equipped with automatic fire-extinguishing systems and automatic fire alarm systems along the entire length of the conveyor, with a relay to the mine dispatcher. At the drive stations, tail stations and distribution devices, and at every 100 m along the length of the conveyor, two hand-held fire extinguishers and a box with sand or inert material of a capacity of not less than 0.2 m3 shall be installed. Crossover bridges shall be installed for crossing the conveyor at points where workings intersect, at loading and unloading devices, and also at not more than every 100 m along the length of the conveyor.
315. Inspection of the conveyor and checking of its operation shall be carried out not less than once per shift.
316. When operating conveyors and conveyor lines with centralised control, the requirements of the Rules shall be ensured. Conveyor lines with centralised control shall be serviced by specially trained personnel.
317. The transport of personnel on specially designed conveyors is permitted, subject to compliance with additional safety requirements approved by the technical manager of the organisation.
318. In mines where locomotive haulage is carried out, locomotive and wagon depots shall be equipped at each operating haulage level. The release of locomotives into service and inspections related to locomotive operation are carried out in accordance with the procedure established by process regulations and the production control system, with the results recorded in special logbooks.
319. Only persons who have obtained the relevant qualification and hold a certificate entitling them to operate a locomotive shall be admitted to locomotive operation. The commencement of train movement shall be preceded by a warning signal.
320. A technical inspection of locomotives shall be carried out annually by a commission appointed by order of the mine (organisation). The results of the inspection shall be recorded in a report approved by the technical director of the mine (organisation).
321. The braking distance of a train on the prevailing gradient shall not exceed 40 m when transporting cargo, and 20 m when transporting persons.
322. A moving train shall carry light signals at the front and rear: headlights on the locomotive and a lamp with a red light on the last mine car. When a locomotive moves without mine cars, a lamp with a red light shall be fitted on the rear of the locomotive in the direction of its movement.
323. The condition of the track, rail wear and the contact wire shall be inspected not less than once a year by a commission appointed by the technical director of the facility. The operation of rail tracks shall be prohibited where: the vertical wear of the rail head exceeds 12 mm for P-24 rails, 16 mm for P-33 rails, 20 mm for P-38 rails, 23 mm for P-43 rails and 27 mm for P-50 rails; the wheel flange touches the bolt heads; there are transverse or longitudinal cracks in the rails, spalling of the rail heads, chipping of part of the rail base and other defects capable of causing rolling stock to derail; the rails deviate from the track axis at joints (kink) by more than 50 mm over a length of not more than 8 m.
324. Levelling of haulage tracks and verification of clearances for compliance with the requirements of these Rules shall be carried out annually in operating workings. The results of the checks shall be entered in the mine surveyor's instructions log. Where there is no ground movement process in the workings, the intervals for levelling haulage tracks and checking clearances are established by the technical director of the mine.
325. In pit-bottom yards, main haulage workings, inclined shafts and inclines where mine cars of up to 2.2 m3 capacity and electric locomotives with an adhesion weight of up to 7 t are operated, P-24 type rails shall be used. Where the capacity of the mine cars is greater, P-33 type rails or heavier shall be used. P-18 type rails may be used on intermediate and ventilation drifts where mine cars of up to 1 m3 capacity and electric locomotives with an adhesion weight of up to 4 t are operated.
326. In locomotive haulage, mine rail tracks (except workings with heaving floors and a service life of less than 2 years) shall be laid on crushed-stone or gravel ballast made of competent rock. The thickness of the ballast layer under the sleepers shall be not less than 90 mm. The use of other materials as ballast and ballastless laying of the rail track on a concrete bed or other solid base shall be carried out under a special design. Deviations from the standard track gauge, both on straight sections and on curves, shall not exceed 4 mm for widening and 2 mm for narrowing.
327. Horizontal workings along which haulage is carried out by locomotives shall have a gradient towards the pit-bottom yard or adit portal of not more than 0.005 degrees over their entire length.
328. Mechanical and manual drives of haulage track switches shall be fitted with switch direction indicators, illuminated or made of retroreflective materials, and shall be installed in recesses on the side of the clear passage for persons so that the distance from the drive to the edge of the rolling stock is not less than 0.7 m. The operation of defective switches shall be prohibited.
329. In manual haulage of a mine car, a switched-on lamp shall be hung on its front outer wall. Where gradients exceed 0.01 degrees, manual haulage shall be prohibited.
330. Buffer barriers shall be provided at the lower receiving platforms of inclines, or bypass workings shall be driven. At intersections of intermediate drifts with inclines, barriers shall be provided on the drifts.
331. For rerailing derailed mine cars or locomotives, where the haulage level has no mobile special equipment or lifting cranes, each locomotive shall carry jacks and rerailing devices. The rerailing of derailed locomotives and mine cars may be carried out only by workers who have been instructed, under the direct supervision of a person exercising technical supervision. The rerailing of derailed locomotives and mine cars shall be carried out in accordance with the procedure developed by the organisation. The procedure for rerailing derailed locomotives and mine cars shall be approved by the technical director of the facility and shall set out the sequence of work and the measures for its safe conduct.
332. Mine cars, platforms and flat cars not fitted with automatic couplers shall have buffers on both sides projecting a length of not less than 0.15 m. This requirement also applies to other types of rail-mounted process transport.
333. Direct current at a voltage not exceeding 600 V shall be used for contact haulage. The direct current contact network in underground workings shall have positive polarity, and the rail tracks negative polarity.
334. The cross-section of the copper contact wire shall be not less than 65 mm2. The operation of a contact wire shall be prohibited where wear has exceeded 30 per cent for a wire of 100 mm2 cross-section, and where wear exceeds 20 per cent for wires of 65 and 85 mm2 cross-section.
335. In contact haulage, electrical connectors shall be installed at rail track joints and at switch and crossing elements to reduce resistance. All rail track strings of a haulage working shall have a reliable electrical connection between them, not less frequently than every 50 m, by a conductor whose resistance is equivalent to that of a copper wire of not less than 50 mm2 cross-section.
336. All rail tracks not intended for contact haulage shall, at points of contact with current-carrying rails, be electrically insulated from the latter at two points spaced apart at a distance equal to the maximum possible length of the train.
337. The suspension height of the contact wire shall be not less than 1.8 m above the rail head. At boarding and loading/unloading platforms, and at points where workings used for the movement of persons intersect with workings in which a contact wire is present, the suspension height shall be not less than 2 m above the rail head. The distance from the contact wire to the bulk material in a mine car shall be not less than 0.2 m. In the pit-bottom yard, the contact wire shall be suspended at a height of not less than 2.2 m over the section used for the movement of persons up to the boarding point for mine cars, and not less than 2 m above the rail head level in the other workings of the pit-bottom yard. During the lowering and raising of persons, the contact wire shall be disconnected over the section from the shaft to the boarding point located in the pit-bottom yard.
338. On the industrial site of a mine or adit, the suspension height of the contact wire shall be not less than 2.2 m above the rail head level, provided that the haulage tracks do not cross vehicular or pedestrian roads. At points where roads are crossed, the suspension height shall comply with the rules for the design of surface electrified railways.
339. The contact wire in underground workings shall be suspended elastically (on guys). The distance between the suspension points of the contact wire shall not exceed 5 m on straight sections and 3 m on curved sections of track.
340. At points where the suspension height of the contact wire must be maintained (intersections with inclines, crossings through ventilation doors), it shall be rigidly suspended. Rigid suspension of the contact wire in workings of large cross-section shall be carried out under a special design.
341. The guys of the contact wire shall be insulated from the trolley wire hanger on both sides. The distance from the trolley wire hanger to each of the insulators shall be not more than 0.3 m.
342. The contact network shall be sectioned by switches, the distance between which shall not exceed 500 m. Sectioning switches shall also be installed at all branches of the contact wire, except at passing bays in heading faces. In contact networks of double-track and multi-track sections, the contact wires shall be connected in parallel by means of switches. Where the contact network is fed from several substations, the networks shall be insulated from one another.
343. Contact electric locomotives shall have devices to reduce sparking at the current collector, and in the contact networks of electric locomotive haulage, guarding of the contact wire shall in addition be applied at points that are particularly hazardous in terms of the risk of electric shock.
344. Where two or more locomotives operate simultaneously at a level, two-colour light signalling shall be provided. In trunk workings with intensive electric locomotive haulage at operating levels, a "signalling, centralisation and interlocking" system shall be provided.
345. In workings where a contact wire is suspended, illuminated signs or information signs reading "Beware of the contact wire", made with retroreflective paint, shall be installed every 200 m and at their intersections with other workings and at curves. Such signs shall also be posted in the vicinity of fire-fighting stores, tool rooms, electric substations and other machine chambers. Information signs reading "Beware of the locomotive", made with retroreflective paint, shall be installed at curves in the workings. In haulage workings with automatic ventilation doors, a proceed signal for the locomotive driver, activated when the doors are fully open, shall be installed at a distance equal to the braking distance from the doors.
346. At places where materials are loaded and unloaded from mine cars and platforms, the contact wire shall, for the period of unloading (loading), be disconnected or guarded in such a way as to preclude any possibility of persons touching it during loading (unloading) and when climbing onto the loading platform.
347. Where mechanically driven tipplers are operated, the contact network shall be interlocked with the tippler motor so as to preclude the tipping of a mine car while voltage is present in the contact network. The contact network shall be disconnected each time the tippler rotates, over a length equal to the maximum length of the train.
348. The repair of battery electric locomotives involving the opening of electrical equipment is carried out in the electric locomotive depot.
349. Charging chambers shall be equipped with devices providing for the mechanised removal and installation of the battery boxes of electric locomotives. Where more than two electric locomotives are present, the charging of storage batteries directly on the electric locomotive shall be prohibited. The charging of batteries shall be carried out in accordance with the operating manual for storage batteries. The use of open flame in charging chamber premises during the charging of storage batteries shall be prohibited.
350. During movement, the locomotive shall be at the head of the train. The locomotive may be at the rear of the train only when performing shunting operations. The combination of locomotive haulage with other types of haulage on the same track sections, as well as the combination of haulage by battery and contact electric locomotives, shall be prohibited. An electric locomotive is permitted to enter a trestle (dump) only at the rear of the train.
351. In workings with rope haulage, a signalling device for transmitting signals to the operator from any point of the working is mandatory. The maximum speed shall not exceed: 1.0 m/s for endless rope haulage and 1.5 m/s for tail rope haulage.
352. Rope haulage and electric locomotive haulage may be used at loading and unloading points with remote control of the winch or electric locomotive.
353. Workings in which winches, tensioning devices and other mechanisms are located shall have passages of not less than 1 m on one side for maintenance and repair, and not less than 0.6 m on the other side for installation work.
354. When repairing the contact network, the contact wire in the section where work is being carried out shall be disconnected and earthed.
355. The following shall be prohibited: commencing repair work before the places of work have been marked with illuminated signals and the contact wire has been disconnected and earthed; removing the signals marking places of track repair work before the work has been fully completed and the condition of the tracks has been checked; hauling uncoupled trains, coupling loaded platforms directly to the locomotive, and coupling mine cars loaded with timber materials or equipment projecting beyond the upper gauge of the body. When delivering long timber materials and equipment in trains, rigid couplings and mine cars or platforms specially intended for this purpose shall be used; manual coupling or uncoupling of mine cars while trains are moving; pushing trains with locomotives using means not intended for the rigid coupling of rolling stock; coupling or uncoupling mine cars at a distance closer than 5 m from tipplers, cages, ventilation doors or other obstacles; performing shunting operations of locomotives without the electric locomotive's current collector being in direct contact with the contact wire; using, in shunting operations, contact wire cable extensions connected directly to the electrical system of the electric locomotive. In exceptional (emergency) cases, the use of standard cable extensions is required, subject to compliance with the requirements for the safe conduct of work.
356. The procedure for the operation and maintenance of machines with internal combustion engines, including the arrangement of garages, fuel and lubricant stores, workshops (repair sites), parts washing points, machine refuelling points and their temporary standing areas, shall be determined by the design and the process regulations. The places for temporary standing of mining equipment are determined by an administrative document approved by the technical director of the facility.
357. Only persons holding the relevant certificate shall be admitted to the operation of vehicles at facilities where work is carried out underground.
358. The road surface in mine workings shall be even, ensuring the movement of machines without sharp jolts. Roads shall be constructed with a hard surface.
359. In workings along which self-propelled machines move, the following shall be prohibited: overtaking of self-propelled vehicles; moving in for loading while a loading machine or roadheader is performing manoeuvres; leaving a passing bay into a working where an oncoming vehicle is present in it; movement of vehicles along a passage intended for the movement of persons; parking of vehicles in places intended for the passage of persons.
360. In two-way traffic in a working, the headlight beam shall preclude dazzling the drivers of oncoming vehicles (by using dipped headlights and side lights).
361. The need for lighting in workings where self-propelled machines are operated is determined by the technical director of the mine.
362. At intersections and junctions of workings intended for the movement of self-propelled vehicles, signs made of retroreflective materials shall be installed, regulating the order of passage and indicating the permitted direction of travel after the intersection (junction). The signs shall be made and installed 10-15 m from the intersection (junction). At junctions with main permanent transport mine workings, traffic lights regulating the order of passage shall be installed where necessary. The locations for installing traffic lights and their number shall be approved by the technical director of the facility. Transport machines operated at mines extracting mineral resources shall be equipped with collision avoidance systems. The collision avoidance system shall provide for the timely warning of the driver of the presence of persons and vehicles within the radius of the machine's path of travel.
363. At regulated junctions, intersections, passing bays, as well as at points where persons may enter transport workings and at exits from garages, refuelling points or loading points, mandatory instruction signs reading "Sound signal" and "Slow speed", made of retroreflective materials, shall be installed.
364. At regulated intersections and junctions, a sign reading "No entry without stopping" shall be installed, regulating the order of passage of machines.
365. Machines operating in underground workings shall bear a fleet number and shall be assigned to specific persons by order of the technical director of the facility.
366. Cabs on machines shall be fitted with devices protecting the driver in the event of the machine overturning and protecting against falling pieces of rock from above and from the side (for drill booms), while at the same time providing adequate visibility.
367. Machines intended for the transport of cargo shall be loaded in such a way as to preclude pieces of rock or other transported materials falling out of the body.
368. The towing of defective machines in underground workings shall be carried out only by means of a rigid tow bar not exceeding 1 m in length. Self-propelled machines shall not be left without measures being taken against their spontaneous movement. Switching off the headlights shall be prohibited during any temporary stops of self-propelled machines en route.
369. Logbooks shall be kept for each machine: a unit (equipment) logbook and a shift handover logbook. The procedure for completing the logbooks and the place of their storage are established by the technical director of the facility.
370. The technical condition of machines with internal combustion engines is monitored during their period of operation. Before the start of work each shift, the driver, together with the person responsible for releasing the machine into service, shall check its technical condition and enter the result of the check in the shift handover logbook. Where a device ensuring the safety of work is defective, the machine shall not be operated. Not less than once a week, the section mechanic, or another sufficiently qualified person on the mechanic's instruction, checks the technical condition of each machine operating in the section. A machine that has not passed the technical condition check shall not be operated. The shift inspection of machines intended for the transport of persons shall be carried out by a specially appointed person exercising technical supervision. An entry shall be made in the logbook and in the waybill concerning the admission of the machine for the transport of persons. Machines with internal combustion engines operated underground shall be equipped with: lighting devices (headlights, including rear lights, a stop light and side lights); a speedometer; an audible signalling device; an hour meter or a distance counter in kilometres; electrical equipment of standard mine design, or, in mines and pits hazardous by gas and dust, of flameproof mine design.
371. Machines with internal combustion engines whose maximum travel speed, in accordance with the technical characteristics established by the manufacturer, is not more than 10 km/h need not be fitted with speed indicators. The engine compartment of self-propelled machines with internal combustion engines operated underground shall be fitted with an autonomous fire-extinguishing system. Machines with internal combustion engines operated at mines hazardous by gas and dust shall be equipped with methane monitoring apparatus which, in autonomous mode, cuts off the engine when it enters an explosive atmosphere, with audible and visual warning of the driver (operator). Where a machine has pneumatic equipment, an air pressure monitoring device shall be installed. In mines and pits hazardous by gas and dust, the use of engines fitted with ignition systems shall be prohibited.
372. The quantity of fresh air supplied to workings where machines with internal combustion engines operate shall ensure an oxygen content in the air of not less than 20 per cent (by volume). The concentration of harmful products, taking into account machine exhaust in the mine zone, shall not exceed the values specified in these Rules.
373. Internal combustion engines shall be fitted with exhaust gas neutralisers.
374. At mines not hazardous by gas and dust, machines with petrol engines may be used only in the fresh air current, without entering dead-end workings, and provided that the machines are refuelled on the surface. The use of leaded petrol shall be prohibited.
375. The content of carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides in the exhaust gases of machine engines is checked before lowering into the mine, and also during operation underground at the intervals specified in these Rules.
376. The electrical equipment of self-propelled vehicles and stationary installations fitted with internal combustion engines shall have protection against overload and short circuit. In mines and pits hazardous by gas and dust, flameproof electrical equipment shall be used. The insulation resistance of the electrical equipment shall be not less than 500 kOhm.
377. In mines and pits hazardous by gas and dust, the surface temperature of the most heated part of an internal combustion engine shall not exceed 150°C, and the temperature of the exhaust gases after cleaning and cooling at the point of discharge into the mine atmosphere shall be not more than 70°C. The temperature of the hydraulic transmission fluid shall not exceed 85°C, that of the cooling system water 95°C, and that of the engine oil 115°C.
378. The exhaust outlets of machines shall be positioned so as to preclude any possibility of exhaust gases entering the driver's cab. The direction and velocity of the exhaust gas jet shall not cause dust to be stirred up in the workings. The exhaust system of machines with a two-stroke internal combustion engine shall be fitted with flame-arresting devices. Four-stroke internal combustion engines shall be fitted with flame-arresting devices only on the exhaust system. Flame-arresting devices shall enable the machine to operate at full load for 8 hours without being replaced.
379. The operation of each machine shall be recorded in kilometres travelled or in engine hours. Engine repair shall be carried out at the intervals established by the manufacturer, depending on the distance travelled in kilometres or the operating time in engine hours.
380. During the period of operation, the composition of the undiluted exhaust gases of the engine, after gas cleaning, in idling mode, is checked for carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides not less than once a month. The operation of machines shall be prohibited in mine workings where the volume of air is insufficient to dilute the exhaust gases to the maximum permissible concentrations established in Table No. 2. An analysis of the composition of the exhaust gases shall be carried out before the machine is put into operation underground, after each engine repair or adjustment, after a prolonged break in operation (more than two weeks), and when refuelling with a new grade of fuel.
381. When machines with internal combustion engines are operating, the volume of air supplied to the workings shall ensure that harmful impurities in the return air current are reduced below the maximum permissible concentrations. The composition of the mine atmosphere at places where the machines operate shall be determined for carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides (at the driver's cab) not less than once a week, and, at mines hazardous by gas, in accordance with the special measures for conducting mining operations under a "gas regime".
382. Garages, underground fuel and lubricant stores (hereinafter "fuels and lubricants"), and places for testing and adjusting internal combustion engines shall have separate ventilation, discharging spent air into the return air current.
383. Garages shall have lighting installed in accordance with the design documentation.
384. Machines in a garage shall be positioned so that the distance between them and to the walls of the working is not less than 1 m, and a clear passage for persons is maintained. The said passages shall be kept clear.
385. The charging of storage batteries shall be carried out in a special chamber, taking into account the requirements of these Rules.
386. Containers intended for the storage and transport of fuel, fuels and lubricants, brake fluid and flammable liquids (hereinafter "flammable liquids") shall be metal and shall have metal threaded plugs or tight-fitting lids.
387. The covers of hatches for measuring the level of flammable liquids in tanks shall have gaskets guaranteeing that no sparking occurs when they are closed. The installation of gauge glasses and sampling cocks on the walls of tanks shall be prohibited. Full and empty containers that have held flammable liquids shall be kept closed at all times.
388. Tools and devices made of non-sparking material shall be available at the store for moving or opening containers with flammable liquids. During the transport, pumping and storage of flammable liquids, measures precluding the possibility of fire from static electricity shall be observed.
389. The quantity of fuel in the underground stores of a mine shall not exceed a one-week supply, and that of lubricants a two-week supply. During the construction of a mine (or the opening-out of a new level at an operating mine), before a fuels and lubricants store has been equipped, flammable liquids may be delivered to the workings (to the level) in a quantity not exceeding that required for a single refuelling of the machines in operation. In such cases, the flammable liquid shall be used for refuelling. The storage of petrol in underground stores shall be prohibited.
390. Containers used for the storage and transport of flammable liquids shall bear markings indicating the grade of the flammable liquid contained in them.
391. At the place where a flammable liquid has been spilled, and within 10 m of it, all work shall be stopped until the flammable liquid has been fully collected and removed.
392. It shall be prohibited to leave, in underground mine workings, except in specially designated places, containers for the storage and transport of flammable liquids (including empty ones), equipment filled with fuel, and wiping rags or other materials soaked with flammable liquids.
393. The lowering of flammable liquids into the mine and their transport to the store shall be carried out according to an approved schedule.
394. When transporting flammable liquids in underground mine workings by rail transport, a distance of not less than 3 m shall be maintained between the locomotive and the mine car carrying the flammable liquid.
395. Machines intended for the transport of flammable liquids shall be fitted with spark arresters and shall be equipped with primary fire-fighting equipment.
396. The transport of flammable liquids by non-rail transport shall be carried out in tanks installed on specially equipped machines (tank trucks) or in containers specially intended for this purpose, installed in the non-tipping bodies of machines.
397. When discharging flammable liquids and refuelling machines and mechanisms, the body of the tank shall be earthed. The exhaust gases of machines transporting flammable liquids shall be discharged in such a way as to preclude any possibility of fire from flame emerging from the exhaust pipe.
398. The supply of diesel fuel and lubricants from the surface to the fuels and lubricants store shall be carried out through pipelines laid in boreholes or underground workings, or in containers specialised for the transport of fuels and lubricants, in accordance with the design.
399. Smoking and the use of open flame shall be prohibited in places where flammable liquids are present and within 20 m of them. Posters reading "Smoking and the use of open flame are prohibited" shall be posted in the said places.
400. The distance from a fuels and lubricants store and a garage to the mine shaft, pit-bottom workings and other chambers (electric substations, explosives stores), as well as to ventilation doors whose destruction could reduce or stop the flow of fresh air into the mine, shall be not less than 100 m. Other diesel machine service points shall be located not less than 50 m from the said workings and installations.
401. Where a parts washing point using flammable liquid is located near a garage, the conditions of its separate ventilation shall be observed, together with a rock pillar or non-combustible support of not less than 1 m thickness between them, and independent exits located not less than 10 m apart from each other.
402. The support of the roof and walls of garages, fuels and lubricants stores and parts washing points, as well as the approaches to them over a length of 25 m, shall be constructed of non-combustible materials.
403. Machine service points shall be equipped with fire-fighting equipment, materials and inventory in the following quantities: five carbon dioxide (powder) fire extinguishers; 0.4 m3 of sand or inert material; two shovels; two buckets; a crowbar; a fire blanket measuring 2 x 2 m for isolating the seat of a fire; a fire-fighting water supply with installed fire hydrants fitted with fire hoses 20 m in length and fire nozzles. Primary fire-fighting equipment shall be located 10-15 m from the entrance to the point, on the fresh air side, in a special recess in accordance with the design. Automatic fire-extinguishing installations, as well as automatic fire alarm signalling with the transmission of a signal to the mine dispatcher and to other locations specified in the plan of measures for the localisation and elimination of the consequences of accidents, shall be installed in fuels and lubricants stores.
404. Fuels and lubricants stores, except for places of temporary storage of fuels and lubricants (not exceeding a one-day supply) at mines not hazardous by gas and dust, and garages shall have two exits into the adjacent workings. A fire-fighting zone with two metal doors shall be provided at each exit. The exits shall be located in the parts of the working furthest apart from each other.
405. At fuels and lubricants stores, except for places of temporary storage of fuels and lubricants (not exceeding a one-day supply) at mines not hazardous by gas and dust, and at parts washing points using flammable liquid, a recessed floor or a bund shall be provided, precluding the possibility of flammable liquid spreading beyond their limits.
406. Fuel and lubricants stores, except for places of temporary storage of fuel and lubricants (not exceeding a one-day supply) in mines not hazardous for gas and dust, and garages, shall be equipped with telephone communication. The telephone shall be installed outside the chamber housing the flammable liquid tanks, but not more than 20 metres from the store.
407. It shall be prohibited to store fuel and lubricants in garages, except for those held in the refuelling tanks (units) of machines.
408. In fuel and lubricants stores and places of temporary storage thereof in mines not hazardous for gas and dust, and within 5 metres thereof in the access workings, it shall be prohibited to place any electrical devices (cables, trolley wires), except for lighting and telephone lines, and the cable supplying electric power to the pump used for pumping flammable liquids.
409. Lighting of fuel and lubricants stores and the approaches thereto within 20 metres shall be of explosion-proof design. Switches and protective panels shall be located outside the chamber used for storing flammable liquids and not closer than 10 metres therefrom (in the intake air current entering the chamber).
410. Tanks, pipelines and equipment in chambers containing flammable liquids shall be earthed.
411. Blasting operations shall be prohibited at a distance of less than 30 metres from a fuel and lubricants store. At a distance of less than 100 metres, the maximum weight of charges detonated simultaneously shall not exceed 20 kg.
412. Refuelling of machines with flammable liquids (as well as the replacement of oil in machine units in the absence of a special oil-refuelling machine) shall be carried out in places specially designated for this purpose and only by the closed method, using refuelling columns and machines, pumps, hoses and closed refuelling vessels (canisters). Refuelling with flammable liquids directly from the fuel and lubricants store shall be carried out only through a refuelling column.
413. The adjustment of engines on machines in operation shall be carried out in workings specially designated for this purpose. Exhaust gases during adjustment shall be discharged directly into the return air current.
414. Devices for adjusting fuel equipment shall be fitted with seals ensuring that the adopted maximum cyclic fuel delivery and injection advance angle are maintained. The seal shall be affixed by the person admitting the machine to operation. On completion of scheduled repair and inspection of the engine, the seals and markings on the fuel equipment shall be restored. Where a violation of the seal or markings on the fuel equipment is detected, the engine shall be withdrawn from operation and sent for inspection of its adjustments.
415. For electric self-propelled cars intended for underground work, the manufacturer shall specify in the technical documentation: the rules for the technical operation of the machine, including the procedure and timing for preventive inspections and repairs depending on mileage and operating time; the rules for monitoring and adjusting the drive, ensuring the highest reliability and safety of operation; and the engine power. Not less than once a week, the technical condition of each car operating in the section shall be inspected by the section mechanic or, on his written instruction, by another authorised person. The results of the inspection shall be entered in a log.
416. Maintenance of the car's electrical equipment shall be carried out by persons holding an electrical safety qualification group not lower than III.
417. Work related to the technical inspection of the car, the elimination of faults and cleaning, as well as its preparation for operation, shall be carried out only with the electrical voltage disconnected.
418. Operation of the self-propelled car shall be carried out only in workings whose width exceeds the overall width dimension of the car by not less than 0.4 metres (0.2 metres on each side). Persons not involved in the operation of the car shall be prohibited from being present or moving in such workings. The vertical clearance between the roof of the working and the most protruding parts of the car (load) shall be not less than 0.3 metres.
419. The maximum speed of a loaded car in workings with a width of 3 to 3.8 metres shall be not more than 7 km/h, and of an empty car - 8 km/h. In workings with a width exceeding 3.8 metres, the speed of a loaded and an empty car shall not exceed that specified in the data sheet. The speed of cars is monitored by a speed selector. Where cars are not fitted with a speed selector, they shall be equipped with a speedometer. When passing through curved sections, the speed of the car shall not exceed 3 km/h.
420. Movement of persons in workings where a self-propelled car operates is permitted provided that clearances are maintained between the car's outline and the wall (support) of the working: not less than 1.2 metres on the side of the free passage for persons, and 0.5 metres on the side opposite the free passage. In this case, the part of the working intended for the passage of persons shall be clearly demarcated.
421. When a self-propelled car operates in a working with a width of less than 3.8 metres, the presence of persons within the car's travel route shall be prohibited. In this case, all possible passages and entries onto the car's travel route shall be equipped with an illuminated sign reading "No Entry" or an illuminated prohibition sign. The illuminated sign may be switched off only by the operator of the self-propelled car.
422. The entry (exit) of persons into workings with a width of less than 3.8 metres located within the travel route of the self-propelled car is permitted only from the end points of the route, provided that the self-propelled car is at that point, and only by agreement with the car's operator. In this case, the car shall be stopped, and movement shall resume only after a signal is received confirming the absence of persons on the car's travel route.
423. To notify the operator of the self-propelled car of the absence of persons on the travel route, the end points of the route shall be equipped with two-way light signalling. Entry into the working area of equipment operating in automatic mode or by remote control shall be prohibited.
424. Leaving self-propelled cars in workings on the free passage for persons shall be prohibited.
425. Signal buttons shall be located not more than 5 metres from the end points of the route.
426. When a self-propelled car operates in conjunction with mobile or stationary bunker-transloaders, the speed of the car when approaching the transloading points shall not exceed 5 km/h.
427. Mines shall appoint persons responsible for organising the hoisting and lowering of persons and loads, and for the condition and inspection of ropes, hoisting machines, attachment, safety and other devices.
428. Mechanical conveyance of persons shall be provided in inclined and vertical workings serving as exits to the surface, as well as between levels where the difference in elevation between the end points exceeds 40 metres.
429. Each train or car used for conveying persons shall be fitted with a light signal installed on the first car in the direction of travel of the train.
430. Before commissioning cars intended for conveying persons in inclined workings, tests of the safety catch devices shall be carried out by artificially breaking the head rope while the tub (or train) is moving down the incline at the maximum load and maximum speed adopted for conveying persons in the given working. Repeat tests shall be carried out not less than once every 6 months.
431. Before the start of each shift's conveyance of persons, cars used for lowering and hoisting persons in inclined workings shall be inspected by a special person appointed by the mine's technical manager, and the safety catch devices shall be tested by engaging the manual drive. The workings and tracks shall be inspected, and empty cars shall be run through the working once to ensure that there are no causes that could lead to cars derailing. The results of the inspection shall be recorded in a special book, the procedure for keeping which is approved by the technical manager of the organisation.
432. During the conveyance of persons, the conductor shall be located at the front of the first car in the direction of travel. The handle of the manual drive for the safety catch or braking devices shall be located at the same place. The type of rails and the method of laying the rail tracks in workings where persons are conveyed in special tubs shall correspond to the type of safety catch devices and the running gear of the tubs used. In cars intended for conveying persons in double-track workings, the openings on the side facing the space between the tracks shall be closed with a removable frame fitted with a wire mesh.
433. Cars of a train used for conveying persons shall be connected to one another by double couplings or by a single coupling and safety chains. The centre pin of the coupling, the hooks and the safety chains of cars and cages used for conveying persons shall have a 13-fold safety factor in relation to the maximum static load and shall be replaced with new ones not later than 5 years after being fitted.
434. Workings used for lowering and hoisting persons shall be equipped with emergency and operational signalling, with information displayed to the hoist operator. The emergency signalling shall be accessible to persons in the hoisting conveyance (cage, tub). The operational signalling shall indicate to the operator the level from which the signal was given. A board showing the signals shall be displayed at all points where signals are received and given. Telephone communication shall be established between the operator and the landing platforms.
435. Movement of persons in the hoisting compartment of inclined workings shall be prohibited. While the hoisting devices are operating in inclined workings, persons not involved in the work shall be prohibited from entering the platforms where tubs are coupled and uncoupled.
436. For haulage in inclined workings, devices shall be provided to prevent a car from rolling back downward in the event of the rope or coupling breaking. For end-rope haulage, removable catchers shall be used, fitted on the car nearest to the rope capping. A rake of cars shall be fitted with a catcher for movement both upward and downward. Catchers shall be designed for the load arising when a loaded car moves over the length of free rollback of the car. Attachment devices for haulage by end rope or endless rope shall bear markings indicating the permissible load, the manufacturer's serial number and the year of manufacture. Cappings and attachment devices used in end-rope haulage shall be tested by a specially appointed person of the technical supervision staff at each rope capping, by lowering and hoisting the maximum load, followed by a thorough inspection of the condition of the capping and the attachment device. The results of the inspection shall be recorded in the hoisting plant inspection log. The hoisting plant inspection log shall provide for the following sections to be completed: the name of the organisation, mine and hoist; the names of the items and the dates of their inspection (hoisting machines, sheaves, hoisting conveyances, keps, swinging platforms, guides, loading devices, discharge devices, stops, limit switches, and the signature of the person carrying out the inspection) and the dates of their inspection; a description of the fault in the mechanism or component; the actions for eliminating the defect or fault, the time limit for completion and the person to whom it is assigned; a note of completion, and the signatures of the person performing the work and the mine's chief mechanic.
437. When hauling by end ropes: retaining stops shall be installed at the upper landing platforms of inclined workings with horizontal approaches; safety barriers fitted with shock-absorbing devices with automatic or remote control shall be installed above the lower landing platforms, made in accordance with the current requirements of the regulatory documentation on the design and operation of shock-absorbing rope barriers for inclined workings. In workings with a service life of up to 1.5 years and an angle of inclination of up to 10 degrees, where the train consists of a small number of cars (1 to 2), rigid-type barriers shall be provided; below the upper landing platforms, and also in the approaches of intermediate workings, rigid-type barriers may be installed, the strength of which shall be determined by calculation. Control of such barriers shall be by remote control. In workings up to 30 metres in length intended for transporting auxiliary materials and equipment, the use of manually controlled barriers is permitted.
438. Inclined workings equipped only with belt conveyors may serve as travelling routes for persons, provided that there is a free passage not less than 0.7 metres wide on one side, and a clearance of not less than 0.4 metres from the protruding parts of the conveyor on the other side.
439. For freight haulage by end ropes, couplings and attachment devices that prevent spontaneous uncoupling shall be used for coupling cars to one another and for attaching them to the rope. For haulage by end ropes in workings with an angle of inclination exceeding 18, counter-chains shall be used. The coupling devices of tubs shall have a safety factor of not less than 6-fold, and the attachment devices used in end-rope haulage not less than 10-fold, in relation to the maximum static load for which they are used. When calculating the maximum static load, the resistance to movement of the cars shall be taken into account.
440. At the upper landing platforms of inclined workings, speed dampers shall be installed after the limit switch to provide protection against overwinding.
441. In cars and cages for conveying persons in inclined workings with a gradient exceeding 50 degrees, a manual drive device for the safety catches, and attendance by a special conductor, shall not be required.
442. Lowering and hoisting of persons in vertical workings shall be carried out in cages, and in kibbles during sinking. The conveyance of persons and loads by lift installations shall be carried out in compliance with the requirements for the safe operation of underground lift installations.
443. When driving inclined or vertical workings in which persons and loads are hoisted and lowered: before being fitted, and thereafter not less than once every six months, attachment devices shall be tested to twice the load; suspension devices shall be fitted with devices reliably closing the throat of the hook and preventing spontaneous uncoupling; attachment devices shall be replaced with new ones not less than once every 2 years.
444. Pneumatic loaders together with the ropes and winches attached thereto shall be inspected daily by a specially designated person. The suspension of the loader to the rope shall be of an articulated type. Not less than once a month, an inspection of the ropes shall be carried out at the sections adjoining the clips and thimbles. The results of the inspection shall be recorded in a book in the form approved by the technical manager of the organisation.
445. Cages used for lowering and hoisting persons shall have solid metal opening roofs, or roofs with an opening manhole, and a solid, strong floor. The floor shall have securely fastened removable sections or hinged trapdoors at the points necessary for inspecting the stop devices. The long sides (flanks) of cages shall be sheathed for their full height with perforated metal sheets. Handrails shall be installed inside the cage along the long sides. Doors preventing persons from falling out of the cage shall be fitted on the short (end) sides of the cage. The design of the doors shall not allow them to jump off their runners while the cages are moving. The doors shall open inward into the cage and shall be locked by a bolt located on the outside. Where the cage is attended by an escort (lift attendant), the door bolt may be arranged inside the cage. The height of the upper edge of the door above the level of the cage floor shall be not less than 1.2 metres, and of the lower edge not more than 0.15 metres. Stops shall be provided in the cage to ensure the reliable retention of tubs while the cage is moving in the shaft.
446. The distance in the top deck of the cage from the floor to the most protruding parts thereof under the cage roof shall be not less than 1.9 metres, excluding the main rod with spring. The rod with spring shall in all cases be guarded by a protective sleeve. The height of the other decks of the cage shall be not less than 1.8 metres. The number of persons present simultaneously in each deck of the cage shall be determined at the rate of 5 persons per 1 m2 of usable floor area, and in sinking kibbles at the rate of 4 persons per 1 m2 of the bottom area, and shall be indicated on notices displayed in the headgear building and in the pit bottom. The distance from the floor to the roof of an inclined cage fitted with seats shall be not less than 1.6 metres.
447. Cages for lowering and hoisting persons shall be fitted with devices (safety catches) intended for their smooth braking and stopping in the event of a hoisting rope breaking (except for multi-rope hoisting installations with 4 or more head ropes, and those installed in ventilation shafts used for their inspection and the emergency hoisting of persons to the surface, and also temporary hoisting conveyances used during sinking, deepening and major repair of workings). Deceleration during the braking of empty cages shall not exceed 50 m/s2, and during the braking of cages with the maximum number of persons shall be not less than 6 m/s2. Tests of safety catches shall be carried out by the hoist mechanic (electromechanic) not less than once every 6 months in accordance with the special instructions for the given type of safety catch. The service life of the cage shall be established by the manufacturer. Safety catch devices shall be replaced with new ones together with the replacement of the cage, except for safety catches with grips on braking ropes, which shall be replaced not less than once every 5 years from the date of fitting. Extension of the service life of cages and safety catches shall be carried out in accordance with the established procedure.
448. Counterweight hoists intended for hoisting and lowering persons and loads in inclined and vertical workings shall satisfy the following requirements: the hoisting rope of the counterweight shall be of the same diameter as the hoisting rope of the conveyance; counterweights shall move along guides specially installed for this purpose, and for man-riding and man-and-material hoists shall, in addition, be equipped with devices intended for catching the counterweights in the event of the ropes breaking (except for existing inclined hoisting installations without safety catches, and existing hoisting installations of vertical shafts with confined conditions in which it is not possible to place a platform 1.5 metres long and 0.4 metres wide on the counterweight, in which case the cage and counterweight compartments shall be separated from one another by a partition of rails or ropes). In inclined workings, counterweights shall be separated from the cage compartments by strong partitions. In the absence of a partition in existing hoisting installations of vertical shafts, the height of the counterweight frame shall exceed two guide-fitting pitches where the guides are arranged on one side, and the counterweight shall also be equipped with safety shoes not less than 0.4 metres long.
449. Single-cage hoists without a counterweight, forming part of man-and-material hoisting installations in inclined and vertical workings, shall be fitted with hoisting machines and winches with electric drives equipped with electric (dynamic, generator) and mechanical braking devices. The electrodynamic braking circuit shall provide feedback, except for hoisting installations with a travel speed not exceeding 1.5 m/s. In the event of a fault in the electrical circuit, mechanical braking shall be engaged.
450. The total clearance between the sliding guide shoes of the hoisting conveyance (counterweight) and the guides, when fitted, shall be, at the base mark: for rail guides - 10 mm; for timber guides - 20 mm; over the depth of the shaft: for rail guides - 10 mm (plus/minus 8 mm); for timber guides - 20 mm (plus/minus 10 mm). Where resilient working rolling guide devices are used on hoisting conveyances, safety shoes are required, mounted directly on the load-bearing structure of the hoisting conveyance and not structurally connected to the working guide devices. The total clearance between the contact surfaces of the safety sliding shoes and the guides, when fitted, shall be, at the base mark: for rail guides - 20 mm; for rectangular-section guides - 30 mm. Sliding shoes, or their replaceable liners, shall be replaced when wear of the contact surfaces exceeds 8 mm per side. The total wear of guides and shoes per side shall not exceed: for rail guides - 10 mm; for timber guides - 18 mm. In this case, a total wear of the side surfaces of the shoe and a two-sided rail guide of up to 20 mm is permitted. The throat depth of open-type working sliding guide shoes, when fitted, shall be: for rail guides - 60 mm; for timber guides - 80 mm. The throat depth of safety sliding shoes, when fitted, shall be: for guides made of rails - 65 mm; for rectangular-section guides - 110 mm. The internal diameter of new liners of working sliding guide devices for rope guides, when fitted, shall be 10 mm greater than the diameter of the guide rope. The groove depth of rollers, where guide roller supports are used, shall be not less than 1/3 of the diameter of the guide rope. For safety guide devices where rope guides are used, the difference in diameters between the new liner and the guide rope shall be 20 mm, and the permissible wear of liners and guides shall be 15 mm on diameter. The base mark is the section of guides from the point of discharge of the hoisting conveyance to the point of installation of the limit switch on the headgear, intended to engage the safety brake when the conveyance is hoisted 0.5 metres above the level of the upper landing platform (the normal position for discharge). At the base mark, the nominal gauge dimension of the guides shall be maintained. Guides shall be replaced when worn per side by: timber guides - more than 15 mm; rail guides P-38 - more than 8 mm, P-43 - more than 10 mm, P-50 - more than 12 mm; box-section guides - more than half the wall thickness. Wear of the flange connecting the head of rail guides to the base is permitted up to not more than 25% of its nominal thickness. Where cutting-type safety catches are used, timber guides in the shaft shall be replaced when their total wear exceeds 20 mm. A full instrumental check of guide wear shall be carried out at each tier of the shaft fittings by the mine's chief mechanic's service (department, directorate): for metal guides - every 1 year; for timber guides - every 6 months. During sinking hoisting, the clearance between the central guide ropes shall be not less than 0.3 metres. Where the shaft depth exceeds 400 metres, the installation of buffer ropes or other devices preventing the possibility of kibbles colliding is required. These devices are not required where the clearances between the central guide ropes equal 250 + H/3, mm, where H is the depth of the shaft. Operating clearances between the maximum protruding parts of hoisting conveyances, the support and the buntons in vertical shafts of stationary hoisting installations shall correspond to the values given in Table No. 3.
451. The deflection angle (deviation of the rope run) for vertical and newly installed inclined installations, at the guide sheaves and drums of single-rope hoisting machines, shall not exceed 1 degree 30 minutes; on bi-cylindrical-conical drums, an increase in the deflection angle to 2 degrees is permitted on the side of the small cylinder of the drum where it is made with a grooved surface; at the guide sheaves and drums of sinking hoisting winches, and also at the sheaves and drums of existing inclined installations with a working inclination angle of less than 30 degrees, the deflection angle shall not exceed 2 degrees 30 minutes. In newly installed installations, the plane of rotation of the guide sheave shall lie within the full deviation angle of the rope run. In newly installed single-rope hoisting installations with a friction sheave, the guide sheaves on the headgear shall be located in the same vertical plane as the friction sheaves. The angle of inclination of the rope run to the horizontal for hoisting installations of vertical shafts shall be not less than 30 degrees where its length exceeds 45 metres. In individual cases, where justified in the design, this angle may be reduced. The length of the rope run without supporting rollers shall, as a rule, be not more than 65 metres; where the angle of inclination of the run to the horizontal is more than 45 degrees, an increase in its length to 75 metres is permitted.
452. Tables indicating the permissible loading of cages shall be displayed at the landing platforms, and, for hoisting installations with friction sheaves, instructions on the simultaneous loading of both cages to prevent the risk of slippage shall also be displayed.
453. The lowering and hoisting of persons in skips shall be prohibited, except in cases of inspection and repair of the shaft, and also in emergency situations. The lowering and hoisting of persons in tippling cages is permitted where devices are provided that preclude the possibility of persons falling out of the cage into the bunker, and also of the cage tipping while moving in the shaft.
454. The lowering and hoisting of persons together with loads shall be prohibited, whether in one cage in a single-cage hoist or in different cages in a double-cage hoist. In shafts equipped with two or more hoisting installations intended for lowering and hoisting persons and loads, the operation of freight hoists during the hours of lowering and hoisting a shift shall be prohibited. The mine shall develop and have approved by the technical manager instructions for the lowering and hoisting of long and oversized loads, with specific indication of the sequence of process operations and safety measures.
455. Repair and inspection in the shaft shall be carried out while standing on the roof of an unloaded cage or skip. In doing so, persons shall be secured by safety belts attached to the rope or the attachment device, and protected from accidentally falling objects by permanently fixed canopies. In existing hoisting installations where the overwind height does not allow permanently fixed canopies to be installed, the use of removable canopies on hoisting conveyances is permitted. Attachment of safety harnesses to the shaft fittings and to hooks driven into the support shall be prohibited.
456. Shafts up to 300 metres deep shall be equipped with signalling accessible from the roof of the hoisting conveyance, enabling a signal to be given to the upper landing platform used during shaft inspections and surveys. Where the depth of shafts exceeds 300 metres, they shall be equipped with two-way communication and signalling between the hoist operator and persons in the cage or on its roof.
457. At intermediate levels intended for the loading and unloading of equipment and for persons boarding and alighting, swinging platforms shall be used. The use of keps at intermediate levels, where signalling to the operator of the position of the keps or interlocking devices regulating the interaction of the hoisting installation and the keps at existing hoists is provided, shall be carried out with the permission of the mine's technical manager. Where landing platforms are used at intermediate levels, including platforms at the zero level, the following requirements shall be observed: the hoisting installation shall be equipped with an interlock giving a "Stop" signal to the operator when the landing keps or swinging platforms are engaged at the intermediate level; the safety grille shall be closed, the hinged keps shall be open and, in that position (except where the cage is standing on the keps of the intermediate level), shall be locked, and the key shall be held by a responsible person appointed by order of the organisation; the colours of the light signals from the intermediate level on the control panel shall differ from the signals of the onsetter.
458. Responsibility for the sound condition and safe operation of lift installations at mines shall be assigned, by order of the organisation (structural subdivision), to an engineering and technical employee - a manager or specialist having the appropriate education and having undergone the appropriate industrial safety certification. The procedure and frequency for checking the equipment of hoisting installations, and for inspecting the support and fittings of the shaft, shall be established by the mine's technical manager. Hoisting conveyances, safety catches, stops, suspension devices, guide shoes, landing, loading and discharge devices, guide and deflection sheaves, their linings and bearings, the braking system and other elements of the hoisting machine, protection apparatus and the control system, shall be inspected and checked daily (taking into account the results of instrumental monitoring and observations) by the chief mechanic's service. Checks of the equipment of hoisting installations, inspections of the support and fittings of vertical shafts equipped with systems for the continuous monitoring of the hoisting installation's parameters and the smoothness of movement of skips and counterweights, shall be carried out not less than once a week. The results of continuous monitoring shall be analysed daily. Inspection of the condition of the support and fittings of shafts shall be carried out at a conveyance travel speed of up to 1 m/s. Sections of shafts under repair shall be inspected daily at a speed of 0.3 m/s.
459. Checks of the condition of headgear shall be carried out by a commission under the direction of the site's technical manager. Checks of permanent headgear shall be carried out once a year, and of sinking headgear twice a year, and shall be documented by a report. The inspection of the headgear shall be preceded by an instrumental check of the verticality of the headgear, the correctness of the installation of the guide sheaves in relation to the shaft axis and the hoisting axis, and also the verticality of the mean plane of their grooves and the horizontality of their axes of rotation. The check shall be carried out under the direction of the mine's chief surveyor. The results of the instrumental check shall be entered in a special book.
460. While the cage hoist is operating, onsetters shall be present at the receiving (loading) platform of the pithead building, and shaftsmen shall be present at the shaft stations of the working levels. Where people board and leave the cage on opposite sides, onsetters and shaftsmen shall have assistants positioned on the other side of the cage. The lowering (raising) of people may be permitted in the absence of shaftsmen and onsetters at the levels, subject to the following conditions: a lift attendant (shaftsman) is in the cage; the cage has a device for direct signalling to the onsetter and the hoist operator, as well as telephone communication; the loading platforms and levels have working signalling equipment, as well as direct telephone communication with the hoist operator. Servicing of the hoisting installation by repair personnel from the cage is carried out only where an onsetter and a shaftsman are present. The shaftsman at the zero platform shall be provided with two-way communication with the operator of the hoisting winch (the face). Every unclear signal shall be treated by the hoist operator, the shaftsman at the mine surface and the shaftsman as a "Stop" signal. Resumption of hoist operation after a stop shall be carried out after the signal has been repeated.
461. Where there are several working levels, each level shall be equipped with an independent receiving platform serviced by a shaftsman. Signalling equipment shall be provided that precludes the simultaneous transmission of signals by shaftsmen from different levels, together with a device indicating from which level the signal has been transmitted. Safety gates shall be installed at all levels of the mine in front of the shafts to prevent people from crossing the hoisting compartments. When a gate is open, a "Stop" signal shall light up for the hoist operator. Load (car) exchange mechanisms at all shaft receiving platforms shall have an interlock precluding their activation during the raising and lowering of people and during hoist operation in "inspection" mode. Guillotine-type doors may be used at the upper receiving platform where an additional barrier is provided that prevents people from gaining access to the shaft until the cage has come to a complete stop and while it is departing.
462. Information shall be displayed at all loading points and in the machine room indicating: the surname of the person responsible for lowering and raising people; the schedule for raising and lowering a shift; the signals used; the maximum number of people who may be raised or lowered simultaneously in each deck of the cage; the restrictions and prohibitions to be observed when lowering and raising people.
463. The hoisting installation shall be fitted with a device for transmitting signals from the shaftsman to the onsetter and from the onsetter to the hoist operator, as well as inspection signalling used solely for inspection and repair of the shaft. Every unclear signal shall be treated as a "Stop" signal. Resumption of hoist operation after a stop shall be carried out after the signal has been repeated. On single-rope hoisting installations for people and for people and materials fitted with signalling from the cage, signalling from the receiving platforms shall also be provided, together with a device precluding the simultaneous transmission of signals from the cage and from the receiving platforms. On vertical and inclined (with a workings inclination angle exceeding 50 degrees) hoisting installations for people and for people and materials, a reserve signalling system with a separate power supply on a dedicated cable shall be provided in addition to the working and inspection signalling. The functional capabilities of the reserve signalling shall not differ from those of the working signalling. Where there are two hoisting installations in one shaft, each of which provides for the lowering and raising of people from all levels, the reserve signalling may be omitted. If an installation serves several levels, a device shall be provided indicating from which level the signal is currently being transmitted, together with a device preventing the reception of working signals from other points. The signalling scheme shall provide for the possibility of transmitting a "Stop" signal from any level directly to the hoist operator. Sinking winches shall be operated strictly in accordance with signals. Signalling for sinking winches may be either mechanical or electrical, using a sound signal. A signal table for sinking winches shall be displayed at the central control panel and at the winches.
464. The shaft signalling system of each hoisting machine shall be connected to an independent power source.
465. In emergency cases, the raising of people from the mine by skips may be provided for only where it is possible to transmit signals from the loading platform to the upper receiving platform and from the upper receiving platform to the hoist operator.
466. The transmission of signals from the pit bottom directly to the hoist operator, bypassing the onsetter, shall be prohibited. This prohibition does not apply to: signalling devices with an interlock preventing the machine from starting until a permissive signal has been received from the onsetter; single-cage hoisting installations with signal transmission from the cage; skip hoisting installations; installations with tippler cages where only material is being raised. Direct telephone communication shall be provided between the hoist operator and the onsetter, and between the onsetter and the shaftsman. During shaft deepening or sinking, signals shall be transmitted to the hoist operator by the sinkers.
467. The overwind height for single-rope hoisting installations in vertical and inclined workings (with an inclination angle exceeding 30 degrees) shall be: for cage and skip-cage hoisting installations with a hoisting speed exceeding 3 m/s - not less than 6 m; for cage hoisting installations with a hoisting speed of up to 3 m/s - not less than 4 m; for material hoisting installations with skips and tippler cages - not less than 2.5 m; for kibble (sinking) hoisting for the lowering and raising of people - not less than 4 m. The overwind height shall be taken to mean: for non-tippler cages - the height through which the cage may freely rise from its normal position when unloading at the upper receiving platform until the upper rope clamp comes into contact with the rim of the head sheave or individual parts of the cage come into contact with elements of the headframe; for tippler cages when raising and lowering people - the height through which the cage may rise from its normal position when people board it until the cage platform begins to tip, where there is no diversion of the unloading guides during the raising of people. Where a diversion of the unloading guides is provided, the overwind height shall be taken from the upper position when people board the cage; for material hoisting in skips and tippler cages - the height through which the skip or tippler cage may freely rise from its normal position when unloading until the upper rope clamp comes into contact with the rim of the head sheave of the skip or tippler cage itself, or individual parts thereof come into contact with elements of the headframe; for kibble hoisting when lowering or raising people - the height through which the kibble may freely rise from the zero platform until the upper rope clamp or the upper edge of the guide frame comes into contact with the rim of the head sheave, or with projecting parts of the metal structures of the sheave platform. In this case, the height through which the kibble may rise from the upper receiving platform when unloading materials until the upper rope clamp or the upper edge of the guide frame comes into contact with the rim of the head sheave or the metal structures of the sheave platform shall be not less than 2.5 m. The overwind height for multi-rope hoisting installations of all types shall be not less than 7 m and shall consist of a free overwind height of not less than 3 m and a height for accommodating safety devices. Free overwind is the height through which the conveyance may freely rise from its normal position when unloading at the upper receiving platform until the catching members of the conveyance enter the buffer of the upper safety device. When calculating the height for accommodating safety devices, the value of the working stroke of the safety device buffer and the additional (reserve) stroke of the buffer shall be taken into account. The reserve stroke shall be not less than half the length of the working stroke of the buffer.
468. The overwind travel for inclined hoisting installations with a workings inclination angle of up to 30 degrees shall be: for double-ended hoisting installations - not less than 6 m; for existing single-ended material hoisting installations - not less than 2.5 m; for those under design - not less than 4 m; for single-ended combined material-and-personnel and personnel hoisting installations - not less than 4 m. The overwind travel, where transport is carried out by material and passenger mine cars, shall be taken to mean the distance which the cars may travel from their normal position at the upper receiving platform, as determined by the working process (stopping of the cars for uncoupling, for people to board, up to the point at which a disruption of the normal movement of the cars may occur, i.e. contact of the upper rope clamp with the rim of the sheave or the drum, or contact of the leading car with elements of the support or the ventilation door).
469. Where hand-operated winches are used for lowering and raising workers in shafts and shallow mines, the following conditions shall be observed: hand-operated winches shall be fitted with ratchet devices and automatically acting brakes and two steel handles; the raising or lowering of people and materials by a hand-operated winch shall be carried out by not less than two workers; the lowering and raising of people shall be carried out at a speed not exceeding 1 m/s; the arrangement of the winch above the collar of shallow mines and shafts shall be such that hoisting conveyances may be detached and suspended in safety for the workers engaged in the operation; hoisting installations shall be fitted with signalling devices; where a winch with a kibble is used for shaft deepening, the end of the rope shall be securely attached to the winch shaft, on which not less than three turns of rope shall remain unwound. The attachment hook shall be in good working order and fitted with a reliable safety catch; when raising and lowering people by hand-operated winch, only steel ropes with a wire diameter of not less than 0.6 mm shall be used. The ratio of the diameter of the winding drum to the wire diameter shall be not less than 459, and to the rope diameter - not less than 30.
470. The simultaneous transport of people and materials in the car of a lift installation shall be prohibited.
471. A telephone or other two-way communication with the dispatcher of the mine (pit) and the machine room shall be installed in the lift car, and, where a material lift installation is used, communication with the receiving platforms. The lift car shall be made of fire-resistant materials. A hatch and a ladder shall be provided in the roof of the car for people to exit in the event of the car becoming stuck in the shaft.
472. The electrical equipment of the lift shall be of mine-normal design, and, where a gas regime applies, of flameproof design. The power supply to passenger and material lift installations shall be provided by two mutually interchangeable cable lines from different sections of the central underground or district substation. The lift installation shall be supplied by a separate cable from the switchgear of the central underground or district substation. An input isolating device for de-energising the entire installation shall be installed in the machine room of the lift installation, directly at the entrance. Protective earthing and leakage-current protection devices with automatic disconnection of the damaged section of the circuit after completion of the movement cycle shall be provided to protect people from electric shock.
473. All underground lift installations shall be constructed in accordance with a design. On completion of construction and installation works, commissioning works and static and dynamic tests of the lift shall be carried out. Where the test results are positive, a certificate of technical readiness of the lift is drawn up. Together with the certificate, the following shall be handed over to the customer: a protocol of the inspection of protections and interlocks; a protocol of the inspection of earthing; a protocol of the inspection of the insulation of the power equipment; the corrected schematic diagram of the power supply and control of the lift drive; the technical and operational documentation for the lift; certificates of concealed works. The owner of the lift shall organise a commission for accepting the lift into operation. The commission shall include: a representative of the management of the enterprise that owns the lift - the chairman of the commission; representatives of the construction, installation and commissioning organisations; the person responsible for organising the maintenance of lifts. The owner of the lift shall present to the acceptance commission: the documentation specified in the first sub-paragraph of this paragraph; the operational and technical documentation for the lift; the order (orders) appointing the persons responsible for the sound condition, the organisation of maintenance and repair works, and the safe operation of lifts. The commission for accepting the lift into operation shall inspect it, carry out a technical examination and draw up a certificate of acceptance of the lift. If defects preventing the normal operation of the lift are discovered, the commission shall draw up a document setting out the reasons and hand it over to the owner. On the basis of the certificates of technical readiness and of acceptance by the commission, the lift may be put into operation, which shall be recorded in the lift's technical certificate.
474. Once every 24 hours, specially appointed persons shall inspect and check the lift installation in respect of: the presence and adequacy of lighting of the car, the shaft and the platforms in front of the shaft doors; the condition of the guarding of the shaft and the car; the correct operation of the shaft door locks; the correct operation of the contacts of the shaft and car doors; the correct operation of the movable floor; the accuracy of the car's stopping at floors; the correct operation of the "Stop" button, the "Occupied" light signal, the audible signalling, the two-way intercom, and the intercom signals and signals at the dispatcher's panel. The results of the inspection and testing shall be recorded in the log book of inspection of the lift installation.
475. The shaft (mine) shall have a ladderway compartment. The ladderway compartment may be omitted, provided that not less than two lifts with independent electric power drives are located in the shaft.
476. Where the shaft of a lift hoist is subject to water inflow, sumps with dewatering installations shall be provided, and water-catching and drainage devices shall be provided in the shaft.
477. Vertical and inclined travelling roads to the level, the location of the machine room, shall be equipped with a ladderway compartment and an installation opening for raising equipment.
478. The height of the machine room chamber shall be not less than 2200 mm. Passages necessary for the installation and servicing of equipment of not less than 0.8 m shall be provided, and installation passages along the chamber walls of not less than 0.5 m. A device for suspending a lifting appliance shall be provided in the machine room of the lift.
479. In the event of emergency tensioning (the car becoming jammed in the guides or for other reasons), lowering and raising shall be stopped immediately and may be resumed only after the causes of the emergency stop have been eliminated and all elements of the lift installation have been inspected by the enterprise's chief mechanic. The results of the inspection and the authorisation to resume operation shall be recorded in the rope inspection log book. If the inspection shows that at least one of the ropes has been damaged or has undergone elongation (over the section involved in the emergency tensioning) of 0.5 per cent or more, the entire set of ropes shall be replaced.
480. The raising and lowering of mine cars (platforms) on wheel sets in lift cars not fitted with rail tracks shall be prohibited. Cars fitted with rail tracks shall have stop devices for the mine cars. The design of the stops and their installation shall be specified by the lift manufacturer.
481. The accuracy of positioning of a car fitted with rail tracks, in the absence of levelling devices, shall be maintained within plus/minus 15 mm, and of a car not fitted with rail tracks, within plus/minus 50 mm.
482. At the levels in front of lifts intended for the transport of cars (platforms) on wheel sets, retaining stops shall be provided. Where stops are installed, an interlock shall be provided that precludes their opening in the absence of a car at the level.
483. The transport of explosive materials underground shall be carried out in accordance with the requirements of the regulatory documents governing the conduct of blasting operations.
484. The overwind height of the car (counterweight) shall be determined by the design, depending on the speed of movement of the car and the need to ensure safe conditions for the servicing personnel located on the roof of the car (counterweight). In this case, the height of the lift shaft shall be such that, after the empty car (counterweight) has stopped at the top of the shaft as a result of the operation of the limit switch, free travel of the car (counterweight) upwards over a distance of not less than 200 mm is ensured, measured from the canopy installed above the car to protect personnel from falling objects during inspection of the shaft and the guide elements.
485. At all levels, the shaft of the lift hoist shall have metal guarding over the entire height of the working.
486. Lift installations fitted with rack-and-pinion gearing shall be provided with a catch device for the smooth stopping of the lift car (cage) if the downward speed of the car exceeds the rated speed by more than 15 per cent.
487. The maintenance and testing of lifts shall be carried out in accordance with the operating manual.
488. The hoisting machine shall be equipped with instrumentation and a parameter recorder providing for the measurement and recording of the position and speed of movement of the hoisting conveyances; the current of the hoisting motors; the pressure in the braking system, including the recording, determination and display of the cause of activation of the safety brake.
489. The ratio of the smallest winding diameter to the rope diameter shall be not less than: 120 - for single-rope hoisting machines with a friction sheave; 95 - for multi-rope hoisting machines with a deflection sheave; 78 - for head sheaves and drums of surface single-rope hoisting installations, and of multi-rope installations without a deflection sheave; 60 - for head sheaves and drums of underground hoisting machines and winches, and for machines and winches used in the sinking of workings; 50 - for mobile hoisting machines, head sheaves and drums of winches used on waste-rock dumps, and for haulage winches; 20 - for head sheaves and drums of sinking material winches intended for suspending working stages, suspended pumps, pipelines, escape ladders and shuttering. For mobile, auxiliary and shunting winches, and for the head sheaves of inclined hoisting installations with a rope wrap angle on the sheave of up to 15 degrees, the above ratio is not limited.
490. The winding of the rope onto the drum shall be carried out in accordance with the certificate and the operating manual of the manufacturing plant.
491. The drums of newly installed hoisting machines shall have flanges on both sides with a height of not less than 1.5 times the rope diameter. The winding surface of the drums shall have machined spiral grooves irrespective of the number of winding layers. Where more than one layer of rope is wound onto the drum, the following conditions shall be observed: the drum flange shall project above the top layer by 2.5 times the rope diameter; the design of the winding surface or the drum flange shall ensure a smooth transition of the rope to the next winding layer; the critical section of the rope, a quarter of the length of the last coil of the bottom row (the transition to the top row), shall be inspected (checking for broken wires and loss of metal cross-section) not less than once every 2 months. The rope shall be shifted, depending on the intensity of use, every 6 to 12 months.
492. The attachment of the end of the rope to the drum shaft shall be prohibited. The ends of the rope shall be attached to the drum by means of devices specially provided on the drum, allowing the rope to be secured at not less than three points. To reduce the tension of the rope at the point of its attachment to the drum, there shall be not less than three friction turns on the surface of the drum where lined with wood or moulded compound, and not less than five friction turns on drums not lined with friction materials. In addition to the friction turns, spare turns shall be provided for periodic testing of the rope. The spare turns may be located either on the surface of the drum or inside it. Reels intended for accommodating the spare turns of rope shall have special devices allowing them to be fixed relative to the machine's drum.
493. The lining segments of the driving sheaves of hoisting installations with friction sheaves and of headframe sheaves shall be attached so that there are no connecting parts at the edges of the lining groove which, if their fastening fails, could fall into the groove beneath the rope. The bolts securing the lining shall be inspected weekly. The flanges of head sheaves and friction sheaves of newly manufactured machines shall project above the top of the rope by not less than 1.5 times its diameter. Lining segments shall be replaced with new ones when worn to a depth of one rope diameter, or when the residual height of the segment reaches 0.75 of the rope diameter. Headframe platforms shall have protective covers against atmospheric precipitation or devices for removing ice.
494. The maximum speed of raising and lowering people through vertical workings shall not exceed 12 m/s, and through inclined workings - 5 m/s. When raising and lowering people in kibbles along guides, the maximum speed shall be not more than 8 m/s, and in places where guides are absent - not more than 1 m/s. The speed for raising and lowering materials through vertical and inclined workings shall be determined by the design. The lowering of material (of the counterweight with an empty skip) by a skip multi-rope hoisting installation shall be carried out in "inspection" mode. When raising and lowering materials in kibbles along guides, the speed of movement of the kibbles shall not exceed 12 m/s, and in places where guides are absent - 2 m/s. The speed of hoisting conveyances when lowering-raising materials suspended beneath them shall not exceed 1/3 of the rated speed for the given hoist. The speed of movement of working stages and sinking equipment shall not exceed 0.2 m/s. The speed of movement of escape ladders shall not exceed 0.35 m/s.
495. The value of the average deceleration of the hoisting installation, both under safety braking and under working (emergency) braking, shall not exceed the values specified in Table 4.
496. The value of the average deceleration of the hoisting installation under safety braking when lowering material shall be not less than 0.75 m/s2 at workings inclination angles of up to 30 degrees, and not less than 1.5 m/s2 at workings inclination angles exceeding 30 degrees. The average deceleration means the ratio of the maximum speed to the time elapsing from the start of braking to the complete stopping of the hoisting machine. On hoisting installations with friction sheaves, the value of the average deceleration is determined over the steady-state section of the braking process. In individual cases, on existing single-rope and multi-rope skip hoisting installations with a friction sheave, to prevent slippage of the ropes, the lower limit of deceleration shall be restricted to a value of 1.2 m/s2, provided that such installations are fitted with an interlock precluding the lowering of material at a speed exceeding 1 m/s. Hoisting installations with friction sheaves on which the required decelerations cannot be ensured by adjustment of the braking system shall be equipped with systems of selective or automatically regulated safety braking. These requirements do not apply to sinking winches and escape-ladder winches (where the speed of movement of the end load does not exceed 0.2 m/s and 0.35 m/s respectively).
497. Sheaves with cast or pressed rims, not designed for the use of lining, shall be replaced with new ones when the thickness of the rim or flange is worn to 50 per cent of its initial thickness, and in all cases where the ends of the spokes become exposed. Weld build-up of the sheave groove is carried out where it is worn to a depth of not more than 50 per cent of the initial thickness, in accordance with the process chart of the manufacturing plant. Before the fitting of a new rope, and thereafter not less than once a quarter, the sheaves shall be inspected by the mine's chief mechanic or a person appointed as the technical manager of the facility. The results of the inspection shall be recorded in the log book of inspection results of the hoisting installation, with a sketch of the cross-section of the sheave groove at the most worn point.
498. To provide protection against overwind and overspeed, the mine hoisting installation shall be provided with the following safety devices: for each hoisting conveyance (counterweight), a limit switch installed on the headframe, intended for switching off the hoisting machine and applying the safety brake when the conveyance rises 0.5 m above the level of the receiving platform (its normal position when unloading), and a switch installed on the depth indicator or on the travel regulator, intended for duplicating the operation of the limit switch installed on the headframe. In inclined workings, limit switches shall be installed at a distance of 0.5 m from the stopping point for personnel mine cars at the upper loading platform, and for material cars - before the descent into the inclined bay. Hoisting installations with tippler cages shall have additional limit switches installed on the headframe 0.5 m above the level of the platform intended for people to board the cage. The operation of these limit switches shall also be duplicated by limit switches installed on the depth indicators (travel regulators). Where duplicating limit switches are installed on the headframe at the same level as the primary switches, they shall be powered by separate cables, with separate buttons (without position retention) installed on the machine control panel for each of them, intended for checking the switches' serviceability. The additional limit switches (primary and duplicating) on installations with tippler cages shall be connected into the protection circuit depending on the set mode - "material" or "people"; a speed limiter causing the safety brake to apply in the event of: the speed exceeding the protective tachogram during the deceleration period, the value of which at each point of the deceleration path is determined based on the conditions for preventing emergency overwind of skips and hard landing of the cage (speed exceeding 1 m/s). To ensure that the speed of movement of the hoisting conveyances corresponds to the protective tachogram, the speed limiter shall measure the speed and position of the hoisting conveyances in the shaft; the speed of steady travel being exceeded by 15 per cent; the conveyance approaching the upper, lower and intermediate receiving platforms, and intermediate platforms for which a speed restriction on passage is provided by the design, as well as approaching rigid guides in the case of rope reinforcement of the shaft, at a speed exceeding 1 m/s when lowering-raising people and 1.5 m/s when lowering-raising material; buffer devices installed on the headframe and in the shaft sump for a multi-rope hoisting installation, except for reconstructed installations with hoisting machines installed at ground level.
499. Mine hoisting installations shall be equipped with the following protective and interlocking devices: maximum and zero-voltage protection, operating in the event of overload of the electric motor and loss of voltage; protection against slack rope and rope paying out in the shaft, except for hoisting installations of the friction type and kibble hoisting installations; an interlock for the safety gates of shafts at the receiving platforms, activating a "Stop" signal for the hoist operator when the gates are open and preventing the gates from being opened in the absence of a cage at the level's receiving platform; an interlock allowing the motor to be switched on after overwind of the conveyance only in the direction of eliminating the overwind; an arc interlock between the reversing contactors, as well as an interlock for dynamic braking; an interlock preventing the release of the safety brake unless the working brake handle is in the "applied" position and the handle of the control apparatus (controller) is in the zero position; an interlock ensuring that, during shaft sinking, the kibble stops 5 m before it reaches the working stage during the erection of support and on approaching the shaft face; protection against hanging-up of conveyances in the unloading curves; an interlock ensuring that, during shaft sinking and deepening, the kibble stops 10 m before it reaches a closed bulkhead door; a device transmitting a signal to the shaftsman or the hoist operator if the brake ropes are pulled out at the point of their attachment in the sump; a device transmitting a signal to the hoist operator in the event of excessive rise of the loop of the balance rope; a duplicating speed limiter, if the primary limiter does not have full self-monitoring. This requirement applies only to personnel and combined personnel-and-material hoisting installations. The time limits for replacing the primary limiter or installing a duplicating limiter shall be established by the operating organisation; an interlock against excessive wear of the brake shoes, activating when the clearance between the drum rim and the brake shoe increases by more than 2 mm. This requirement does not apply to underground material winches and sinking winches; a device signalling to the hoist operator the position of swinging platforms and landing dogs; an automatic bell signalling the start of the deceleration period.
500. With the hoisting machine stationary, the service brake shall provide a braking torque of not less than that produced by the safety brake. When drums are being re-clamped, the brake device shall develop, on the wedged drum, a torque of not less than 1.2 times the static torque produced by the weight of the empty conveyance and the weight of the head (balance) rope. For sinking winches and winches for escape ladders (with an end-load travel speed of up to 0.2 m/s and 0.35 m/s respectively), the braking torques produced separately by the jogging brake and by the safety brake shall each be not less than twice the maximum static load torque. The brake response time, regardless of the type of brake drive, shall not exceed 0.8 s. For sinking winches, the idle-run duration shall not exceed 1.5 s. With the hoisting machine (winch) in the braked (stationary) state, the ratios of the torques produced by the safety brake to the maximum static torques shall be not less than those given in Table No. 5.
501. Every hoisting machine and winch shall be provided with service and safety mechanical braking with mutually independent drive engagement. Sinking winches and winches for escape ladders shall be provided with: a jogging brake on the motor shaft or on the intermediate shaft, a safety brake, a locking device on the drum (stop), and an interlock preventing the electric motor from starting in the lowering direction while the safety brake and the locking device are engaged.
502. In shafts where several hoisting installations are located, the control desk of each installation shall have a button for the simultaneous emergency shutdown of all hoisting machines.
503. Hoisting machine operators shall be appointed from among persons with not less than 1 year of total work experience at the mine who have completed training and a 2-month induction period. Operators of man-hoisting, man-and-material and multi-rope hoists shall be appointed from among persons who have worked not less than 1 year on material hoisting machines. During shaft sinking and deepening, hoisting machine operators shall be appointed from among persons who have completed training and a 3-month induction period on the hoist used for shaft sinking. An induction period is mandatory when transferring to the control of a different machine, and also after a break in work exceeding 3 months.
504. Before starting work, the hoisting machine operator taking over the shift shall check the machine for proper condition and shall carry out the raising and lowering of persons only after first running the cage (kibble) idle. The operator shall enter the results of the check of the hoisting machine in the Shift Handover Log for Hoisting Machine Operators. The hoisting machine operator shall report any damage observed to the hoisting mechanic or to the chief mechanical engineer of the mine. The causes of the damage and the measures taken to remedy them shall be entered in that log by the chief mechanical engineer of the mine.
505. The hoisting machine building shall, in addition to working lighting, be provided with emergency lighting independent of the mine-wide electrical network.
506. The persons responsible for the condition of the hoisting installation shall periodically check the proper condition of the safety brake, the protective devices and the elements of the hoisting installation. The results of the check are entered in the hoisting installation inspection log. The frequency of the checks is established by the technical manager of the facility.
507. Before commissioning and thereafter once a year, an inspection and adjustment of the hoisting installation shall be carried out, to the extent provided for by the guidelines on the inspection, adjustment and testing of mine hoisting installations, by a specialised subdivision of the operating organisation or by a specialised organisation with the participation of representatives of the mine's power and mechanical service. This requirement does not apply to material winches intended for lowering and raising equipment and materials. The electrical part and the apparatus of automated hoisting installations are subject to inspection and adjustment every 6 months. When brake devices and shafts newly put into service are inspected, they shall be subjected to flaw detection. Thereafter, flaw detection shall be carried out not less than once every 3 years. A full mine-surveying check of the alignment of the hoisting machine and of guide wear is carried out at the same time as the inspection and adjustment, and a report is drawn up on this. After the inspection and adjustment of the hoisting installation, control tests of the installation shall be carried out. A protocol based on the test results is drawn up and approved by the chief mechanical engineer of the operating organisation. 6 months after the inspection and adjustment, each hoisting installation shall undergo a technical examination and testing by a commission with the participation of the chief mechanical engineer of the mine, with a report drawn up and approved by the technical manager of the facility. The scope of the technical examination and testing is determined by the guidelines on the inspection, adjustment and testing of mine hoisting installations.
508. The organisation shall have the following documents for each hoisting installation: certificates (data sheets) of the hoisting machine, the gearbox, the conveyances, and the attachment and catching-gear devices; a detailed diagram of the brake device showing the main dimensions; as-built electrical diagrams (schematic); a diagram of the catching-gear devices showing the controlled dimensions; an instruction for hoisting installation operators; bound and numbered logs ("Log of Hoisting Installation Inspection Results", "Log of Hoisting Rope Inspection Results and Rope Wear", "Shift Handover Log for Hoisting Machine Operators"); a hoisting operation schedule, approved by the technical manager of the mine, indicating the time required to carry out the daily inspections of the hoisting installation; process cards for the technical examination and repair of the hoisting installation.
509. Hoisting and haulage ropes of man-hoisting and man-and-material hoisting and haulage installations shall be of grades VK and V; other ropes shall be not lower than grade I. Each rope shall be accompanied by the manufacturer's quality document (certificate) and by a tag, made of a material ensuring the marking is preserved, attached to the rope.
510. Ropes for the conveyances and counterweights of mine hoisting installations shall, when hung, have a safety factor of not less than: 9 times - for man-hoisting and emergency repair hoisting installations, and for man-hoisting and man-and-material (calculated for persons) two-rope hoisting installations with friction sheaves not equipped with catching gear; 8 times - for single-rope hoisting installations with friction sheaves (man-hoisting, man-and-material and material) and for multi-rope man-hoisting and man-and-material hoisting installations; 7.5 times - for man-and-material hoisting installations, and also for suspending mechanical loaders (grabs) in the shaft, and sinking cradles; 7 times - for multi-rope material hoisting installations; 6.5 times - for material hoisting installations; 6 times - for mobile emergency hoisting installations, escape ladders, guide ropes of mines in operation, ropes for suspending stages during the sinking of shafts up to 600 m deep, pumps, dewatering pipes, and sinking units; 5.5 times - for rubber-and-rope balance ropes, and also for ropes suspending stages during the sinking of shafts from 600 to 1500 m deep; 5 times - for fender ropes, guide ropes of sinking hoisting installations, for suspending sinking equipment, and also for new slings for a single lowering under the conveyance or on the attachment device of an individual rope for oversized loads, and when hanging (replacing) conveyances on multi-rope hoisting installations; 3 times - from dynamic load, for the brake and shock-absorbing ropes of catching gear; 10 times - for reusable slings when lowering oversized and long loads under the conveyance, and for signal cables of man-and-material and man-hoisting installations.
511. Hoisting ropes for vertical shafts with a maximum suspension length of more than 600 m may be hung if the ratio of the total breaking force of all wires of the rope to the end load (excluding the weight of the hoisting rope) is not less than: 13 times - for man-hoisting installations; 10 times - for man-and-material hoisting installations; 8.5 times - for material hoisting installations; 11.5 times - for hoisting installations with friction sheaves, single-rope (man-hoisting, man-and-material and material) and multi-rope man-hoisting and man-and-material installations, except for two-rope hoists not equipped with catching gear; 9.5 times - for multi-rope material hoisting installations. The safety factor, taking into account the weight of the rope, shall be not less than 4.5 times for material hoists and 5 times for man-hoisting and man-and-material hoisting installations.
512. On single-rope hoisting installations with rope guides, head ropes of the same diameter, construction and lay direction shall be hung for both conveyances.
513. Every multi-rope hoist, regardless of its purpose, shall have not less than two balance ropes.
514. Haulage ropes of auxiliary transport roads shall, when hung, have a safety factor of not less than: 6 times - for underground passenger ropeways, monorail and ground rail roads calculated for persons; 5 times - for monorail and ground rail roads calculated for load, and for auxiliary winches in inclined workings; 4 times - for scraper, jogging and auxiliary (along horizontal workings) winches. The safety factor of the tension ropes of underground passenger suspended ropeways shall be not less than 6 times.
515. Working (haulage) ropes for moving face equipment shall have a safety factor of not less than 3 times in relation to the rated haulage force on their working drums. Safety ropes of face machines shall have a safety factor of not less than 6 times in relation to the weight of the extraction machine, taking into account the angle of seam dip.
516. Mine ropes shall be tested at rope-testing stations registered in accordance with the established procedure. A reserve rope that has already been tested may be hung without a second test, provided its storage period does not exceed one year.
517. All hoisting ropes of vertical and inclined mine hoists (except for ropes on material inclined hoists with an angle of inclination of less than 30 degrees), ropes for suspending stages, escape ladders and sinking cradles shall be tested before hanging in accordance with the established procedure.
518. Ropes that have been tested before hanging shall be re-tested (except for ropes in installations with single-rope and multi-rope friction sheaves; ropes for suspending stages and lower balance ropes) at the following intervals: every 6 months - on man-hoisting and man-and-material hoisting installations, and also for sinking cradles; 12 months after hanging and thereafter every 6 months - on material, emergency repair and mobile hoisting installations, and also for escape ladders; 6 months after hanging, and thereafter every 3 months - multi-strand non-galvanised low-rotation hoisting ropes (material and man-and-material). The period for repeat rope testing is calculated from the moment of hanging. The frequency of rope testing may be increased if the ropes undergo instrumental non-destructive testing by flaw detectors for the detection of broken wires and loss of metallic cross-section, in accordance with Table No. 6.
519. For testing a rope, an end piece of not less than 1.0 m in length is cut off. For repeat testing of a rope, a piece of the same length is cut off above the last capping clamp.
520. Each rope sample sent for testing shall be accompanied by a copy of the manufacturer's certificate and by a tag, made of a material ensuring the marking is preserved, attached to the rope. The tag shall indicate: the organisation, the mine, the number and purpose of the hoist, whether the rope is right-lay or left-lay, the rope's manufacturer's number, the rope diameter, the rope construction, and the dates of hanging, cutting-off and dispatch of the rope for testing.
521. A rope shall be removed and replaced by another if its maximum service life has expired, based on the results of visual and instrumental inspection, or if, on repeat testing: its safety factor is found to be below 7 times - for man-hoisting and emergency repair hoists; 6 times - for man-and-material hoists and sinking cradles; 5 times - for material and mobile hoisting installations and escape ladders; or the total area of wires that failed the tensile and bend tests reaches 25 per cent of the total cross-sectional area of all the wires of the rope. Haulage ropes of monorail and ground rail roads that have been tested before hanging shall be re-tested every 6 months. If, on repeat testing, the total area of wires that failed the tensile and bend tests reaches 25 per cent of the total cross-sectional area of all the wires of the rope, the rope shall be removed and replaced by another.
522. It shall be prohibited to hang or continue operating steel ropes with torn, bulged or sunken strands, with knots, "flat spots" or other damage. Spliced ropes may be used only for hauling loads along horizontal workings and inclined workings with an angle of inclination of up to 30 degrees, and also on underground passenger suspended ropeways, monorail and ground rail roads. During shaft sinking, where ropes longer than 1000 m are used for suspended equipment, they shall be joined by paired thimbles, with clamps fitted on each branch of the rope.
523. Ropes of mine hoisting installations shall be inspected by persons appointed by order (instruction) of the mine manager, at the following intervals: daily - hoisting ropes of conveyances and counterweights of vertical and inclined hoisting installations, balance ropes of hoisting installations with friction sheaves, ropes for suspending mechanical loaders (grabs) during shaft sinking; weekly - balance ropes of hoisting installations with drum-type machines, brake and guide ropes, ropes for suspending stages, cable and sinking equipment, and also hoisting and balance rubber-and-rope ropes, with the participation of the hoisting mechanic; monthly - shock-absorbing and fender ropes, hoisting and balance ropes, including sections of rope at the capping, with the participation of the chief mechanical engineer of the mine or his deputy; ropes permanently located in shafts, with the participation of the sinking mechanic of the mine under construction. The frequency of checking the ropes of hoisting installations equipped with continuous hoisting-installation parameter monitoring systems and with instrumental non-destructive testing devices for the detection of broken wires and loss of metallic cross-section shall be not less than once a week. The results of continuous monitoring shall be analysed daily.
524. All ropes shall be inspected over their entire length at a travel speed of not more than 0.3 m/s. On hoisting installations, the daily inspection of ropes in which the number of broken wires does not exceed 2 per cent of the total number of wires of the rope over the length of one lay, shall be carried out at a travel speed of not more than 1 m/s.
525. It shall be prohibited to operate steel strand ropes of mine hoisting installations if, on any section, the number of broken wires over one lay, as a proportion of the total number of wires in the rope, reaches, on visual (instrumental) inspection: 5 per cent - for hoisting ropes of conveyances and counterweights, and ropes for suspending stages and mechanical loaders (grabs); 10 per cent - for ropes of material end haulages along inclined workings with an angle of inclination of up to 30 degrees, and for balance, brake, shock-absorbing, guide and fender ropes. If the damaged section is located at the point where the rope is attached to the attachment device, the end of the rope with the broken wires shall be cut off and the rope re-attached to the thimble. The most damaged section (lay) in which the number of broken wires exceeds 2 per cent of the total number of wires of the rope shall be noted in the Log of Hoisting Rope Inspection Results and Rope Wear.
526. It shall be prohibited to operate locked-coil hoisting ropes: where wear exceeds half the height of the wires of the outer layer; where the interlock of the outer profile-shaped wires is broken (wire delamination), if surface roughness of the rope has arisen because not less than half of the outer wires have rotated about the longitudinal axis, or if at least one Z-shaped wire, having come out of the interlock, protrudes beyond the outer surface of the rope; where there are three broken wires (including soldered ones) of the outer-layer profile shape over a section length equal to five lays, or twelve over the entire working length of the rope. Ropes having wave-like sections, with the interlock of the outer wires not broken and retaining a smooth surface, may be operated.
527. Guide ropes shall be replaced: where wear reaches 15 per cent of the nominal diameter, but not more than half the height or diameter of the outer wires; where more than one break of outer wires is found per 100 m of length of a locked-coil rope. If, on breaking, the outer wires of a locked-coil rope come out of the interlock, they shall be securely tucked back into the rope or paid out over a section where they cannot be tucked back in.
528. On multi-rope hoisting installations, a check of the relative overload of the ropes shall be carried out periodically, but not less than every 6 months, using a special instrument. If the relative overload of the ropes at the lower position of the conveyances exceeds 15 per cent, or at the upper position - 25 per cent, the hoisting installation shall be stopped to carry out work to adjust the distribution of load among the ropes.
529. Ropes of auxiliary transport shall be inspected at the following intervals: daily - ropes of passenger suspended ropeways, monorail and ground rail roads, and ropes of auxiliary winches in inclined workings; weekly (by the section mechanic) - ropes of passenger suspended ropeways, endless haulages, monorail and ground rail roads, and ropes of scraper, jogging and auxiliary winches; once every six months (with the participation of the chief mechanical engineer) - ropes of passenger suspended roads, monorail and ground rail roads. Ropes of roads and winches in horizontal and inclined workings shall be inspected over their entire length at a travel speed of not more than 0.3 m/s. For roads longer than 500 m, the rope shall be inspected in stages over several shifts, without exceeding the established frequency.
530. It shall be prohibited to operate steel strand ropes of auxiliary transport if, on any section, the number of broken wires over one lay, as a proportion of the total number of wires in the rope, reaches: 5 per cent - for ropes of underground passenger suspended ropeways, monorail and ground rail roads; 15 per cent - for ropes of material winches in inclined workings; 25 per cent - for ropes of endless haulages along inclined workings, and ropes of scraper, jogging and auxiliary (along horizontal workings) winches.
531. Ropes for moving and holding face equipment shall be checked each shift before the start of work. These ropes are checked weekly by an engineering and technical employee of the section. The maximum number of breaks over one lay is determined during this check. The ropes shall be replaced if the number of broken wires over one lay reaches 10 per cent of their total number.
532. Hoisting strand ropes operating in vertical shafts and on inclined workings, on man-hoisting and man-and-material hoists, shall be subjected to instrumental testing to determine, over their entire length, the loss of metallic cross-section and the presence of broken wires, using testing equipment approved in accordance with the established procedure. For each type of rope subjected to instrumental testing on the hoisting installation, a control section of rope shall be kept for the entire service life. The timing (frequency) of the instrumental testing is given in Table No. 7.
533. Ropes shall be removed and replaced with new ones where loss of metallic cross-section reaches: 10 per cent - for hoisting ropes in vertical shafts with a suspension length of more than 900 m, hung in accordance with the requirements of the Rules, taking into account the ratio of the total breaking force of all wires to the end load; for hoisting ropes of man-hoisting and man-and-material two-rope installations not equipped with catching gear; for stage ropes hung with a safety factor of less than 6 times under a pulley-block stage suspension arrangement; and for the brake ropes of catching gear; 15 per cent - for hoisting ropes with a metal core, triangular-strand ropes with round plastically compressed strands hung with safety factors in accordance with the requirements of the Rules, and also for ropes of all constructions in vertical shafts with a suspension length of up to 900 m, hung in accordance with the requirements of the Rules, and also for ropes suspending shaft-sinking machines hung with a safety factor of less than 6 times; 18 per cent - for round-strand ropes with an organic core on vertical and inclined man-hoisting and man-and-material hoists, and also of a diameter of 45 mm or less on material hoists, hung with the safety factors specified in the Rules, and also for guide ropes during the construction and operation of mines and ropes for suspending sinking equipment; 20 per cent - for round-strand ropes of a diameter more than 45 mm with an organic core on vertical material hoists, hung with a safety factor of not less than 6.5 times, for fender ropes and ropes for suspending stages; 24 per cent - for balance ropes.
534. Rubber-and-rope balance ropes shall be subjected to instrumental testing to determine the integrity of the cables, and shall be rejected in accordance with the operating guidelines for hard-to-ignite rubber-and-rope balance ropes in mine shafts.
535. The results of rope inspection and testing shall be entered on the same day in the Log of Hoisting Rope Inspection Results and Rope Wear.
536. If, during operation, the ropes have been subjected to emergency loads, operation of the installation concerned shall be stopped for inspection of the ropes. The results of the inspection shall be recorded in the relevant rope inspection book.
537. Every hoisting installation used for lowering and raising persons shall have a tested spare rope fit for hanging (for multi-rope hoists - a complete set of head ropes). For hoisting installations where there is more than one hoist in the shaft, this requirement is not mandatory. For a group of hoisting installations having interchangeable ropes hung, one reserve head rope shall be provided.
538. Cages of man-hoisting and man-and-material hoisting installations shall have double independent suspension - a working suspension and a safety suspension, and, where conveyances and counterweights are attached to the ropes of multi-rope hoists at not less than two points - a working suspension. Counterweights of single-rope hoists are not fitted with a safety suspension. Round balance ropes shall be attached to the conveyance by means of swivel devices.
539. On hanging, safety factors (in relation to the calculated static load) shall be not less than: 13 times - for the suspension and attachment devices of man-hoisting installations, and also for the attachment devices and bails of sinking kibbles; 10 times - for the suspension and attachment devices of conveyances of vertical and inclined hoists with end ropes, of monorail and ground rail roads, for the attachment devices of shaft sinking equipment, and for the balance ropes of hoisting installations. The safety factors of attachment devices for balance ropes shall be determined in relation to their weight. Suspension and attachment devices of man-and-material hoisting installations shall provide a safety factor of 15 times in relation to the weight of the maximum number of persons lowered at one time; 6 times - for the attachment devices of guide and fender ropes, and coupling devices of mine cars.
540. Each type of attachment device shall ensure a strength of the rope secured in it of not less than 85 per cent of the aggregate strength of a new rope. On operational hoisting and haulage installations, the service life of suspension and attachment devices shall be not more than 5 years (on emergency repair installations, and also on hoisting installations of flank and ventilation shafts used for transporting persons in emergencies - not more than 7 years), and the service life of kibble attachment devices and kibble bails shall be not more than 2 years. By decision of a special commission, the service life of shock absorbers, suspension and attachment devices may be extended to 15 years, provided that flaw detection is carried out annually. The commission's report shall be approved by the chief mechanical engineer of the organisation. A kibble bail shall be replaced or repaired if wear of its eye or of the replaceable bushing in the eye exceeds 5 per cent of the pin diameter. The total wear of the eye or replaceable bushing of the bail and of the pin connecting it to the kibble shall not exceed 10 per cent of the pin diameter. Attachment devices of kibbles shall be fitted with devices that reliably close the hook throat while the kibble is moving and prevent its spontaneous unhooking. Suspension and attachment devices of all types shall be marked with the manufacturer's number and the date of manufacture.
541. The project documentation for a mine shall contain a section entitled "Fire Safety Actions", providing for organisational and technical actions for the prevention of fire, and for the containment and extinguishing of fire at the initial stage of its occurrence in all technological processes, during the operation of mining equipment, in the course of repairs and in emergency situations. Fire-fighting equipment at facilities shall be kept in serviceable condition in the quantity established by the Rules and the project documentation. Responsibility for the state of fire safety of mines, process buildings and structures of the pithead complex rests with the manager of the facility. The sumps of the level drainage installations may be used as a reserve of fire-fighting water for underground fire-fighting. These sumps shall maintain a permanent, controlled reserve of water in the quantity determined by the technical manager of the facility. Where the project provides for the use of drainage installation pumps to supply water to the fire-fighting and sprinkler network, their hydraulic characteristics shall correspond to the characteristics of the network. By the time shaft sinking is completed, surface fire-fighting water reservoirs shall be brought into operation. A ring pipeline with sprinklers shall be installed at the collars of vertical and inclined shafts and pits. Ring pipelines at the collars of vertical shafts shall be directly connected to the surface fire-fighting water supply mains. Gate valves for supplying water to the ring pipelines shall be located outside premises into which combustion products may spread in the event of a fire in the shaft or the pithead building. Ring pipelines shall ensure a water flow rate of: not less than 2 m3/h per 1 m2 of cross-section where the shaft support is non-combustible; not less than 6 m3/h per 1 m2 of cross-section where the shaft support is combustible. Mine headframes shall be equipped with a dry-pipe pipeline intended for supplying water during a fire to sprinklers for the irrigation of the sheave wheels and the sheave platform. The most fire-hazardous premises of tower headframes (oil stations, transformer substations, switchgear where equipment with an oil filling is present) shall be equipped with automatic fire-extinguishing installations. The mine's fire-fighting and sprinkler pipeline network shall be permanently filled with water under pressure, except for mine workings where the air temperature is negative and below minus 3°C. The network parameters shall be substantiated by hydraulic and technical-and-economic calculations in the project documentation. The fire-fighting and sprinkler pipeline network in underground workings shall consist of trunk lines and section lines; the diameter of trunk lines, irrespective of the throughput calculation, shall be not less than 100 mm, and that of section lines not less than 50 mm. The ends of section fire-fighting and sprinkler pipelines shall lag behind the faces of development workings by not more than 40 m and shall be equipped with a fire hydrant, next to which a box with two fire hoses and a fire nozzle shall be located. The water pressure at the outlet of fire hydrants shall be 0.5-1.0 MPa (5-10 kgf/cm2) at the specified water flow rate for underground fire-fighting, while in pipelines it is limited by their strength. In sections of pipelines where the pressure exceeds 1.0 MPa (10 kgf/cm2), pressure-reducing devices shall be installed upstream of the fire hydrant. The fire-fighting and sprinkler pipeline shall be equipped with fire hydrants, which shall be numbered and located: in workings with belt conveyors - every 50 m, with fire hydrants and hoses of 66 mm diameter and 20 m length, fitted with coupling heads and a nozzle with a 19 mm nozzle tip, additionally installed on both sides of the conveyor drive at a distance of 10 m; at chambers, at a distance of 10 m on the incoming air current side, with a hose of 20 m length and a fire nozzle; at the entrance to an explosive materials store, at a distance of 10 m, with a hose of 20 m length and a fire nozzle; at intersections and branches of underground workings; in horizontal workings having no intersections or branches, and in inclined shafts and adits - every 200 m (the installation of fire hydrants on supply pipelines in vertical shafts shall be prohibited); in inclined workings having no intersections or branches - every 100 m; on each side of the shaft at its junction with the shaft bottom station, with a fire hose of 20 m length and a fire nozzle; in dead-end workings more than 50 m long - every 50 m. At the collar and at the face, a box with two hoses of 20 m length and a fire nozzle shall be installed next to the fire hydrant. Boxes for the storage of fire hoses and nozzles shall bear the inscription "Fire hoses, nozzles". To isolate individual sections of the fire-fighting and sprinkler pipeline or to direct all the water to a single fire-fighting section, gate valves shall be located on the pipeline at branches of the water-supply lines, and on water-supply lines having no branches, every 400 m. Fire-fighting and sprinkler pipelines shall be equipped with distribution and pressure-regulating devices, which shall be numbered sequentially and shown on the water-supply diagram with an indication of the order of their use. Fire-fighting pipelines shall be protected against freezing. Protection against corrosion and stray currents shall be provided for underground pipelines. The mine fire-fighting and sprinkler pipeline, fire extinguishers, sand boxes and the handles of fire-fighting tools shall be painted an identifying red colour. The mine fire-fighting and sprinkler pipeline may be painted in the form of a 50 mm wide stripe applied to the pipeline every 6 m on straight sections and every 3 m at junctions of mine workings. Individual sections of the fire-fighting and sprinkler pipeline are disconnected with the written permission of the manager of the facility. The dispatcher of the facility shall be notified of every disconnection. Fire-fighting equipment shall be located in accordance with Table No. 8.
542. For chambers in which there is no permanent attending personnel, automatic fire-extinguishing installations shall be located directly at the equipment to be protected: fire extinguishers and sand (inert material) shall be located outside the chamber on the incoming fresh air current side, not more than 10 m from the entrance to the chamber. For chambers with permanent attendance, they shall be located at the workplace of the attending personnel. In workings with a negative temperature, only powder and carbon-dioxide fire extinguishers shall be used. To contain a fire in mine workings, fire doors (dampers) made of non-combustible materials shall be installed. Support made of non-combustible materials shall be erected on both sides of them for a length of not less than 5 m. Fire doors (dampers) shall tightly close off the cross-section of the working and have locks that open from both sides. To close (open) fire doors and dampers installed in workings with an angle of inclination of more than 35 degrees, and also in workings with significant depression, special devices (windows, levers, winches) shall be provided. Devices for opening fire dampers and doors installed in inclined and vertical workings shall be brought out into the level workings towards the fresh air current, and in pithead buildings these devices shall be brought out beyond the limits of possible smoke and fire-spread zones. The collars of vertical shafts and pits through which fresh air is supplied, as well as ventilation and heater ducts, shall be fitted with fire dampers, and the collars of inclined shafts and adits with fire doors. At levels near shaft bottom stations and at the collars of adits supplying fresh air, twin fire doors closing in the direction of movement of the fresh ventilation current shall be installed. The locations of their installation shall be determined in each individual case by the project. The distance between the doors shall be not more than 10 m. In premises and chambers where lubricants are stored and decanted, and where equipment with an oil filling is installed, the floors shall be made of non-combustible material, have a kerb, and be covered with sand, replaced as it becomes contaminated.
543. Headframes and pithead buildings of air-supply shafts, adits, pits and raises shall be constructed of non-combustible material. The following shall be supported with non-combustible materials: the collars of all vertical and inclined shafts, adits and pits, for a length of not less than 10 m from the surface; the junctions of vertical and inclined shafts, adits and pits with level workings and shaft bottom stations, for a length of not less than 10 m in each direction from the adjoining wall of the intersected horizontal and inclined workings, and, along the mine shaft, to the height of the shaft-bottom part of the station; the collars of main inclines and travelling roads and the junctions of inclines with haulage and ventilation drifts, for a length of not less than 10 m in each direction from the adjoining wall of the intersected workings; the premises and ventilation ducts of the main and auxiliary fan installations, and all heater ducts, for a length of 10 m.
544. The collars of air-supply mine shafts, raises and pits shall have metal dampers, and the collars of adits shall have metal doors. Dampers shall be operable from two locations: directly from the headframe or pithead building within the line of sight, and from outside the pithead building.
545. Welding and gas-flame work in the underground workings of non-gassy mines and in pithead buildings, and the use of blowtorches, shall be carried out with the permission of the section mechanic on the basis of a schedule of welding work drawn up by the chief mechanic of the mine for a ten-day period, approved by the technical manager of the facility, and in the presence of a person exercising technical supervision. Work not provided for in the schedule may be carried out only with the written permission of the chief mechanic of the mine. After the completion of welding and gas-flame work, the site of welding and cutting shall be kept under observation by a person exercising technical supervision or by a specially assigned and instructed person for not less than two hours. Welding and gas-flame work in vertical and inclined workings, ventilation travelling roads and pits of mines supplying fresh air may in each individual case be carried out only with the permission of the technical manager of the facility, with an entry in the mine order log, the form and completion procedure of which shall be established by the technical manager of the organisation. On the basis of that order, the chief mechanic of the mine shall issue a written permit for the performance of the work, indicating the location, time, nature and volume of the welding or gas-flame work, and the necessary precautionary measures. When hot work is carried out in the underground workings and shafts (pits) of mines, the use of gas welding with acetylene, propane-butane and other combustible hydrocarbons shall be prohibited. Permission for the use of kerosene cutting torches shall be given by the technical manager of the facility or the chief mechanic of the mine. Hot work shall be prohibited: where people are present in workings into which combustion products generated by the hot work may enter; in vertical and inclined workings with timber support having an outlet to the surface; in garages for battery-powered locomotives during battery charging and for 30 minutes after charging. Electric-welding work from the trolley wire of electric locomotive haulage shall be prohibited. Not less than two fire extinguishers, a fire nozzle with a hose or with a hose connected to the fire-fighting main, or a container with a water reserve of not less than 1 m3, and a box with sand (inert material) shall be located at the site of the welding work. After the completion of welding work, the person responsible for its safe conduct shall record in the mine order log the time of commencement and completion of the welding work, the results of the inspection of the welding site after its preventive treatment, and the names of the persons who performed the work.
546. It shall be prohibited to locate warehouses and dumps containing any combustible or spontaneously combustible materials or rocks closer than 100 m to pithead buildings and structures.
547. For the storage of fire-fighting materials, equipment and appliances, the following shall be organised at mines in accordance with the project documentation: warehouses located not more than 100 m from pithead buildings, the collars of adits and vehicle inclines, connected to the latter by rail tracks or roads permanently free of rolling stock; underground warehouses at every active level. Each warehouse shall be equipped with the following materials and primary fire-fighting means in accordance with Table No. 9.
548. Materials expended from warehouses for the elimination of accidents shall be replenished within 24 hours. Warehouses shall have metal doors that lock. The keys to the warehouse shall be kept by the technical manager and the dispatcher of the mine, and also at other locations determined by the manager of the facility.
549. In the event of a fire, the fire-affected section shall be isolated by non-combustible, air-tight fire bulkheads with closable openings for temperature measurement, water discharge and the sampling of air for analysis for CO, CO2, SO2, O2 and combustible hydrocarbons, and of water for analysis of sulphuric acid content.
550. Seats of fire and all bulkheads separating the fire-affected section shall be shown on the mine working plans. Inspection of the bulkheads separating the fire-affected section from operational workings shall be carried out daily, and where the gas content changes, not less than once per shift.
551. The opening-up of a fire-affected section shall be carried out in accordance with a special plan approved by the technical manager of the organisation.
552. At mines where there are flooded workings or other water (water-logged) features, and also workings in which accumulations of toxic and combustible gases are possible, the boundaries of hazardous zones for water and gas inrushes shall be determined and shown on the mine survey documentation. All work within hazardous zones shall be carried out under a separate project providing for the necessary measures for protection against water and gas inrushes, approved by the technical manager of the organisation.
553. Mining operations within a barrier pillar or a safety pillar beneath a reservoir shall be carried out after the water has been drained from flooded workings or diverted from surface reservoirs beyond the limits of the deposit.
554. Where signs of a water or gas inrush appear in workings within the boundaries of hazardous zones, work shall be stopped immediately and people withdrawn from the workings in the hazardous zone. At the same time, rapid analysis of the air composition shall be carried out not less than 3 times per shift.
555. Boreholes, with the exception of observation boreholes and boreholes intersecting water-bearing horizons, shall be grouted. The organisation carrying out drilling work shall prepare a geological report, in which it shall show, on topographic plans and in coordinate registers, the location of the collars, bottoms, and intersections of deposits and workings by boreholes. A copy of the geological report shall be kept at the organisation.
556. At mines where there is a danger of the inrush of water, running sand or slurry into active mine workings, shaft bottom stations and main drainage installations shall be fenced off from the other workings by watertight bulkheads designed for the maximum possible pressure of water, running sand or slurry. The installation sites of the watertight bulkheads (WTB) shall be determined by the project documentation.
557. Caving zones, surface subsidence collapses and open fissures formed under the influence of mining operations shall be fenced off by drainage ditches ensuring the diversion of storm and flood waters and preventing their penetration into mine workings.
558. The undermining of rivers and other water bodies shall be carried out in accordance with the rules and guidelines for the protection of structures against the harmful effects of mine workings.
559. Before the pumping of water from flooded vertical and inclined workings begins, the state of the atmosphere in the unventilated part of these workings above the water surface shall be checked. Air samples shall be analysed for CO, CO2, CH4, H2S, O2 and H2.
560. Main and section drainage installations shall have sumps consisting of two or more workings. The capacity of the sumps of the main drainage installation shall be designed for not less than a 4-hour normal inflow, and that of section sumps for a 2-hour inflow. The sumps of drainage installations of drainage mines shall be designed for a 2-hour inflow.
561. The main drainage installations of a mine with a water (brine) inflow exceeding 50 m3/h shall be equipped with not less than three pump units. For mines with a water inflow exceeding the capacity of one pump unit, the number of standby and maintenance units shall be adopted in accordance with Table No. 10.
562. The capacity of the operating pumps of drainage installations shall ensure the pumping-out of the normal daily inflow in not more than 20 hours. During shaft sinking, the number of pumps and their capacity shall be determined by the project. The main drainage installation shall be equipped with not less than two drainage pipelines, one of which is a standby. The pipelines shall be designed for the maximum capacity of the pump installation. Discharge pipelines in the pump chamber shall be looped into a ring and fitted with gate valves enabling the pump units to be switched to any of the pipelines.
563. The main drainage installation shall be inspected not less than once a week by the chief mechanic of the mine or his deputy. The results of the inspection shall be recorded in a log. Not less than once every 6 months, measurements of the water inflow in the mine and its complete chemical analysis shall be carried out.
564. The safety requirements for the construction of underground structures are mandatory in the development of the project for the organisation of construction, the project for the performance of work, technological charts, and also in the organisation of work sections and workplaces, in the operation of technical devices, machinery, mechanisms, technological tooling and tools, in the performance of transport, electric-welding, gas-flame, loading-and-unloading, insulation, earthworks, masonry, concrete, reinforced-concrete, installation, electrical-installation, roofing and finishing work, in the testing of technical devices, and also in the construction of artificial foundations and in drilling work.
565. Project documentation providing for the stages (periods) of construction of a facility shall not permit construction to be carried out in violation of the sequence of construction stages specified in the project for the construction of the facility.
566. When constructing tunnels and underground structures under particularly complex engineering-geological conditions, and also beneath river beds and water bodies, the technological solutions shall define the boundaries of possible inrush of water, running sand and gases into the workings, and shall develop measures for their prevention and elimination. In places of shifts, faults and tectonic fractures, and also where the degree of rock fracturing increases, additional measures shall be taken to ensure the safety of the work: reducing the length of the round, increasing the load-bearing capacity of the temporary support, erecting the permanent lining without falling behind the face, and consolidating the ground.
567. Construction and installation work in the protection zone of active power transmission lines, railways and roads, oil, gas and product pipelines, and underground utilities shall be carried out in accordance with the project for the performance of work, subject to the written permission of the operating organisation, a permit to work, and under the direct supervision of a person exercising technical supervision.
568. Mine surveying work shall be carried out in accordance with the project for the performance of mine surveying work and the requirements for the performance of mine surveying work established by regulatory legal acts. Organisations carrying out the design and construction of underground structures shall have mine survey and geological departments within their structure, or shall engage specialised organisations.
569. The mine survey department shall ensure: the setting-out on the ground of the boundaries of hazardous zones during the performance of mining operations; the conduct of instrumental observations of the processes of displacement of rock strata and the ground surface, of deformations of workings, and of buildings and structures on the surface; control over compliance with the project requirements for the timely and effective implementation of actions ensuring the safety of underground operations and the protection of the natural environment, buildings and structures against the adverse effects of these operations; and compliance with the other provisions relating to the activities of the mine survey department.
570. On the basis of the project documentation, employees of the mine survey and geological departments shall indicate on the mine graphic documentation (in underground workings) the hazardous zones of the underground structure under construction. Hazardous zones include zones of active, under-construction or decommissioned underground structures, zones with unstable ground and tectonic disturbances, and also zones with particularly complex and hazardous engineering-geological conditions for the performance of work. The list of hazardous zones shall be approved by the technical manager of the facility.
571. An organisation carrying out work on the construction of underground structures shall keep a log of instructions (notifications) of the organisation's mine survey and geological departments, in which detected violations and deviations from the project, and also information on the presence of hazardous zones and other warnings, shall be recorded. Geological disturbances specified in the project and detected during the driving of a working, and also the locations of major rock falls, the discharge of flowing masses and inrushes of groundwater that have occurred, shall be shown on the mine survey plans of the underground operations, with an indication of the quantity and date. The chief mine surveyor and the section mine surveyors shall prepare a written notification to the technical manager and the section superintendent of the approach to a hazardous zone not later than 20 m before it, and also of the crossing of the established boundaries and the exit from them. When the distance to the hazardous zone reaches 7 m, the section mine surveyor shall take measurements and give notifications of the pillar dimensions after each round.
572. In zones of geological disturbances, in unstable rock, in the vicinity of underground structures and utilities, and also when driving underground workings using special methods of work, systematic observation shall be organised of the displacement of the ground surface and the deformations of buildings and structures located in the zone of influence of the underground operations, with the results of the measurements recorded in the mine survey log of observations of surface displacements and deformations of buildings and underground structures. Where the established permissible values of ground surface subsidence and the deformation of buildings and structures are exceeded, the mine survey department shall notify the technical manager of the organisation in writing.
573. The organisation of the construction site shall be carried out in accordance with the project for the organisation of construction. The construction site shall be fenced by a fence not less than 2 m high. Fences adjoining places of mass passage of people shall be equipped with a continuous protective canopy. The width of the passage shall be not less than 1.2 m. Where a pedestrian passage adjoins the carriageway of a road, a continuous fence not less than 1.1 m high shall be provided on the road side. Each construction site shall be provided with telephone or radio communication and security. The duty officer shall have a list of the telephone numbers of emergency services and responsible persons.
574. The layout of roads and pedestrian paths, and of permanent and temporary buildings and structures on the construction site, shall conform to the construction general layout plan. The direction and speed of movement of motor vehicles on the territory of the construction site shall be regulated by road signs.
575. The territory of the construction site shall be equipped with devices for the diversion of water, precluding the possibility of its entry into underground workings and excavation pits. The locations for water intake and the siting of treatment facilities shall be determined by the project for the organisation of construction. The direction of movement and the speed of motor vehicles on the territory of the construction site shall be regulated by road signs. The boundaries of hazardous zones shall be fenced and marked with warning signs and signals clearly visible during the day and at night.
576. The territory of the construction site, work sections, workplaces, roadways and passages shall be illuminated during the hours of darkness in accordance with illumination standards. Signal lighting shall be provided and warning signs installed on fences adjoining the carriageway of a road or located on it.
577. Construction machinery shall be installed on a stable, levelled base with a gradient not exceeding that permitted by the technical data sheet. A clear passage of not less than 1 m in width shall be provided from any projecting parts of construction machinery.
578. Manholes and pits shall be closed or fenced, and trenches and excavation pits shall be fenced with handrails 1.1 m high. During the hours of darkness, light signals shall be placed on the fencing.
579. Before the driving of a working begins, the slopes (banks) at the portal of the mine working shall be secured in accordance with the project and kept under the observation of specially appointed persons ensuring the safe condition of the slopes during work on the construction of underground structures. When work is performed in avalanche-prone areas and in areas of possible scree, measures shall be provided for the protection of the construction site against rockfalls and snow avalanches.
580. Responsible engineering and technical personnel responsible for the safe performance of earthworks associated with the excavation and relocation of utilities shall be appointed by order of the organisation. Before work on the construction of underground structures begins, persons exercising technical supervision shall be made familiar with the layout of existing underground structures and utilities.
581. The excavation of pits to establish the exact location of utilities shall be carried out in the presence of a representative of the organisations operating them. Within the zone of active underground utilities, at a distance of less than 2 m horizontally or 1 m vertically, the excavation of soil shall be carried out using hand tools.
582. When work is performed on the carriageway of roads and in places where vehicles move, all employees shall be instructed in the traffic regulations and safety measures, and provided with high-visibility vests.
583. To prevent the collapse of excavation pits, trenches and other excavations made in unstable ground, the mine survey department shall establish instrumental observation of the condition of their sides (slopes, support) in accordance with the project for the performance of surveying and mine surveying work.
584. In the event of the moistening or weathering of the slopes of excavation pits and trenches developed without support, persons exercising technical supervision shall take the following measures: withdrawal of people from the hazardous zone; prohibition of the movement of vehicles and machinery closer than 2 m from the upper edge of the slope of the excavation pit (trench); inspection of the condition of the slopes before the start of each shift and, where overhangs and cracks are detected, their collapse; local reduction of the steepness of the slope in sections where the performance of work in the excavation is urgent; and the clearing of stones from the slopes. The resumption of work shall be carried out with the permission of a person exercising technical supervision.
585. When work is performed in excavation pits and trenches with the support of the sides (walls), the following frequency of inspection of the condition of the support shall be observed: once a month - by the technical manager; once a week - by the section superintendent (site foreman); every shift before the start of work - by the shift foreman. The results of the inspection are recorded in the log of inspection of the support and the condition of mine workings.
586. An additional check of the condition of the temporary support and the edges of excavation pits and trenches shall be carried out during seasonal temperature changes, after heavy rains and during prolonged rain, during the weathering of rock, and after earthquakes.
587. Where dewatering, ground freezing, pile driving, sheet pile walling, boreholes or other work are performed in the immediate vicinity of excavation pits and trenches, the project for the performance of work shall provide for actions to ensure the integrity of the sides (walls) and bottom of the excavation pit or trench located in the zone of possible deformation under the influence of the said work. The project for the performance of work shall be agreed with the organisation performing the work in the excavation pit or trench.
588. Ramps, haul berms and work platforms shall be equipped with safety berms or wheel stops precluding the fall of vehicles. The height and width of the safety berm shall be determined by calculation in the project for the performance of work, but shall be not less than 0.5 m.
589. The descent and ascent of people into an excavation pit up to 25 m deep may be carried out using ladders complying with the requirements of the applicable regulatory documents, having landings not less frequently than every 4 m. In the absence of ramps, the distance between ladders shall not exceed 40 m. Where the depth of the excavation pit exceeds 25 m, man-and-material hoists or man-hoists shall be used. In trenches and excavation pits up to 5 m deep, portable ladders may be used for the descent and ascent of people. On ladders with an angle of inclination of more than 75 degrees, hoop guards shall be installed starting from 2 m.
590. When developing an excavation pit, the following shall be prohibited: excavation of soil by undercutting the side of the excavation pit; when using excavators with a face shovel, excavating a slope of a height exceeding the digging height; the simultaneous performance of other work on the same section of the excavation pit within the zone defined by the project for the performance of work, but closer than 5 m from the moving parts of earth-moving machinery; the use of bulldozers on slopes with an angle of more than 30 degrees, and the extension of the bulldozer blade beyond the edge of the excavation slope.
591. If deformation of utility lines, surface or underground structures is detected, the work shall be immediately stopped, personnel shall be withdrawn from the hazardous area, and warning signals shall be posted. The work may be resumed only on the instructions of the head of the construction organisation after the threats of further deformation have been eliminated.
592. Shoring of pits and trenches shall be carried out in accordance with the design documentation.
593. The assembly, movement and dismantling of a pile driver for piling work shall be carried out under the supervision of a person exercising technical supervision. The route of movement of the pile driver shall be approved by the technical manager of the organisation performing the piling work. The route plan shall indicate areas of increased hazard and safety measures.
594. The lifting and installation of piles where occupied buildings are located within the hazardous area may be carried out subject to the implementation of additional safety measures provided for by the work execution project, and subject to lifting operations being carried out using the hoisting rope of the pile driver together with a second, safety, rope and a separate winch.
595. When work is carried out using the "diaphragm wall" method, the excavator shall move along the trench over a graded area with a hard surface. The slope of the surface shall comply with the equipment operating instructions but shall not exceed 2 degrees. Before excavation of the trench begins, its mouth shall be concreted to a depth of not less than 1.5 m. When excavating soil in the trench, the clay slurry level shall be constantly maintained at not more than 0.5 m below the top of the concreted trench mouth. The trench shall be fenced on both sides. Footbridges not less than 0.8 m wide with two-sided handrails 1.1 m high shall be provided for the passage of personnel across the trench.
596. The stacking of materials and equipment shall be prohibited on ramps and descents into pits, on walings and struts of the shoring, and at a distance from the edge of a pit or trench closer than the height of the stacked equipment or materials plus 1 m.
597. When pits are excavated using open-type shields, the dimensions of the working chamber for launching the shield onto the route, the excavation procedure and face support, the arrangement of the thrust wall and the foundation, and the laying of guide rails are determined by the work execution project.
598. When tunnels are driven using open-type shields at a depth exceeding the height of the shield, protective metal sections projecting not less than 15 cm above ground level shall be installed along its entire length.
599. Formwork for cast-in-place structures shall be erected in accordance with the work execution project or process flow charts. Before work begins, the formwork structures shall be accepted by a commission appointed by the technical manager of the organisation.
600. Before work on driving underground workings begins, persons exercising technical supervision and the team leaders (link leaders) of driving teams shall be briefed, against signature in the briefing log, on the geological, hydrogeological and environmental conditions of the site, the radiation situation, and the location of operating and decommissioned underground structures and utility lines located within the work area.
601. The methods of driving underground workings, the distance by which the permanent and temporary support lags behind the face, and the technology for their construction are established by the design documentation. In weak and unstable ground, lagging of the support behind the face shall not be permitted.
602. In unstable rock requiring support of the mass immediately behind rock excavation, workings shall be driven using special ground stabilisation methods or mechanised driving complexes with a closed face.
603. The opening of the tunnel to the full profile and the installation of the lining when laying cut rings shall be carried out in accordance with the work execution project under the supervision of a person exercising technical supervision.
604. All junctions and mouths of workings shall be reliably supported irrespective of rock stability. The length of the section and the design of the support is established by the work execution project.
605. Workings with a cross-sectional area exceeding 12.5 m2 (diameter of 4.0 m or more) driven by full-face excavation shall be constructed using special driving equipment or movable scaffolding ensuring the safety of work at the face.
606. Driving of pit-bottom workings for a length exceeding 20 m shall begin only after the shaft has been equipped with a cage (skip) hoist. Utility tunnels may be driven along their entire length using a kibble (bucket) hoist.
607. When workings are driven by opposing or converging faces without the use of blasting operations, and also when approaching previously driven workings, starting from a distance between them of less than one and a half diameters (heights) of the larger working, driving operations shall be carried out subject to additional safety measures in accordance with a single agreed schedule approved by the technical managers of the organisations carrying out the work. When the distance is reduced to the diameter (height) of the working, work shall be carried out only from one of the workings.
608. Driving of workings at locations where protective water-resistant structures are being erected shall be carried out without the use of blasting operations for a distance of not less than 15 m in each direction. Drilling and blasting operations in hard rock shall be carried out in accordance with the work execution project, which shall provide for measures against increased fracturing of the surrounding rock.
609. Before work begins, the person exercising technical supervision shall verify the safe condition of the face, roof, sides of the working and the support, and the operation of ventilation, shall monitor gas contamination of the air using a rapid method, and shall check the serviceability of tools, mechanisms, devices and safety equipment.
610. Temporary support of underground workings shall be installed in accordance with the work execution project and the support specification. Underground work shall be prohibited without an approved support specification or in breach thereof. Workers and persons exercising technical supervision at the site shall be briefed on the support specification for the workings, against signature, before work begins.
611. The support of the working shall be wedged, and the voids between the support and the rock shall be packed. It shall be prohibited to pack voids with timber or other combustible materials, or to leave elements of temporary timber support behind the lining, except in cases provided for by the project.
612. When rock bolt support is installed in workings driven through rock prone to spalling and collapse, measures shall be taken to prevent the falling of rock fragments. Mesh suspended from the bolts shall be cleared of rock lying on it so that its sag does not exceed 20 cm. It shall be prohibited to remove or loosen the nuts of rock bolt support after its installation. When lagging is installed, undercutting of the rock around the bolts shall be prohibited.
613. When erecting shotcrete support, the following requirements shall be complied with: the presence of persons not involved in the work in the hazardous area determined by the work execution project shall be excluded; it shall be prohibited to be present under an arch covered with freshly applied layers of shotcrete without continuous protective decking; the workstations of the nozzle operator and the concrete pump operator shall be provided with two-way audible and visual signalling; when applying shotcrete using a set accelerator possessing toxic properties, measures shall be taken to prevent the mixture from getting into the eyes and onto the skin; before work begins, the mortar delivery hose shall be firmly secured to the structure at a distance of not more than 5 m from the nozzle; the nozzle operator and other workers involved in erecting the support shall use protective equipment; if cracks or spalling appear in the shotcrete lining, measures shall be taken to reinforce it.
614. The length of the calotte shall be determined by the work execution project and specified in the support specification. In arch sections adjacent to previously concreted sections, opening of the calotte shall be carried out once the concrete has reached a strength of not less than 70 per cent of the design strength.
615. Excavation of the core (middle bench) when driving by the supported-arch method shall begin only after the concrete in the arch has reached the design strength. In stable rock, excavation shall begin once the concrete has reached not less than 75 per cent of the design strength. When excavating the core near the arch springings, a berm shall be left, the width of which shall be established in the work execution project and the support specification.
616. The mouths of pits excavated for benches during the underpinning of walls beneath the completed arch shall be fenced.
617. Excavation of the side benches when driving by the supported-arch method in unstable rock shall be carried out using support and shall begin only after the concrete in the arch has reached a strength of not less than 70 per cent of the design strength. Excavation of the side benches shall be carried out in rounds in a staggered pattern, leaving pillars in place. Excavation of the pillars shall be prohibited until the concrete of previously concreted rounds has reached the design strength.
618. In workings served by conveyor haulage, the width of the passage for personnel shall be not less than 0.7 m on one side, with a clearance of 0.4 m on the other side. In workings driven by driving shields with a diameter of 2.61 m or less, personnel may move through such workings only when haulage is not operating. The height of the clear passage for workings constructed by shields with a diameter of 2.0 m shall be 1.6 m.
619. The haulage distance for loaded mine cars in the face area using loading machines shall not exceed 25 m and is limited to the boundaries of the process complex of the erector or shield.
620. When underground workings are driven with rock excavated in benches and loaded by excavator, the height of the muck pile after blasting shall not exceed the digging height of the excavator. The procedure and conditions of operation of a continuous-action loading machine and a bucket-type machine are determined by the work execution project. Where the muck pile height is up to 4 m, loading by a continuous-action machine shall be carried out without additional trimming of the slopes.
621. When finishing the invert section of the tunnel with manual loading of rock into the bucket of the loading machine, removable stops shall be installed at the ends of the rail tracks. Clearances between the head unit of the excavator, and also above the most protruding rear part of the excavator body, and the contour of the working shall be not less than 0.4 m.
622. The types of machines and mechanisms for rock excavation and lining construction shall be determined by the design documentation.
623. Ropes for raising and lowering tubbing segments shall comply with technical standards and shall be run through blocks of safe design. The locations for securing the blocks shall be indicated in the work execution project. It shall be prohibited to attach lining elements directly to the winch rope, or to detach the attachment device from a lining element before it has been fastened with not less than three bolts (two through the flange and one through the end face) to the adjacent assembled ring.
624. Where winches are installed outside the zone of direct visibility, two-way audible and visual signalling shall be provided between the installation area and the winch operator. Signals shall be given to the winch operator by a worker appointed by the person exercising technical supervision. The methods and procedure for giving signals shall be established by the operating organisation.
625. Work at height on the installation of lining using winches shall be carried out from movable or suspended scaffolding provided for by the work execution project. Dismantling of linings in connection with the opening of apertures, the closing-down of workings and for other purposes shall be carried out in accordance with the work execution project. When lining elements are removed, the work execution project shall provide for measures to prevent flooding of the tunnel or the escape of ground masses.
626. Before work on the installation of precast lining begins, the erector and the supports and brackets along which it travels shall be inspected by the erector operator and the duty electrician. The results of the inspection shall be entered in the shift handover log. Persons exercising technical supervision shall take measures to rectify any defect before work begins, which shall be recorded in the shift handover log for personnel operating the mechanisms.
627. When carrying out installation work, it shall be prohibited to remove the extendable beams of the erector from beneath the lining elements being installed until the ring of precast lining is fully closed. All work on the installation of precast lining shall be carried out under the protection of the extendable canopy of the erector or of temporary support.
628. Installation of lining above the horizontal diameter shall be carried out from special extendable platforms with guard rails. Installation of lining by erectors not equipped with extendable protective canopies, with the roof and sides of the underground working exposed, shall be carried out in stable rock using protective barriers to shield the working area from falling rock fragments. The design of these barriers is established by the work execution project.
629. If the natural angle of repose decreases sharply, work shall be stopped to take measures preventing excessive release of ground.
630. While the shield is moving, the presence in the face area of persons not involved in this work shall be prohibited.
631. The breaking-up of large boulders and other hard inclusions, or their removal from the ground mass, shall be carried out with the shield stopped, under the protection of the support and under the supervision of a person exercising technical supervision.
632. The workstation of the shield operator shall be linked by visual and audible signalling to all mechanisms of the process complex.
633. When a mechanised shield is operating, dust suppression or capture devices shall be provided to reduce its concentration in the face area to permissible levels. When a mechanised shield is stopped for a period exceeding one shift, the face shall be supported in accordance with the work execution project, developed taking into account the engineering-geological conditions and the design of the shield's working member.
634. Work ahead of the shield's working member shall be carried out under the supervision of a person exercising technical supervision, the rotation and feed drives of the working member shall be de-energised, and a sign reading "Do not switch on - people working!" shall be posted at the control panel.
635. Inspection of the working is carried out by a person exercising technical supervision with the roadheader control station de-energised and the sign "Do not switch on - people working!" posted.
636. At the moment a ring is being compressed, presence in the hazardous area shall be prohibited.
637. Before work begins, roadheaders and the transfer conveyor shall be inspected by the operator and, if defects are found, appropriate entries shall be made in the shift handover log, which shall be checked every shift by a person exercising technical supervision.
638. The roadheader shall be operated with the dust removal, water spray and ventilation systems switched on. The length of the unsecured section of cable behind the roadheader shall not exceed 30 m.
639. The presence of persons shall be prohibited in the working area of the cutting head, beneath an operating conveyor, at its discharge and turning section, and in the vicinity of the roadheader while it is moving.
640. Inspection of the face and installation of its support shall be carried out after the roadheader has been withdrawn from the face by 1.5-2 m and shifted to one side of the working to provide a passage for personnel.
641. Prefabricated, movable and re-positionable formwork for cast-in-place linings shall be erected in accordance with the work execution project or process flow charts. Before reinforcement work begins, the formwork shall be accepted by a commission appointed by the technical manager of the organisation.
642. In the area where lining concreting work is carried out, free passage for transport and personnel shall be organised. Walkways and roadways shall be covered with continuous decking. A sign reading "Attention! Hazardous area! Work in progress" shall be posted in front of the work area.
643. The presence of persons shall be prohibited while formwork is being moved and within the space behind the formwork. When the concrete pipeline is being cleared, all persons shall be withdrawn to a distance of not less than 10 m from its outlet opening. Sections of the concrete pipeline shall be added or removed only after the concrete placer has stopped operating and the pressure in the system has been released.
644. Where the design documentation anticipates a water inflow in excess of 10 m/h, measures to reduce the water inflow shall be provided for.
645. When driving the shaft mouth (collar), a berm not less than 1 m wide shall be left around it, and the shaft lining shall project not less than 0.5 m above the level of the graded surface. The shaft mouth shall be covered with a strong continuous structure and equipped with opening hatches. When shafts up to 20 m deep are driven using jib cranes, gantry cranes, tower cranes and monorail hoist gantries as hoisting equipment, work without covering the shaft mouth shall be carried out with a continuous strong barrier not less than 1.5 m high installed around the perimeter of the shaft, with a door for the passage of personnel.
646. The part of a vertical mine shaft being deepened shall be isolated from the working level, in accordance with the project, by a deck or by a pillar left below the shaft sump. The pillar shall be reinforced from below with reliable support with continuous lagging.
647. Work on driving (including by special methods), supporting and fitting-out mine shafts shall be carried out in accordance with the design documentation and process regulations. The technical documentation shall contain requirements for: the arrangement and equipping of sinking decks, and the organisation of work on them; measures to protect against the possible falling of various objects and equipment from above; the procedure for moving the sinking deck along the shaft; the procedure for loading and unloading operations on the decks and at the face, and the operation of the kibble hoist; the support and fitting-out of the shaft and the permissible lag of the temporary and permanent support behind the shaft mouth.
648. It shall be prohibited to carry out work on fitting-out shafts and moving suspended decks without the use of fall-arrest systems, and to use suspended cradles as a hoisting conveyance.
649. When driving and deepening shafts, a suspended ladder shall be provided in case of a hoist failure, of a length sufficient to accommodate simultaneously all the workers of the largest shift. The suspended ladder shall be attached to the winch rope and located above the suspended deck. The winch shall have a combined drive (mechanical and manual) and shall be equipped with brakes.
650. When driving and deepening shafts, each hoisting installation shall have not less than two independent signalling devices. If work is being carried out simultaneously at the face and on the suspended deck, the signalling from the deck and from the face shall be separate. Two-way signalling shall be provided between the suspended deck and the face.
651. When rock is removed from the shaft face by a grab operated from the surface or from the deck, the presence of personnel at the face shall be prohibited.
652. After centrally located mine shafts have been driven to the design levels, priority shall be given to bringing the drainage pumping system into operation and holing-through the shafts to each other, to fitting-out the shafts, and to equipping a permanent or temporary (emergency) cage hoist with safety catch devices.
653. Horizontal opening, capital and development workings are driven with the shaft equipped and the faces supplied with the required calculated quantity of air using a system that excludes recirculation.
654. After installation, suspended safety decks and shaft covers shall be accepted for operation by a commission appointed by the technical manager of the organisation.
655. The location where workers are present at the face during shaft driving shall be protected from dripping water by drainage devices.
656. When a shaft is driven with rock discharged downward through a leading working, the mouth of the latter shall be covered with a lockable grille, or a flared guard 1.1 m high shall be installed to prevent people falling into the working. When installing the grille or flared guard after blasting, workers shall use safety harnesses. When rock is excavated at the face using a crane located on the surface and equipped with a grab, the presence of persons in the shaft shall be prohibited. When rock is loaded into a kibble by a grab operated from the face, persons engaged in driving the shaft may be present at the face.
657. The units for attaching pipelines to the lining and the load-slinging arrangements shall be determined by the work execution project.
658. When shafts are driven, systematic mine survey monitoring of the condition of the lining and of the subsidence of the ground surface shall be organised. The monitoring data shall be entered in a register for recording movements of the ground surface and deformations of buildings and underground structures. If the surface subsides around the mouth, near buildings and structures, or if the support deforms, excavation of rock at the shaft face shall be stopped.
659. Sinking of the caisson support shall begin only after the gap between the support collar and the tubbing lining has been filled with thixotropic slurry. The slurry level shall be 2 m above the base of the support collar. Sinking of the caisson support in a zone of waterlogged unstable rock with hydraulic loading of the face shall be carried out in compliance with the following requirements: the water level in the shaft shall exceed the level of the aquifer by not less than 1 m; mechanised excavation of the face shall be carried out evenly from the centre of the shaft towards the walls, leaving a berm not less than 0.5 m wide around the perimeter along the cutting edge of the support; the cutting edge of the support shall lead the face by a depth of not less than 1 m.
660. Driving of a shaft using caisson support in stable water-resistant rock (clays, loams) in the section after crossing water-saturated unstable rock shall be carried out in rounds to a depth of not more than one ring, leaving a berm not less than 0.75 m wide at the cutting edge of the caisson support. When a shaft is driven in hard rock by the mining method, in the section of the first five rings after crossing the aquifer, excavation of the face shall be carried out to a depth of not more than one ring with grouting of the space behind the lining. The further depth of each round is determined by the work execution project.
661. Mine shafts and other vertical workings shall have ladderways for the passage of personnel. Ladders shall be installed at an angle of not more than 80 degrees and shall project 1 m above the mouth of the working. Metal brackets shall be firmly secured into the support above the opening of each deck. The inner side of a bracket shall be spaced not less than 4 cm from the support, the distance between brackets shall not exceed 0.4 m, and the width of a bracket shall be not less than 0.4 m. The design of the ladderways shall ensure the free movement of mine rescue teams wearing respirators and shall satisfy the following conditions: the size of the opening normal to the ladder shall be not less than 1.0 m, its width not less than 0.6 m; the distance from the base of the ladder to the support or the ladderway lining shall be not less than 0.6 m; the distance between ladder platforms shall be not more than 4 m; ladders shall be secured with metal ties every 2 m and positioned so that they are not located above openings in the decks. The width of a ladder shall be not less than 0.4 m, and the distance between rungs shall be not more than 0.4 m. The opening above the topmost ladder shall be closed by a hatch. The compartment for the passage of personnel shall be partitioned off along its entire length from other compartments. Each ladder platform shall be illuminated. For the period of driving a shaft up to 15 m deep, suspended ladders may be installed, secured to the shaft support and fitted with safety hoops. The exit of the ladderway to the surface shall be equipped with a protective booth.
662. When driving vertical workings, it shall be prohibited to: carry out work simultaneously at different levels of height in the absence of a safety deck installed not more than 2.5 m from the working deck; stack rock, equipment and materials on the shaft-mouth cover, within the fenced area, or on suspended decks; deliver tools and fastening parts to workstations without using containers specifically intended for this purpose; dismantle the safety deck before the pit-bottom cross-cut has been completed and horizontal workings have been driven for a length of up to 20 m.
663. When tunnels are constructed without the use of compressed air, in a zone of possible inrush of water or ground masses, bulkheads shall be installed in the completed section of the tunnel in accordance with the construction organisation project. The bulkheads shall provide for gates to allow the passage of rolling stock and a door for the evacuation of personnel.
664. Driving of workings in zones of geological disturbance, and also in areas of possible water inrush, shall be carried out in compliance with the following requirements: before work begins, the roof-control support specifications shall be finalised, together with the work execution project including the necessary calculations of the load-bearing capacity of the support and the extent of its lead or lag relative to the face; monitoring of changes in the condition of the ground mass, the condition of the support and deformations of the structures being erected shall be intensified, and a record of water inflow shall be organised for every shift; platforms and decking shall be erected in the upper part of large cross-section workings, or ropes suspended (handrails installed) in small cross-section workings, for the emergency evacuation of personnel; protective watertight bulkheads with hydraulic seals shall be erected; when driving with the use of blasting operations, all persons present in areas of possible water inrush shall be withdrawn beyond the erected bulkheads for the duration of the blasting operations and the ventilation of the face; drilling of advance control-observation boreholes shall be organised. The boreholes shall lead the face by not less than 5 m. Drilling of the boreholes shall be carried out through an equalising pipe string or shut-off blowout-prevention devices.
665. When workings are driven beneath buildings and structures, engineering utility lines, or within the zone of underground structures, the operating organisation shall hold information on the coordinates of such facilities and shall have the ability to communicate promptly with their owners.
666. The design documentation shall specify the precise plan position of previously drilled boreholes relative to the underground structure under construction, and their depth, to enable timely measures to be taken against possible ingress of water and ground masses into the working. Where drilled boreholes intersecting aquifers are present in the work area, documentary confirmation that they have been grouted shall be obtained.
667. At locations of shifts and faults, in zones of tectonic fracture, and also where the degree of rock fracturing increases, the length of the round shall be reduced, the load-bearing capacity of the temporary support increased, and the permanent lining erected without lagging behind the face.
668. When constructing underground structures in permafrost ground, the temperature regime of the rock in the workings shall be observed, and seasonal fluctuations in air temperature shall be taken into account when carrying out mining operations in portal areas. When workings are driven under these conditions, the design documentation shall provide for the minimum lag of the permanent lining behind the temporary support.
669. In projects for the construction of underground structures in areas with seismicity exceeding 7 points (on the Richter scale), linings, temporary buildings and structures shall be designed taking seismicity into account. Resumption of work after an earthquake exceeding 5 points shall take place only after the condition of the workings, support, utility lines and above-shaft buildings has been inspected and the results recorded in a report.
670. When work is carried out close to moving vehicles, workstations shall be fenced off and, at night, marked with warning lamps. Checks shall be carried out at such locations for the presence of hazardous potentials from stray currents. The stacking of materials and equipment shall be prohibited closer than 2 m from the nearest rail or kerbstone. The presence of persons in the pit during the installation of precast manhole elements shall be prohibited.
671. The work execution project for carrying out work in operating utility tunnels, chambers and manholes, and for connecting newly constructed tunnels to operating ones, shall be agreed with the operating organisation. The work shall be carried out in the presence of a representative of the organisation owning the structure, with a permit to work for high-hazard operations issued to those performing it. Before work begins in an underground structure, a rapid analysis of the air composition shall be carried out. The procedure for organising and carrying out monitoring of air composition is established by instructions approved by the technical manager of the organisation.
672. If a harmful or hazardous gas is detected in the air of an operating underground structure, personnel shall be withdrawn to fresh air, forced ventilation of the underground structure shall be carried out, and the air composition shall then be re-measured.
673. Before descending into operating underground structures, workers shall be provided with breathing apparatus, gas analysers and rescue belts with a safety rope. Every person descending shall be trained and able to give signals. A work link shall consist of not less than three persons, one of whom shall remain on the surface at the neck of the structure.
674. Driving of underground workings after ground freezing may take place only after a closed frozen contour of the design thickness has formed and the ground temperature specified by the design documentation has been reached. Driving of underground workings may begin only after an act has been signed by a commission comprising representatives of the organisation performing the freezing work, the design organisation, the general contractor and the client. In addition, before work begins, monitoring shall be organised of the concentration of refrigerant vapour in the air of the underground workings and in ventilation discharges.
675. When blasting operations are carried out, the drilling and blasting project shall provide for special safety measures to prevent damage to the freezing pipes and the ice-ground screen.
676. When driving underground workings, control shall be organised over the condition of frozen ground and the composition of the air environment. If damp patches or local darkening of frozen ground appear, or if the temperature of the ground in control boreholes changes above the value specified in the design documentation, additional measures shall be developed to ensure the safety of the work.
677. Information on the condition of the face, the quality of ground freezing, the presence of exposed freezing pipes indicating their location by station in plan and profile, and the condition of the lining shall be entered by the person exercising technical supervision in the log for inspection of support and the condition of mine workings during every shift.
678. If water seeps through the contour of the frozen ground, work, other than repair work, shall be stopped until additional freezing has been carried out or a design has been developed to ensure the safe conduct of the work. Driving underground workings in frozen ground with the temporary support lagging behind the face shall be prohibited. The lag of the permanent lining behind the face shall be determined by the design documentation. In plastic ground (clays, marls) prone to heaving, workings shall be driven in small rounds not exceeding 2 m, which shall be supported immediately. Instruments for monitoring the temperature of the frozen ground shall be installed in the temporary support section.
679. For the period of artificial ground consolidation and work in workings consolidated by injection of chemical reagents, control over contamination of drainage water and mine air shall be organised. In construction using methods of artificial ground consolidation, persons shall be admitted to the place of work in underground workings only after the composition of the air has been checked and the oxygen content and the maximum permissible concentration of harmful gases in it have been assessed. Work in workings with ground artificially consolidated using chemical reagents may be carried out only after completion of the injection work and acceptance by a commission headed by the technical manager of the organisation that carried out the ground consolidation, with the participation of representatives of the design organisation, the general contractor and the customer.
680. The station shall be operated in accordance with the requirements of the design and work execution documentation for artificial ground freezing and the manufacturers' instructions. Records of all indicators of the operation of the freezing station shall be kept, with entries made in the log for recording the operation of the freezing station.
681. The width of clear passages in machine rooms along the walls and between machines (units) shall be not less than 1.5 m, and the height of the machine and apparatus rooms shall be not less than 4 m. The distances between mobile refrigeration units, their location and the location of other refrigeration equipment at the construction site shall be determined by the work execution design. Seamless drawn steel pipes shall be used for refrigerant circulation pipelines. The use of gas pipes and cast-iron pipes shall be prohibited. Welding and other hot work on pipelines and apparatus filled with refrigerant or brine shall be prohibited.
682. The brine network, comprising the flow and return brine pipelines, a distributor and a header, shall be located in the pre-shaft (collar). The following shall be installed on the brine network: pressure gauges - one each on the flow and return brine pipelines; thermometers - on the flow and return brine pipelines in special protective sockets; brine level indicators - on the circulation tank with alarm signalling of brine level drop, with the signal transmitted to the apparatus room.
683. The machine and apparatus rooms of the freezing station shall be located in a free-standing building and shall be equipped with communication.
684. The machine room of the freezing station shall have: forced supply ventilation with a two-fold air exchange per hour and exhaust ventilation with a three-fold air exchange, as well as emergency exhaust ventilation with a seven-fold air exchange per hour; a temperature of not less than 16 °C; not less than two exits, doors and windows opening outwards; an equipped place for storing not more than two cylinders filled with refrigerant. A cylinder with refrigerant shall be connected to the system only for recharging; communication, light and sound signalling; instruments for monitoring the content of harmful substances in the air; personal protective equipment for each station employee and a first-aid kit.
685. The following shall be posted in the machine hall of the freezing station: a diagram of refrigerant and brine circulation; a diagram of water circulation; instructions for the operation of refrigeration machines; instructions for the operation of electrical equipment; internal work rules; a schedule of planned preventive maintenance; the job description of the refrigeration machine operator.
686. Amenity rooms adjoining the machine room shall have a separate ventilation system. The power supply for emergency ventilation shall be provided from the main and an independent source of power.
687. Refrigeration apparatus and pipelines shall be secured. Expansion joints shall be installed on straight sections of pipelines exceeding 100 m in length.
688. On completion of installation, the refrigerant and brine circulation system of the freezing station shall be tested at the pressure specified in the work execution design.
689. Artificial thawing of frozen ground shall be carried out after the underground structures have been fully erected.
690. Charging the system with refrigerant and the operation of refrigeration machines and compressors shall be carried out in accordance with the requirements of the instructions drawn up for the freezing station and the instructions of the equipment manufacturers.
691. Pressure gauges shall be calibrated annually. In addition, the readings of working pressure gauges shall be checked not less than once every 6 months. The serviceability of thermometers and pressure gauges shall be checked daily by the personnel of the freezing station, with an entry made in the log for recording the operation of the freezing station.
692. The location of a refrigerant leak shall be determined using an instrument designed for this purpose. During the operation of refrigeration machines, the water and brine discharged from the condenser shall be checked for the presence of refrigerant not less than once a month.
693. It shall be prohibited to open the cylinders and crankcase of the compressor, or to dismantle apparatus, pipelines and shut-off valves, before the refrigerant and oil have been completely removed from them, and to carry out this work without breathing apparatus and rubber gloves.
694. Cylinders with refrigerant shall be stored in fire-resistant special storerooms (without windows or heating) in a horizontal position, in a quantity not exceeding 25 per cent of annual consumption. The temperature in the storeroom shall be not higher than 25 °C.
695. The storeroom for cylinders with refrigerant shall be located not less than 50 m from buildings storing highly flammable combustible substances and shall be within a lightning protection zone. Cylinders shall be protected from sunlight. Joint storage of cylinders with different refrigerants or other compressed gases, as well as with combustible materials, shall be prohibited.
696. Freezing pipes of the brine system shall be tested for tightness with a hydraulic pressure of not less than 2.5 MPa while the pipe is being lowered, as each joint is welded, and as an assembly on completion of installation. After installation and flushing, the brine network shall be subjected to a hydraulic test at one and a half times the design pressure of the brine pump, but not less than 0.5 MPa. The brine pipeline and fittings shall remain leak-tight during operation.
697. It shall be prohibited to repair the pipelines of the brine system while pressure is present, and to remove plugs from a freezing pipe after testing.
698. Before nitrogen freezing begins, a protocol on the joint conduct of work shall be drawn up between the organisation carrying out the freezing and the organisation carrying out work in the underground workings. Before nitrogen freezing begins, all work in the workings adjoining the freezing zone shall be stopped and the workers withdrawn to the surface. Resumption of work may take place after the person exercising technical supervision of the organisation carrying out the freezing has made an entry, in the permit book of the organisation carrying out the underground work, on the possibility of resuming work.
699. Work using nitrogen freezing technology shall be carried out under a design developed by a specialised organisation holding the relevant licence. Personnel operating the system shall be familiarised, against signature in the induction log, with the instructions for personnel operating the low-temperature (nitrogen) freezing system and transport vessels with liquid nitrogen. The refrigerant used shall contain not less than 99 per cent liquid nitrogen by volume.
700. The maximum permissible working pressure in mobile and stationary vessels, and in all other elements of the nitrogen freezing system, shall not exceed 0.25 MPa.
701. Persons engaged in work with liquid nitrogen shall be provided with special protective equipment against frostbite.
702. The elements and units comprising the nitrogen freezing system shall be tested for tightness.
703. Vessels, pipelines and shut-off valves shall be checked for the absence of petroleum products before use.
704. All valves of the nitrogen freezing system shall be marked and numbered in accordance with the process diagram, which shall be applied in indelible paint to a board in the system control area. The sequence for opening and closing valves during operation shall be indicated in the work execution design and applied to the board together with the liquid nitrogen distribution diagram. All valves shall be fitted with stencils bearing numbers, labels and arrows indicating the direction of rotation of the handwheel for closing in the event of an emergency. Valves intended for emergency shutdown of the system shall be painted red. When nitrogen freezing is carried out in a shaft or a horizontal working, the nitrogen distribution diagram and the sequence for switching valves are indicated on a board installed near the collar of the freezing pipes.
705. The nitrogen discharge control area shall be provided with: an emergency stop sign; isolating self-rescuers in a number exceeding the maximum number of persons working by 10 per cent; oxygen inhalers; a medical first-aid kit; electric lighting (not less than 50 lux). Workers engaged in work using liquid nitrogen shall be trained in the rules for using gas analysers, self-rescuers and inhalers, with a corresponding entry made in the induction log.
706. In the work area, continuous monitoring of oxygen content shall be carried out during the discharge of nitrogen into the freezing system, and air samples shall be taken not less than once a day. Locations for rapid-method air monitoring shall be provided for in the work execution design. If the oxygen content is less than 20 per cent by volume, the discharge of nitrogen shall be stopped and measures shall be taken to degas the workings and to identify and eliminate the causes of the emergency. Control over air quality shall be carried out by the person exercising technical supervision.
707. When carrying out nitrogen ground-freezing work in an underground working, exhaust and supply ventilation shall be provided for in the design.
708. The road cryogenic vessel shall bear the inscription: "When closing the liquid nitrogen discharge valve, open the drain. Attention! Watch the time, the drain is open!" The operator working at the cryogenic vessel during nitrogen discharge shall be able to see the devices involved in distributing the nitrogen being discharged and the persons engaged in this work, or shall have continuous two-way communication with them.
709. Combining the nitrogen freezing process with driving and other work shall not be permitted. Liquid nitrogen may be discharged only after all persons have been withdrawn from the nitrogen freezing area. Persons not engaged in the nitrogen freezing process shall be prohibited from being closer than 30 m to the place of work. The presence of control personnel in the freezing zone in the underground working during nitrogen discharge shall be in a number of not less than two persons and subject to the availability of gas analysers and personal protective equipment.
710. When carrying out work using nitrogen freezing technology, it shall be prohibited: to close two valves simultaneously within a single closed circulation network before the liquid nitrogen has completely evaporated, where safety devices (safety valve, rupture disc) are absent on that section; to carry out welding and other hot work with an open flame on elements of the nitrogen circulation network that have not been disconnected from the process network and not purged with warm air (nitrogen) at an outlet temperature of 15-20 °C; to repair the nitrogen freezing system, or to smoke in the nitrogen freezing process control area.
711. Threaded and flanged joints shall be used for installing elements of the freezing system that are in direct contact with liquid nitrogen. Welding work shall be carried out only on pipelines in contact with evaporated nitrogen. The use of flexible non-metallic pipeline elements for more than three cycles shall be prohibited. Rigid thermal insulation materials shall not be permitted for the thermal insulation of flexible feed elements of the nitrogen freezing system.
712. The locations for installing cryogenic vessels on the surface and the routes of vehicles transporting liquid nitrogen are determined by the work execution design. The transportation routes and the location for installing cryogenic vessels in underground workings are determined by the work execution design.
713. Thawing of pipelines and fittings shall be carried out from the outside using steam or hot water. When freezing ground in the vicinity of existing permanent structures, instrumental surveying control over possible deformation of the structures shall be carried out.
714. Work shall be carried out under the direction of the person exercising technical supervision. Workings and their equipping shall be regularly inspected by persons exercising technical supervision: the section head - weekly; the mine foreman - every shift before work begins; the section mechanic - daily. The results of the inspection shall be entered in the log for inspection of support and the condition of mine workings.
715. Replacement of working support elements or lining, elimination of the consequences of collapses, water or ground mass inrushes, all repair work in mine shafts, including work related to the replacement of guide elements, the lining of ladderways or hoisting compartments, as well as work related to the enlargement of the cross-section of workings, shall be carried out in accordance with a work execution design approved by the technical manager of the organisation.
716. Work on driving through solid falls and re-timbering underground workings shall be carried out under a work execution design tied to the specific conditions and approved by the technical manager of the organisation. When re-timbering a working, it shall be prohibited to remove more than two adjacent frames or arches simultaneously before catch props have been installed in advance, or to remove nuts on more than two transverse rows of bolts in rock-bolt support. "Domes" shall be packed with waste rock and grouted.
717. Drilled boreholes shall be covered or fenced off. The locations for boreholes and the layout of equipment and utilities on the site shall be determined by the design. The horizontal distance from the drilling rig to residential and industrial premises, protection zones of power lines, oil, gas and other product pipelines, and railways and highways shall be not less than the height of the derrick plus 10 m. Stationary drilling rigs may be located at a shorter distance in populated areas, and mobile drilling rigs may operate in the immediate vicinity of buildings and structures, provided that the work execution design includes actions ensuring the safety of the work and the preservation of buildings and structures.
718. When a drilling rig is located near steep slopes (benches), the distance from its base to the edge of the slope shall be not less than 3 m. The drilling rig shall be located outside the failure prism zone.
719. Each stationary derrick shall be fitted with sound signalling and a limiter for the height of lift of the drilling tool or lifting attachment.
720. Winches used for raising masts and derricks assembled on the ground shall have a safety factor of ropes of not less than threefold in relation to the maximum possible static load and shall have a serviceable braking system. Lifting mechanisms used for erecting drilling derricks (masts) shall be located at a distance from the borehole axis equal to the height of the derrick (mast).
721. For stationary rigs, the raising and lowering of derricks and drilling masts, and the erection and dismantling of drilling rigs, shall be carried out under designs and standard erection schemes under the direction of the person exercising technical supervision. Designs and standard erection schemes shall be developed in accordance with the equipment operating instructions and these Rules and shall be approved by the technical manager of the organisation. Erection, dismantling and moving of stationary drilling derricks at a wind speed of more than 15 m/s, and during heavy rain, icing, thunderstorms and at night-time, shall be prohibited.
722. The moving of stationary drilling rigs, and their disassembly and assembly, shall be carried out under the direction of the person exercising technical supervision. The route for moving drilling rigs (the route) shall be approved by the technical manager of the organisation carrying out the drilling of boreholes. Sections of increased hazard and safety measures shall be indicated on the route plan.
723. The technical condition of drilling equipment, derricks (masts), units and rigs shall be checked: by the foreman (crew leader) not less than twice a week; by persons exercising technical supervision of the organisation - not less than once a month; by the driller - when taking over a shift or after work has stopped. In addition, the technical condition of the derrick (mast) shall be checked: before and after moving; before running a casing string; after wind of a speed exceeding 9 m/s; after repair work. The results of inspection by the foreman (crew leader) and persons exercising technical supervision are entered in the drilling log. Defects found shall be rectified before work begins.
724. Borehole drilling work shall be carried out subject to the availability of the following technical documentation: a work order; a work execution design; a certificate of acceptance of the drilling rig for operation; an order for opening the site; protocols of measurements of earthing resistance and the insulation of electrical equipment and electrical networks; a certificate of pump pressure testing.
725. Borehole drilling work shall be carried out in agreement with the administration of the populated area (territory) and the requirements of the owners of utilities and structures.
726. During round-trip operations, not less than three turns of the rope shall remain on the winch drum; the dead end of the travelling block rope shall be secured with three screw clamps in a fitting mounted on a separate foundation or on the base frame of the drilling derrick (mast); the bending radius of the rope shall be not less than 9 rope diameters.
727. When abandoning boreholes, the organisation carrying out the drilling work shall record the coordinates and depth of the boreholes on topographic plans. When boreholes are decommissioned, they shall be plugged.
728. Injection work for artificial ground consolidation shall be carried out in accordance with a work execution design, which shall provide for: the permissible injection pressure, consumption norms for injection solutions, safety measures for handling chemical reagents, and the possibility of combining with other work.
729. Before work begins, injection equipment and utilities shall be tested at a pressure exceeding the maximum injection pressure by 1.5 times, but not less than 0.5 MPa, and accepted by a commission headed by the technical manager of the specialised organisation carrying out the work, with a certificate drawn up. Safety valves adjusted to the design pressure, with a device for collecting discharges, shall be installed on the pipelines for injecting solutions.
730. When carrying out injection work: the operation of non-airtight suction and discharge lines of the injection system, pumps, tanks and dosers shall not be permitted; the transportation and storage of resins, liquid glass, acid and other chemical reagents shall be carried out in airtight metal containers with tightly closed lids. All containers used shall bear labels with the name of the chemical reagent; in mine workings at the place where injection chemical solutions are prepared, the stock of chemical reagents shall not exceed the quantities required for the chemical consolidation of ground for one round; units used for preparing injection solutions shall be equipped with hatches with tightly closing lids. Preparation of solutions in containers with open lids shall be prohibited; equipment used for injecting solutions (pumps, hoses, injectors) shall be flushed during and after completion of work. The products of flushing and the residues of gel-forming solution shall be collected in a special hermetically sealed container and removed to the surface for neutralisation; a diagram of the control of mechanisms, indicating the sequence of start-up and shutdown operations, shall be posted at the places where solutions are prepared (mixing unit).
731. During work on injection ground consolidation, work in the underground working not related to it shall be carried out outside the hazardous zone defined by the work execution design. When working with chemical reagents, the content of toxic substances at the workplace shall not exceed the maximum permissible concentrations. Clean water, a 10 per cent solution of baking soda and protective equipment for workers, the need for which shall be determined by the work execution design or the manufacturers' instructions for the materials, shall be kept at the workplaces.
732. The place of ground consolidation and the mixing unit shall be connected by communication and two-way signalling (sound and light). Units for preparing liquid glass, as well as units used for cooking and heating chemical solutions, shall be regularly examined and/or subjected to hydraulic testing in the manner and at the intervals specified in the manufacturer's technical documentation or (in the absence thereof) at the intervals established by the operating organisation.
733. To prevent the possible breakthrough of caustic solutions during work from the ground surface, a surcharge of ground 1-1.5 m thick shall be left in place, or a layer of concrete not less than 10 cm thick, with holes 5 cm in diameter for driving injectors, shall be laid. Special instructions shall be developed for carrying out injection work, taking into account the requirements of the manufacturers of materials and equipment, as well as sanitary norms.
734. Drilling work for dewatering shall be carried out in accordance with the construction organisation design and the work execution design. Dewatering units shall be equipped with instruments for determining pump head and measuring vacuum.
735. When working with ejector wellpoints, each wellpoint shall be fitted with plug cocks on the pressure and discharge sides. The pressure and discharge pipelines shall bear labels indicating their purpose. When wellpoints are being driven in or withdrawn, persons not engaged in this work shall be moved away to a distance of not less than one and a half times the length of the pipe string. Wellpoints shall be withdrawn using special wellpoint extractors. The axis of the wellpoints (light and ejector) shall be not closer than 0.5 m to the edge of the earth excavation and not closer than 1 m to the contour of the lining in the case of closed-method work.
736. It shall be prohibited to operate dewatering units located near underground water intakes without agreement with the operating organisation. Hydraulic jetting or driving of wellpoints shall be prohibited if this may cause damage to existing structures and utilities.
737. During the operation of a dewatering unit, monitoring of the groundwater level shall be organised, the results of which shall be entered in the log for observing changes in groundwater level during dewatering, together with instrumental surveying observation of buildings and structures located within the zone affected by dewatering.
738. Bitumen-boiling rooms shall be located not less than 50 m from residential and administrative-amenity buildings and storage premises, and 15 m from the edges of pits and trenches. Heating bitumen above 300 °C shall be prohibited, and boilers shall be equipped with thermometers. Fuel shall be stored not less than 10 m from bitumen-boiling boilers. The storage site shall be provided with primary fire-fighting equipment. Hot bitumen shall be lowered into underground workings and pits in hermetically sealed containers.
739. Work using highly flammable liquids shall be carried out under the supervision of the person exercising technical supervision. Workplaces for preparing and applying bitumen or polymer materials shall be provided with supply and exhaust ventilation. The procedure for monitoring the air environment is determined by the work execution design. Bitumen may be heated at the workplace in electric bitumen boilers equipped with tightly closing lids. The use of open-flame appliances shall be prohibited. Work on preparing and applying polymer materials shall be carried out under the direction of the person exercising technical supervision.
740. After use, wiping material shall be collected in a special container for subsequent removal to the surface and disposal. Burning used wiping material shall be prohibited. Surface storerooms for storing polymer materials and containers shall comply with the requirements of the technical specifications for those materials.
741. Resumption of work and the admission of persons into underground structures after the application of polymer coatings may take place only after harmful and explosion- and fire-hazardous substances have been completely removed from the work area and the air environment has been brought to values complying with sanitary norms.
742. The technical characteristics of shield tunnel-boring complexes, roadheaders, drilling, loading and other equipment used in underground work shall correspond to their conditions of operation. On completion of the installation of a tunnel-boring complex, the main working units, systems and technical devices are tested, with the drawing up of corresponding certificates. After completion of driving the first 50 m with tunnel-boring complexes of 3.6 m diameter or more, a commission appointed by the head of the organisation decides on the readiness of the equipment for operation.
743. The workplace of the mechanised shield operator shall be equipped with light and sound signalling connected to all workplaces on the mechanisms of the process complex. The motors of the working member of the shield or roadheader shall be switched on only after the operator has verified that there are no persons at the face, no collapsed ground, no remains of support or other objects.
744. When inspecting the face, the working members of the shield and drives, all motors shall be de-energised, and a sign reading "Do not switch on - people working!" shall be posted on the control panel.
745. Extendable platforms of drilling frames shall have extension limiters, as well as devices preventing them from falling out. The presence of more than two persons on a platform shall be prohibited. The technical condition of the rigs shall be checked in accordance with the instructions, but not less frequently than at the following intervals: every shift before work begins - by the operator; weekly - by the section mechanic; monthly - by the organisation's chief mechanic.
746. Moving a drilling rig from one face to another shall be carried out only in the transport position. Each drilling rig on rail or pneumatic wheels shall be fitted with rail clamps or outriggers. Drilling frames shall be equipped with cradles for carrying out work.
747. It shall be prohibited to use the manipulators of drilling frames not equipped with special attachments ("horns") for installing elements of temporary support, reinforcement cages or precast formwork.
748. The cable of the loading machine shall be secured with a clamping band at the location specified in the manufacturer's instructions, and shall have an additional rubber sheath over a length of 1.0-1.5 m from the machine, protecting the cable from friction. The cable shall not be buried under rock.
749. Repair work on the pneumatic feeder, the material pipeline and the nozzle, and the removal of blockages, shall be carried out only after the compressed air has been disconnected and the pressure in the system released.
750. Pipes and hoses of the concrete/mortar line shall be connected to each other and to the feeders only by means of flanges or quick-release couplings. In the working position, mortar line hoses shall not have bends at a right or acute angle and shall be secured with clamps to reliable structures every 5 m, but not less than at two points. Securing concrete lines and hoses with wire shall be prohibited.
751. Pneumatic concrete feeders (mortar pumps) and pipelines shall be equipped with sealed pressure gauges and safety valves adjusted to a pressure exceeding the working pressure by not more than 10 per cent.
752. The place of concrete mix delivery using concrete pumps shall be connected to the workplace of the concrete pump operator by two-way communication.
753. When sinking and deepening mine shafts more than 40 m deep, the lowering and hoisting of loads and persons shall be carried out in sinking buckets. The lowering and hoisting of persons in self-tipping buckets is permitted where an interlock is provided ensuring that the bucket is not raised above the lower landing. For the sinking of mine shafts up to 40 m deep, lifting cranes with winches may be used for lowering and hoisting loads. In this case, the lowering and hoisting of persons in the bucket and the presence of persons underneath the load shall be prohibited. For lowering and hoisting materials in ore passes, lifting mechanisms with electric hoist suspension may be used. In this case, the lowering or hoisting of persons shall be prohibited. When sinking and operating shafts equipped with a single hoisting conveyance and lacking a ladder compartment, escape ladders shall be provided, lowered and raised by winches with an independent power source or manual drive.
754. When lowering and hoisting persons and loads in buckets: movement along guides, and movement of buckets without guides, shall be within a distance of not more than 20 m from the shaft face. Where sinking units are used for sinking vertical workings, this distance may be increased to 40 m; the lowering and hoisting of persons in buckets without guide frames and not fitted with canopies to protect workers from injury by accidentally falling objects shall be prohibited. In this case, measures shall be taken against swinging and rotation of the bucket; the speed of movement of the bucket along the shaft shall not exceed 0.3 m/s, and for deep shafts shall not exceed 1 m/s, while on approach to the work site within a distance of up to 15 m it shall not exceed 0.3 m/s; the boarding of persons into buckets and their exit therefrom shall be carried out at the lower landing from special ladders or from the steps of the bucket, only with the flap gates closed and the bucket stopped; the boarding of persons into buckets and their exit therefrom at intermediate levels and chambers shall be carried out from hinged platforms, and at stages and tension frames only when the side of the stopped bucket is level with the bell or the floor level, with doors provided at the bell; it shall be prohibited to ascend or descend standing, or sitting on the edge of the bucket, and to lower or hoist persons in a loaded bucket; the lowering and hoisting of persons in buckets that discharge through the bottom shall be prohibited; the hoisting installation shall have safety devices allowing the flap gate drive to be engaged only after the descending bucket and guide frame have passed through them; the hoisting installation shall be fitted with devices signalling the jamming of the guide frame, or measures shall be taken to prevent it from jamming and to ensure that the bucket stops if the guide frame jams. When lowering and hoisting loads and persons in buckets, sinking hoisting installations shall be fitted with interlocking devices preventing the bucket from passing through the bell at the lower stage when a loading device is located beneath the bell.
755. Before starting work, the hoisting machine operator shall check that it is in good working order. The lowering and hoisting of persons and loads shall be carried out only after a preliminary idle run of the hoisting conveyances. For each hoisting installation, instructions for the lowering and hoisting of long and oversized loads shall be developed and approved by the technical manager of the organisation, with specific indication of the sequence of technological operations and the auxiliary equipment and fixtures used. The following shall be available at the hoisting installation: technical passports for the hoisting machine, gearbox, suspension and coupling devices, hoisting conveyances, catch gear, headframe sheaves and hoisting electric motor; drawings of the catch gear devices with controlled dimensions, of the braking device with the main dimensions indicated, and as-built electrical drawings (schematic, wiring and earthing); instructions for the hoisting machine operator, the onsetter and the banksman (at the workplace); reports on the results of flaw detection, the annual overhaul and adjustment, records of the half-yearly technical inspection and testing, and of the mine surveyor's check of the hoisting installation in accordance with the requirements of these Rules; catch gear test reports; certificates (manufacturer's) and test certificates for the hoisting ropes; bound logbooks: records of the results of shaft inspections and hoisting installation inspections; records of hoisting rope inspections and their service life; a log for the handover of shifts between hoisting machine operators; a hoisting work schedule, approved by the technical manager of the organisation, indicating the times of inspections and of the lowering and hoisting of persons and loads; diagrams of the working and standby shaft signalling systems.
756. An order of the organisation shall appoint onsetters, banksmen and persons responsible for: the organisation of the lowering and hoisting of persons and loads; and the condition and inspection of shafts, ropes, hoisting machines, coupling, safety and other devices of the hoisting installation.
757. The equipping of a man-and-materials bucket hoisting installation shall be carried out in accordance with the requirements of the work execution project, which shall comply with the following conditions: hoisting shall be carried out using a permanent or sinking headframe; buckets for lowering and hoisting persons shall be not less than 1 m in height, with the designation "for hoisting persons and loads" indicated in the passport. The use of self-tipping buckets and buckets with an opening bottom shall be prohibited; buckets shall move along guides or in special shaft compartments fitted with lining along their entire length. Movement of buckets without guides may take place within a distance of not more than 20 m from the shaft face. Where sinking units (loading machines, grabs) are used for sinking vertical workings, this distance may be increased to 40 m; the lowering and hoisting of persons and loads in buckets without guide frames and not fitted with canopies shall be prohibited. When carrying out emergency and repair work in the shaft, the lowering and hoisting of persons and loads in buckets without guide frames may be carried out. The guide frame shall be secured at the discharge platform, and the discharge flap gates shall be closed; when lowering and hoisting persons in buckets, not less than 0.25 m2 of bottom area shall be provided per person; the boarding of persons into buckets and their exit therefrom shall be carried out at the lower landing from special ladders or from the steps of the bucket, with the flap gates closed and the bucket stopped; the boarding of persons into buckets and their exit therefrom at intermediate levels and chambers shall be carried out from hinged platforms, and at stages only when the side of the stopped bucket is level with the bell or the floor level, with doors provided at the bell; when lowering and hoisting loads and persons in buckets, sinking hoisting installations, where mechanised rock loading is used, shall be fitted with interlocking devices preventing the bucket from passing through the bell at the lower stage when a loading device is located beneath the bell. The speed for hoisting persons and loads shall be determined by the project. The maximum speed shall be adopted in accordance with the data given in Table No. 11.
758. In mine hoisting, the safety brake shall, when engaged, bring the conveyance to a complete stop with a deceleration of not less than 1.5 m/s2 when lowering the design load and not more than 5.0 m/s2 when hoisting the design load. In inclined workings, the following deceleration shall be set for safety braking: 5 m/s2 for angles of inclination of 50 degrees and more; 1.5 m/s2 for angles of inclination from 30 to 50 degrees; 0.75 m/s2 for angles of inclination of less than 30 degrees.
759. In a sinking two-bucket hoisting installation, the clearance between the central guide ropes shall be not less than 300 mm. Where the shaft depth exceeds 400 m, buffer ropes or other devices preventing possible collision of the buckets shall be installed. These devices are not required where the clearances between the central guide ropes are not less than: H 250 + —, mm, 3 where H is the shaft depth, m. The clearance between moving buckets and projecting parts of pipelines, services and shaft support shall be not less than 400 mm. The clearance between the walls of the bell of the sinking stage and the projecting parts of the moving guide frame or bucket shall be not less than 100 mm, including at the ground-level and discharge platforms.
760. During the operation of bucket, man-and-materials and materials hoisting during the sinking of mine shafts, the bucket bail shall be replaced or repaired where the wear of its eye or of the replaceable bushing in the eye exceeds 5 per cent of the pin diameter. The total wear of the eye or replaceable bushing of the bail and of the pin connecting it to the bucket shall not exceed 10 per cent of the pin diameter. An injured person shall be raised to the surface in the bucket only with an attendant. The injured person shall be attached by a safety belt to the bucket bail or to the coupling device. The loading of materials and tools into a bucket suspended from the rope, and the suspension of equipment or materials from the rope while the flap gates are open, shall be prohibited. The lowering and hoisting of materials without a bucket shall be carried out on a special coupling device.
761. The bucket shall be loaded to not less than 100 mm below the top edge of its side. It shall be prohibited to use a bucket without devices for holding the bail in the lowered position, with a clearance between the bail and the bucket body of not less than 40 mm. When hoisting rock in buckets, the shaft shall be opened only in the part necessary for the passage of the buckets, and the flap gates shall be opened only for the passage of a bucket. The design of the flap gates shall prevent rock or other objects from falling into the shaft during the discharge of buckets. The presence of persons beneath the bucket compartment during the lowering and hoisting of buckets shall be prohibited.
762. When hoisting and lowering loads along the shaft without a conveyance, with the loads attached directly to the rope by means of a coupling device, all workers at the shaft face shall be withdrawn to a safe place provided for in the work execution project.
763. The sinking stage shall have a solid deck to protect workers at the shaft face from falling objects, and shall have bells not less than 1600 mm in height for the passage of buckets.
764. Single-deck suspended stages shall be suspended from the rope at not less than four points.
765. Two-deck or multi-deck stages and their attachments to the hoisting rope shall be designed so that horizontal stability is not impaired and the possibility of the stages jamming is precluded.
766. When moving the stage, or installing or dismantling pipelines or suspended equipment, work at the shaft face shall be stopped and the workers withdrawn from the face to the surface. Work on moving the stage shall be carried out under the direction of a person exercising technical supervision, in accordance with the work execution project. The winches moving the stage shall ensure equal speed of movement of the ropes, and their power supply circuit shall provide for simultaneous switching-on, so as to ensure that the stage moves with minimal skew. When moving stages, it shall be prohibited to: give signals to the hoisting machine and to the winches at the same time; carry out other work at the face and on the stages; allow persons not engaged in moving the stage to be present in the shaft. After the stage has been moved, work on it and at the face may be resumed only after the stage has been set on extendable supports (not less than three) or jacks braced against the shaft walls, the stage and tension frame have been centred, and new marks have been made on the hoisting machine's depth indicator. The clearance between the working support and the stage, after it has been set in the working position, shall be covered with skirts. A loading diagram shall be displayed on the stage, indicating the maximum permissible number of persons on the stage at any one time and a list of the materials or equipment, with their weight and quantity indicated.
767. Suspended stages and cradles carrying pumps and equipment shall be secured to the permanent or temporary shaft support after each movement. Pump units and starting apparatus shall be secured to these stages and cradles. The connection to the hoisting rope of suspended chains, hooks, stages, pumps, pipelines, tensioning devices and other equipment shall preclude any possibility of their accidental disconnection.
768. Winches shall be secured to a foundation or fitted with ballast ensuring their stability under load, in accordance with the work execution project.
769. Cages used for lowering and hoisting persons shall have solid metal openable roofs or roofs with an openable hatch, and a solid, sound floor. The floor may have securely fastened removable sections or hinged flaps for the inspection of stop devices. The sides of cages shall be sheeted with solid metal plates over their full height. Openings in the cage sheeting opposite the location of the guides shall be prohibited. Handrails shall be provided along the long sides of the cage. Doors shall be provided at the end sides of the cage. Doors shall open inwards and be secured with a bolt located on the outside. The top edge of the door shall be not less than 1200 mm above the level of the cage floor, and the bottom edge not more than 150 mm above it. The design of the doors shall include stop devices preventing the doors from being removed while in the closed position. Cages shall be fitted with stops and catches ensuring the mine cars are reliably held in place while the cage is moving. Cages shall have suspension devices for hoisting and lowering large-size equipment and long materials.
770. The distance from the floor to the most projecting part beneath the cage roof shall be not less than 1.9 m, excluding the main spring rod. The spring rod shall be guarded by a protective sleeve. The protective sleeve shall be lined with rubber where the distance to it from the cage floor is less than 1.9 m.
771. The floor area in the cage shall be not less than 0.2 m2 per person. The number of persons carried by the cage shall be indicated in a notice at the onsetters' workplaces. Cages used for lowering and hoisting persons shall be fitted with catch gear. Catch gear shall be tested not less than once every six months and inspected daily by the section mechanic.
772. Two-cage hoisting installations, and single-cage installations without a counterweight or fitted with a counterweight, shall be used as man-and-materials hoisting installations. The counterweight rope shall be the same as the hoisting rope, and the mass of the counterweight shall be equal to the mass of the cage plus the mass of an empty mine car. The counterweight shall move in guides and shall be separated from the cage compartment by a partition of rails or ropes, unless the counterweight is fitted with catchers in case of rope breakage.
773. The clearances between the sliding guide shoes of the hoisting conveyance (counterweight) and wooden guides, at the time of their installation, shall be 10 mm on each side (total clearance 20 mm), and 5 mm for metal guides, at the base mark, while over the depth of the shaft the total clearances for wooden guides shall be 20 mm (plus/minus 10 mm), and for metal guides 10 mm (plus/minus 8 mm). The base mark is the section of the guides from the limit switch on the headframe to the upper landing. Shoes shall be replaced where the wear of the contact surfaces exceeds 8 mm per side. The total wear of guides and sliding shoes per side shall not exceed 18 mm for wooden guides and 10 mm for metal guides. Where the wear of guides reaches 15 mm per side for wooden guides, 8 mm for metal guides, and, for rope guides, 15 per cent of the nominal rope diameter but not more than half the diameter of the outer wires, the worn guides shall be replaced. The clearances between the most projecting elements of the mine cars and the cage shall be not less than 50 mm. The clearances between hoisting conveyances, the support and the buntons in the shafts of vertical mines shall comply with the dimensions given in Table No. 12.
774. The maximum angle of deflection (deviation) of the hoisting rope line on the guide sheaves and drums of man-and-materials hoisting shall not exceed 1 degree 30 minutes. For materials hoisting winches, the angles of deviation shall be up to 2 degrees 30 minutes.
775. The timber chute at the surface shall be fenced with a barrier 1 m in height and have flap gates, and at the shaft station shall have an opening allowing long materials to be freely received. The opening shall be closed by lockable gates. The collars of vertical and inclined workings shall be permanently fenced on the non-working sides to a height of not less than 2.5 m, and shall have doors or safety grilles on the working sides. When constructing utility tunnels, the collars of shafts and inclined workings shall be fenced to a height of 1.2 m, with a door provided at the entrance to the ladder compartment. A continuous kerb preventing accidental falls into the shaft shall be provided along the entire perimeter of the fencing to a height of not less than 0.15 m. In the shaft station doorways and cross-cuts, the opening allowing the receipt of long materials shall, during periods when it is not in use, be closed by lockable gates 2 m in height.
776. A bypass manway shall be provided at the shaft station without fail. It shall be prohibited to obstruct the bypass manway, and to allow persons to pass through the hoisting compartments of the shaft. When constructing utility tunnels, a manway may be provided within the cross-section of the mine shaft, provided that a solid, sound partition is installed between the hoisting compartment of the shaft and the manway. The manway shall have a sound protective deck ensuring the safe passage of persons. The passage of transport and the exchange of mine cars may take place within the cross-section of the shaft where the shaft is not fitted with cage hoisting. Safety grilles, interlocked with the hoisting signalling system, shall be installed at the landings, at the ground level and at the shaft station to prevent persons from passing through the hoisting compartments. A protective canopy shall be provided over the onsetter's workplace.
777. A hoisting installation used for shaft sinking shall have not less than two independent signalling devices, one of which shall perform the functions of the working signalling system, and the other of the standby and repair signalling system. The working signalling device shall enable signals to be given from the shaft face and from the suspended stage to the banksman, and from the banksman to the hoisting machine operator, while the repair and standby device shall enable signals to be given from any point in the shaft to the banksman.
778. The overwind height for hoisting installations is established as follows: not less than 4 m at a hoisting speed of not more than 3 m/s - for man-and-materials cage hoisting installations; not less than 6 m at a hoisting speed of more than 3 m/s - for man-and-materials cage hoisting installations; not less than 2.5 m - for materials hoisting installations when hoisting with cages, skips and platforms; not less than 4 m - for bucket hoisting when lowering and hoisting persons; not less than 2.5 m - when transporting loads.
779. Man-and-materials hoisting machines and winches shall have an electric drive fitted with a dynamic braking system. In the event of a malfunction, the dynamic braking system shall act on the safety brake and shall have electrodynamic feedback. Man-and-materials hoisting machines and winches shall have a standby electric motor. Each hoisting machine shall be fitted with working and safety mechanical brakes with independent drive engagement. Hoisting installations shall be provided with machines having two independent brake drives. The safety brake shall act on the rope-winding member.
780. Mine hoisting machines used for hoisting and lowering persons shall have single-layer rope winding. With single-layer rope winding, the flange height of the hoisting machine drums shall be not less than 1.5 rope diameters. Where more than one layer of rope is wound, the flange shall project above the top layer by not less than 2.5 rope diameters. The (critical) section of rope with a length of a quarter of the last coil of the bottom row (the transition to the top row) shall be kept under observation, including a record of broken wires, and the rope shall be shifted by a quarter of a coil every two months.
781. In inclined hoisting installations, the following winding of ropes on machine drums may be used: two-layer - for personnel and man-and-materials hoisting along workings with an angle of inclination from 30 to 60 degrees; three-layer - for hoisting and lowering persons along workings with an angle of inclination of up to 30 degrees; multi-layer (more than three rows) - for slow-speed materials sinking winches with a hoisting speed not exceeding 0.2 m/s.
782. The idle travel time of the hoisting machine's safety brake shall not exceed 0.5 s. The response time of the safety brake (including the idle travel time) shall not exceed 0.8 s. The idle travel time of the safety brake of materials sinking winches shall not exceed 1.5 revolutions. The engagement of the safety brake shall be accompanied by the automatic disconnection of the power supplying the hoisting machine's motor. The safety brake shall be actuated when the protection operates and by the hoisting machine operator's emergency button. In addition to the brake, a special stop device shall be provided in each hoisting machine for use when adjusting the position of the drums or repairing the braking device.
783. The hoisting machine shall be provided with an instrument showing the position of the conveyance in the mine (a depth indicator), and an automatic bell signalling to the operator the need to begin deceleration. The depth indicator shall be made to a scale of not less than 1 cm per 1 m of depth. Hoisting machines shall have monitoring instruments (an ammeter, a voltmeter, pressure gauges) showing the relevant motor power supply parameters and the pressure in the braking system, and a self-recording speed recorder (for machines with a speed exceeding 3 m/s).
784. Each hoisting installation shall be fitted with the following safety devices: for hoisting conveyances (counterweights) - a limit switch, installed on the headframe and designed to engage the safety brake when the conveyance (counterweight) is hoisted 0.5 m above the level of the upper landing (the level of the normal position for discharging the skip), and a duplicate limit switch on the hoisting machine's depth indicator; a device automatically switching off the installation where the normal speed is exceeded by 15 per cent; a safety device (a speed limiter or travel regulator) preventing the hoisting conveyance from approaching its normal upper position at a speed exceeding 1 m/s. This requirement is mandatory for cage hoisting installations with a maximum travel speed exceeding 3 m/s; maximum-current and zero-voltage protection (for electric hoisting machines), operating in the event of machine overload and loss of voltage; protection against jamming of hoisting conveyances in the discharge curves; a device giving a signal to the onsetter or the hoisting machine operator when the brake ropes are pulled out at the point of their attachment in the sump; an interlock against excessive wear of the brake shoes. This requirement does not apply to materials and sinking winches; an interlock enabling the motor to be engaged after an overwind of the conveyance only in the direction of clearing the overwind; an interlock preventing the release of the safety brake unless the working brake handle is in the "braked" position and the control apparatus (controller) handle is in the zero position; an interlock ensuring that the bucket stops, during shaft sinking, 5 m before it reaches a closed flap gate, the working stage, or the shaft face; an arc interlock between the contactors, and of dynamic braking; protection against sagging of the rope line; an interlock of swinging platforms, landing dogs and guard grilles; a duplicate speed limiter, where the main limiter does not have full self-monitoring (for personnel and man-and-materials hoisting).
785. The guides ahead of the sheaves shall be brought closer together and reinforced to jam the cage within them, over a length determined by the project.
786. The inspection of sinking stages and winches shall be carried out: by the electrical fitter - every shift and before the start of each lowering-hoisting operation; by the section mechanic - once a week; by the chief mechanic of the organisation - once a month. The results of inspections shall be recorded in the relevant logbook. Where defects are found, the operation of the winches shall not be permitted.
787. During the technical examination of winches, the static test shall be carried out, in accordance with the established procedure, with a load exceeding their working capacity by a factor of two, and the dynamic test with a load exceeding the same capacity by 10 per cent.
788. Sinking winches intended for suspending stages, protective shield-shells, formwork, pipelines and guide ropes shall be fitted with protective means against over-tensioning of the ropes. Where shafts deeper than 600 m are sunk, the protective means of the winches' starting electrical apparatus shall be used to protect against over-tensioning of the sinking winch ropes. Winches used for moving sinking equipment during shaft sinking shall be of a design incorporating working and safety braking with independent drive engagement, and a ratchet device. The engagement of the safety brake shall be accompanied by the automatic engagement of the operating brake. The braking safety factor of each brake (the ratio of the moment produced by the brake to the greatest static load moment) shall be not less than 2. Winches with an electric drive shall have an interlock automatically engaging the brake when the motor is switched off. Manual winches shall have a brake, a ratchet stop device and a duplex gear train. The handles of manual winches shall, after use, be handed over for safekeeping to the hoisting machine operator and shall be issued only with the permission of a person exercising technical supervision.
789. Hoisting conveyances, suspension and coupling devices, catch gear, guide shoes, boarding, loading and discharge devices, guide and deflection sheaves, their lining and bearings, the braking system and other elements of the hoisting installation, protective apparatus and the signalling and control system shall be inspected and checked: every shift, on taking over the shift - by the hoisting machine operator, the banksman, the onsetter and the electrical fitter on duty, within the scope of their job duties; every day (including inspection of the shaft fittings and hoisting ropes) - by the section mechanic or a person appointed responsible for the condition and inspection of the hoisting installation; not less than once every 15 days - by the section superintendent with the participation of the chief mechanic of the organisation. Additionally, the operation of the safety brake and the protective devices shall be checked. Inspections shall be carried out according to a schedule approved by the technical manager of the organisation. The results of checks shall be recorded in the relevant logbooks of the hoisting installation. Where defects or deviations are found in the operation of the hoisting installation elements, the guides or the shaft fittings, hoisting and lowering shall be stopped until the defects are remedied. The results of the inspection of defects and the measures taken shall be recorded by the section mechanic in the hoisting installation inspection logbook. An instrumental check of the correct position of the hoisting installation's headframe, the guide sheaves, and the clearances between the hoisting conveyances and the shaft support, guides and other elements, for compliance with the project and the requirements of these Rules, shall be carried out by the section's mine surveyor not less than once a year. A report shall be drawn up on the results of the check.
790. Newly installed and reconstructed mine hoisting installations shall, before being put into operation, undergo overhaul, adjustment and testing by a specialised commissioning organisation, with the participation of representatives of the organisation's electromechanical service, to the extent provided for in the guidance on the overhaul, adjustment and testing of mine hoisting installations. The overhaul, adjustment and testing of hoisting installations in operation shall be carried out not less than once a year. This requirement does not apply to auxiliary materials winches intended for the lowering and hoisting of equipment and materials. During the overhaul of braking devices and shafts of newly installed hoisting installations, flaw detection shall be carried out on them. Thereafter, flaw detection shall be carried out once every three years. A mine surveyor's check of the correct installation of the hoisting machine, the headframe sheaves and the headframe, and a check of guide wear, shall be carried out at the same time as the overhaul and adjustment. The results of the measurements shall be recorded in reports. After the overhaul and adjustment of the hoisting installation, control tests shall be carried out on it. The results of the tests shall be recorded in a protocol. Six months after the overhaul and adjustment, the hoisting installation shall undergo a technical inspection and testing with the participation of the chief mechanic of the organisation. The results of the inspection shall be recorded in a report, and the results of the testing in a control test protocol. Winches, lifts and cranes used only for lowering and hoisting loads during the sinking of vertical and inclined mine shafts up to 20 m deep shall, before being put into operation, undergo a technical inspection (examination) and testing with the participation of the chief mechanic of the operating organisation. The results of the examination and testing shall be recorded in a report.
791. After the replacement of elements of the braking system, it shall be tested. The results of the tests shall be recorded in a report. In shafts where several hoisting installations are located, an interlock shall be provided precluding the simultaneous operation of two hoisting installations when lowering and hoisting persons. All requirements applicable to hoisting installations shall extend to winches used for lowering and hoisting persons in cages and mine cars along inclined workings.
792. Steel ropes complying with the applicable requirements as to quality, construction and lay shall be used for mine hoisting installations. Hoisting and haulage ropes for man-and-materials hoisting installations shall be of grade B, and for other hoisting installations not lower than grade I. Non-rotating ropes shall be used for suspending the bucket and sinking equipment when sinking vertical shafts.
793. Ropes for hoisting installations of all systems shall be selected upon reeving with the following safety factor: 9-fold - for hoisting installations intended exclusively for the lowering and raising of people; 7.5-fold - for man-and-material cage and skip hoisting installations, mechanical loaders (grabs) in the shaft, and sinking stages; 6.5-fold - for hoisting installations intended only for the lowering and raising of loads; 5-fold - for separating ropes and rope guides of sinking hoists; 6-fold - for escape ladders, ropes for suspending stages, pumps, pipelines and sinking units. The safety factor of a rope is determined as the ratio of the total breaking force of all wires of the rope to the design static load on the rope. The design static load of a hoisting rope comprises the mass of the hoisting vessel with its attachment devices, the mass of the maximum load, and the mass of the rope from the point of departure from the sheave to the point of attachment to the hoisting vessel located at the lowest point of hoist travel.
794. Closed and semi-closed construction ropes, or round-strand non-rotating single-layer ropes of cross lay with an outer wire diameter of not less than 2 mm, shall be used as rope guides for hoisting vessels. The use of closed hoisting ropes as guides for skip hoisting shall be prohibited. The tension of rope guides shall be established by the work execution project depending on the capacity of the hoisting vessel.
795. The document confirming rope tests shall be kept at the operating organisation for the entire service life of the rope. It shall be prohibited to hang or use steel ropes with broken strands, spliced ropes, or ropes with a diameter reduced by more than 10 per cent.
796. Ropes of hoisting vessels and counterweights shall be inspected daily along their entire length at a travel speed not exceeding 0.3 m/s. An additional inspection of the rope shall be carried out weekly, during which the maximum number of broken wires of the rope over one lay length is determined. Damaged sections of the rope, and sections in which the number of broken wires over the length of one lay length exceeds 2 per cent of the total number of wires in the rope, shall be inspected with the rope stationary. The operation of ropes for suspending hoisting vessels and counterweights, and for suspending stages and mechanical loaders (grabs), shall be prohibited where the number of breaks over the length of one lay length reaches 5 per cent or more of the total number of wires. The operation of ropes intended for moving and suspending equipment, and also brake ropes and guide ropes, shall be prohibited if the number of breaks over one lay length reaches 10 per cent of the total number of wires in the rope.
797. A rope shall be rejected if, upon testing prior to reeving, the total cross-sectional area of wires that have failed the tensile and bend tests amounts to 6 per cent for ropes used for raising and lowering people (grade B), and 10 per cent for load ropes (grade I). A rope shall be removed and replaced with another if, upon re-testing: its safety factor proves to be lower than 7.5-fold for man-hoists; 6-fold for man-and-material hoists and sinking stages; 5-fold for load hoists, movable hoists, suspended stages and escape ladders; or the total area of wires that have failed the tensile and bend tests reaches 25 per cent of the total cross-sectional area of all wires of the rope.
798. The ratio of the smallest diameter of the winding device to the rope diameter shall be not less than: 60 - for guide sheaves and drums of man and man-and-material hoisting installations and sinking skip hoists; 30 - for guide sheaves and drums of load hoisting installations and winches with a hoisting height of more than 60 m; 20 - in other cases.
799. The attachment of the rope to the drum shall be designed so that, as the rope passes through the slot in the drum cylinder, it is not deformed by the sharp edges of the slot. The attachment of the rope end to the drum shaft shall be prohibited. The ends of the rope shall be attached to the drum by devices specially provided on the drum, enabling the rope to be secured at not less than three points. To relieve the tension of the rope at the point of its attachment to the drum, there shall be not less than three friction turns on the surface of the drum. In addition to the friction turns, there shall be spare turns for periodic testing of the rope. The spare turns may be located either on the surface of the drum or inside it.
800. During the operation of skip, man-and-material and load hoists in the sinking of shafts: the use of attachment devices and the hoisting rope other than for their intended purpose shall be prohibited; attachment devices shall be tested and shall have a certificate and marking indicating the works number and the date of reeving; the bail of the skip is subject to replacement or repair where the wear of its eye or the replaceable bushing of the bail and the pin connecting it to the skip exceeds 10 per cent of the pin diameter; attachment devices shall have fittings that reliably close the hook throat and prevent spontaneous unhooking.
801. The movement of people through the haulage compartment of inclined workings shall be prohibited. At the upper, lower and intermediate receiving landings of inclined workings, where haulage is by tail ropes, stops and safety barriers controlled from the receiving landings shall be installed. The stops and barriers at the receiving landings shall be closed and shall open to allow the passage of rolling stock. At the receiving landings, where haulage is by endless rope, devices preventing the rope from falling when it comes off the supporting rollers or sprockets shall be provided.
802. Where haulage is carried out along inclined workings more than 10 m in length, safety devices preventing the train from rolling down in the event of rope or coupling failure shall be provided.
803. Mine cars, platforms or other units of rolling stock left on an inclined track for the performance of work shall be secured with standard devices and coupled to the haulage rope.
804. Mine cars, platforms or other units of rolling stock left on an inclined track for the performance of work shall be secured with standard devices and coupled to the haulage rope.
805. Where loads are hoisted in skips along an inclined tunnel, a work execution project shall be developed with the following requirements: skips shall be fitted with safety devices for catching them in the event of rope failure; ties under the rail tracks, of a cross-section corresponding to the design calculation, shall be laid at intervals of not more than 1 m apart and secured; skips shall be under-loaded by not less than 20 cm below the top edge; a barrier designed to stop the skip, and also to arrest any falling load, shall be installed at the face; the hoisting installation shall be equipped with a geared winch with two brakes, working signalling, limit switches, and overspeed and zero-voltage protection.
806. During construction, persons responsible for organising the hoisting and lowering of people and loads, and for the condition and inspection of ropes, shall be appointed. The work execution project for the construction of inclined workings shall provide for the procedure for lowering and hoisting long and oversized loads.
807. In underground horizontal workings, passageways for people and clearances between the dimensions of transport vehicles and the support shall be provided. The width of passageways for people and clearances shall be determined by the distance between the dimensions of the rolling stock and the support of the working, taking into account the dimensions of equipment, pipelines and materials placed in the working, and shall in all cases be not less than the values specified in Table No. 13.
808. Rolling stock, the rail track, track devices, the contact network, signalling devices, and clear passageways and clearances shall be checked not less than once a month by a person of technical supervision, with an entry made in the log for inspection of support and the condition of mine workings. It shall be prohibited to carry out repairs to rolling stock involving air contamination (painting, hot work) in underground workings.
809. The maximum speed of rail rolling stock along horizontal workings shall not exceed: 4 km/h - for manual haulage; 3.6 km/h - for rope haulage with an endless rope; 5.4 km/h - for haulage with a tail rope; 10 km/h - for locomotive haulage. The speed of rolling stock on curved sections of track, in pit-bottom yards, at points and crossings, and in sections where any work is being carried out, shall not exceed 5 km/h.
810. The driver's seat in the locomotive cab shall have an interlock preventing the machine from being operated while standing. When temporarily leaving the cab, the driver shall switch off the engine, brake the locomotive, remove the handle from the controller, and leave the headlights switched on. The carriage of people and loads on locomotives not intended for those purposes shall be prohibited.
811. Places where work is carried out on the track shall be fenced off with signal signs installed not less than 80 m from the place of work. It shall be prohibited to attach mine cars or platforms with materials and equipment to passenger trains, or to carry explosive, flammable and caustic substances in trains carrying people. Before the carriage of people begins, the locomotive driver shall inspect the mine cars and check the serviceability of the coupling devices, signalling devices and brakes.
812. The track-laying plan for haulage tracks, with the layout of single-direction and cross-over turnouts, shall be developed with regard to the length and cross-section of the workings and the technology of their construction. In workings more than 500 m long, the laying of a single track with the provision of passing points shall be permitted. The operation of rail tracks shall be prohibited where the clearances between rail ends exceed 5 mm, and also in workings with a gradient of more than 0.01 degrees without the installation of devices preventing the possibility of runaway movement of rolling stock.
813. The radius of curvature of curves in the rail track shall be not less than seven times the length of the largest rigid wheelbase of the rolling stock at a travel speed of 5 km/h, and ten times that length at a speed of more than 5 km/h or at turning angles of more than 90 degrees. The gauge widening on curved sections with a radius of 8-10 m shall be: 10 mm - for a rigid wheelbase of 600 mm; 10-15 mm for a rigid wheelbase of 800 mm; 20-25 mm for a rigid wheelbase of 1100 mm. The superelevation of the outer rail on curved sections with a radius of 8 m shall be 20 mm at a travel speed of 5 km/h and 35 mm at a travel speed of 10 km/h, and on curved sections with a radius of 10 m - 15 mm at a travel speed of 5 km/h and 25 mm at a travel speed of 10 km/h.
814. The operation of turnouts shall be prohibited where: the switch points are battered and bent in the longitudinal and transverse directions, or do not fit tightly against the stock rail and slide chairs; the switch rods are disconnected; the switches are locked with a clearance of more than 4 mm between the closed switch point and the stock rail; there is no fixing of the position of the turnouts; or the flangeways of the turnouts are open.
815. Rails shall be joined into panels by means of tie rods spaced at 2.5 m. On straight sections or on gradients of up to 0.02 degrees, one brace and one rail anchor shall be installed per 10 m panel. On curves with a radius of less than 10 m, or on a gradient of more than 0.02 degrees, braces and rail anchors shall be installed at intervals of 5 m. The cross-sectional area of tie rods and braces shall be not less than 4 cm2.
816. Where haulage is carried out by contact locomotives, haulage rails at joints, and also all elements of turnouts and frogs, shall be connected, in addition to fishplates, by bonds whose resistance shall be equivalent to the resistance of a copper wire with a cross-section of 50 mm2 and a length of 520-560 mm. The ends of the bonds shall be welded to the rail foot on the outer side of the gauge.
817. Tipping bodies of mine cars shall have a device preventing spontaneous tipping.
818. The operation of rolling stock with a faulty running gear, brakes, signalling devices or electrical equipment, or with body walls or other parts of the rolling stock bulged outward by more than 50 mm, shall be prohibited. In workings fitted with a contact network, the operation of locomotives whose design lacks a roof over the driver's cab shall be prohibited.
819. The distance between mine cars during manual haulage shall be not less than 10 m on tracks with a gradient of up to 0.005 degrees, and not less than 30 m on tracks with a gradient of more than 0.005 degrees.
820. Manual haulage of rail vehicles weighing more than 2 t, or requiring the application of a force exceeding 20 kg, and of any vehicles on gradients of more than 0.01 degrees, shall be prohibited. Rolling units stopped on a gradient of more than 0.01 degrees shall be chocked with standard chocks. Long and oversized loads shall be transported on special platforms with an extended rigid coupling, with side stanchions and stable placement of the load being mandatory. When forming a train, a buffer mine car shall be placed between the tubbing carrier or "koza" trolley and the locomotive. The loading and unloading of long and oversized materials and equipment while the contact wire is energised shall be prohibited.
821. During the movement of rolling stock, it shall be prohibited: to push uncoupled trains; to couple to the locomotive platforms and mine cars carrying long materials, or platforms or mine cars loaded above the gauge of the vehicle; to carry out manual coupling and uncoupling of mine cars, or to use pieces of rope, wire or other makeshift materials as couplings; to push trains with a locomotive by means of stops made of boards or timber, or to use makeshift means for braking and holding rolling stock on gradients.
822. During haulage, the locomotive shall be at the head of the train. Haulage with the locomotive at the rear of the train shall be carried out: on gradients of up to 0.005 degrees, over a distance of not more than 200 m; during the construction of tunnels by mechanised tunnel-boring complexes, provided that the project has developed measures ensuring the safety of the work; in tunnels with a clear diameter of 3.0 m or less, along the entire length of the working. In such cases, the travel speed shall not exceed 4 km/h, with an audible and visual signal being given.
823. The maximum possible weight of a train and the number of rolling units in a train shall be determined in the process design by calculation, depending on the adhesion weight of the locomotive, braking conditions and the track gradient. The braking distance of a train on the maximum gradient shall not exceed 40 m when carrying loads, and 20 m when carrying people.
824. The contact network shall be sectioned by disconnectors spaced not more than 250 m apart. Sectioning disconnectors shall be installed at all branches of the contact wire.
825. Guy wires on both sides of the contact wire shall be insulated from the holder, with the distance from the holder to each of the insulators being not more than 0.3 m. The contact wire holder shall have an insulated bolt. The attachment of contact wire suspensions to ventilation ducts shall be prohibited. The distance between the contact wire and the roof bar of the support, and also from the electric locomotive's current collector to the support of the working and to the projecting parts of equipment and utilities where the wire is rigidly attached, shall be not less than 0.2 m. The height of the contact wire guy wires above the walkway decking shall be not less than 2.3 m.
826. The contact network shall have devices protecting people against electric shock. Work in the vicinity of the contact wire shall be carried out in accordance with the electrical safety requirements. Locomotives operating in workings shall be equipped with two-light signalling.
827. When repairing the contact network or repairing railway tracks, the voltage shall be switched off, the contact wire shall be earthed, and warning signals shall be posted.
828. Haulage rail tracks, where battery locomotives are in operation, shall be earthed along their entire length. The distance between earthing points shall not exceed 75 m.
829. The charging (battery) room shall be constructed of fire-resistant materials, the floors and walls shall be lined with acid-resistant materials, and the room shall be provided with its own supply-and-exhaust ventilation, not connected to the general system.
830. Rail tracks, where battery locomotives are in operation, shall be earthed. The distance between earthing points shall not exceed 75 m.
831. Fittings preventing the spillage of electrolyte shall be used for preparing the electrolyte solution and filling batteries with it. Workers shall be supplied with safety goggles, rubber gloves and aprons. For first aid in the event of electrolyte burns, agents neutralising the action of sulphuric acid or alkali shall be kept in the charging chamber. The insulation resistance of one battery shall be not less than 10 kOhm. It shall be prohibited to put faulty or contaminated batteries on charge.
832. A clear passage for maintenance personnel not less than 0.7 m wide shall be provided around the winch. Where haulage is by endless rope, the distance between mine cars shall be not less than 5 m. Couplings and attachment devices preventing spontaneous uncoupling shall be used for coupling mine cars to one another and for attaching them to the rope.
833. Reversing of machines shall be carried out over a distance of not more than 200 m. Reversing of machines within the work zone shall be carried out on the command of the persons performing the work. Exhaust gas neutralisers fitted on vehicles shall have an efficiency of not less than 70 per cent at the inlet when the exhaust gas temperature reaches 300 °C.
834. The installation of equipment for permanent facilities of underground structures shall be carried out after the completion of construction work and the drawing-up of the relevant handover-acceptance certificates for the structures and premises for installation, in accordance with the requirements of building codes and regulations, the electrical installation rules, and the construction organisation project and the work execution project, technical specifications and regulatory documents of the manufacturers.
835. The work execution project shall specify the methods for transporting large-size and heavy equipment, and for installing it on foundations. When moving, hoisting and installing large-size equipment on foundations, measures preventing it from overturning shall be provided. When carrying out installation work, standard sets of tools, machinery and fittings for the relevant types of work, approved for use in underground workings, shall be used.
836. In transformer substation rooms where batteries are installed, plates are soldered and cells are filled with electrolyte, permanent ventilation and permanent lighting systems shall be in operation, and containers with solutions for neutralising acids shall be placed in accessible locations. Smoking and the use of open flame in the battery room shall be prohibited.
837. Unwinding of cable from a drum shall be carried out with a braking device in place and in accordance with the design documentation. It shall be prohibited to lay cables along walls from ladders.
838. When lowering escalator zones and components along the inclined shaft, winches with manual and mechanical braking devices providing the necessary regulation of lowering speed shall be used.
839. Before installation of the escalator step band, the mechanical part of the emergency and working brakes of the escalators shall be adjusted.
840. During test running of escalators, the presence of unauthorised persons on them shall be prohibited.
841. The gate shall be assembled at its installation site on a prepared area. Installation shall be carried out in accordance with the work execution project and the regulatory documents of the manufacturers. The installation of pressure vessels shall be carried out in accordance with the requirements for their safe operation and the regulatory documents of the manufacturers.
842. The installation of train movement automation and telemechanics devices shall be carried out in accordance with the requirements for automation and telemechanics equipment on railway transport, and also the regulatory documents of the manufacturers.
843. A track base, intended for assembling and storing materials and carrying out rail welding, the assembly of turnouts, crossovers and stops, and other preparatory and current work, shall be constructed in accordance with the design.
844. In-base crane tracks and the base territory shall be located on level ground or on gradients of not more than 1.5 per mille, and in confined conditions, not more than 2.5 per mille. Connecting railway tracks between the base and the junction station shall be located on gradients of not more than 15 per mille and shall have devices protecting the tracks of the junction station against the emergency run-off of wagons (a turning beam, catch sidings or derailing switches).
845. Bundles of wooden sleepers shall be stacked in rows in ribbon stacks. Reinforced concrete sleepers shall be stacked with horizontal rows maintained. Spacers 40-50 mm thick shall be laid between rows of sleepers at a distance of approximately 50 cm from the ends of the sleepers. The height of a ribbon stack of wooden and reinforced concrete sleepers shall be not more than 5 m. Rails shall be stacked on their base in a pyramid-shaped stack with a height of not more than 2 m. Each upper row of the stack shall be fewer in the number of rails than the row below it by one rail from each edge. Spacers shall be laid between rows of rails. The width of the stack shall ensure vertical lifting of rails by cranes without dragging. Contact rails shall be stacked similarly in a stack with a height of not more than 1.5 m, with the distance between spacers in each row not exceeding 2 m.
846. Loading and unloading operations and the transportation of track and contact rails, turnout and crossover elements, reinforced concrete and wooden sleepers, timbers and other long and heavy materials, at the surface and underground, shall be carried out using mechanisation equipment and under the direction of a person of technical supervision. When loading sleepers onto special transport vehicles (trolleys, platforms), they shall be stacked in rows, with each row laid perpendicular to the preceding one.
847. Vehicles intended for manual haulage shall be fitted with braking devices and equipped with safety chocks. The movement of materials on special vehicles on track gradients and rises of more than 10 per mille shall be carried out by mechanised means. Welded rail strings shall be transported by mechanised means over a distance of more than 100 m.
848. The lowering of rails, sleepers and timbers down the mine shaft shall be carried out in accordance with the work execution project. When lowering in cages down the mine shaft, sleepers shall be loaded onto special transport vehicles with the bundle strapped at not less than two points, preventing displacement of the sleepers. Rails up to 25 m long, sleepers and timbers shall be lowered by mechanised means along an inclined tunnel or borehole, or through openings in the arch of shallow tunnels, in accordance with the work execution project.
849. The area of the welding site within the range of sparks shall be cleared of combustible materials, and safety screens shall be installed at the machine clamping jaws in the welding zone.
850. An even and durable decking made of non-combustible materials shall be laid along the entire length of the roller conveyors.
851. Rail strings prepared for laying in the track shall not project more than 25 mm above the top level of the rail heads of the track. The distance between the nearest lateral faces of the heads of the rail string prepared for laying and the track shall be not less than 150 mm. Rail strings laid within the track shall be spiked to the sleeper at both ends with two dog spikes and secured at the ends with wedge-type rail anchors.
852. The contact rail shall be raised by special lifters (rail lifters) tested before their first use. Each rail lifter shall have its load capacity indicated on it. On tracks where the movement of vehicles is carried out, work shall not commence until the place of work has been fenced off and the relevant safety measures have been taken.
853. These requirements apply to the closed (underground) laying of non-walk-through and walk-through pipelines (internal diameter from 250 to 2000 mm), carried out using microtunnelling complexes in the intervals between process shafts and dismantling shafts.
854. A microtunnelling complex for the closed laying of pipelines shall be provided with operating documentation containing requirements for preventing hazardous situations during installation and operation. Microtunnelling work shall be carried out in accordance with the project. Work execution projects for microtunnelling shall contain a section with measures for safety against the harmful effects of microtunnelling on surface facilities, underground structures and utilities located within the zone of possible surface subsidence.
855. The installation (dismantling) of microtunnelling complexes shall be carried out in accordance with process charts, the work execution project and the regulatory documents of the manufacturers. Acceptance of the complex for operation shall be carried out by a commission appointed by the technical director of the organisation. After maintenance or repair of microtunnelling complexes, and before their operation resumes, a check of the operational safety and reliability of the complexes shall be carried out. The check shall be carried out by a commission appointed by the technical director of the organisation. Acceptance of the complex on each new interval shall be carried out by a section commission appointed by the technical director of the organisation.
856. Process and dismantling shafts shall be fitted with guard rails not less than 1100 mm high and a toe board not less than 150 mm wide. The collar support of the shafts shall project above ground level by not less than 500 mm and shall preclude the possibility of flooding. Access of personnel to the shaft shall be by ladders not less than 500 mm wide, preventing displacement or slipping. The handrails of ladders shall project above the shaft collar by not less than 1.0 m. At shaft depths of 5 to 10 m, ladders shall have arc guards, and at depths of more than 10 m, shafts shall be equipped with ladder landings at intervals of not more than 4 m. The angle of inclination of ladders shall not exceed 80 degrees.
857. Inspection of the support of process shafts absorbing the reaction force of jacking systems shall be carried out by mine foremen not less than twice per shift, with an entry made in the shift log. If damage to load-bearing elements of the support is detected, jacking work shall be suspended. Resumption of work shall be permitted after the defects have been rectified. Inspection of the surface along the route, of the microtunnel intervals being driven, including monitoring of surface and underground facilities within the zone of influence of the tunnelling works, shall be carried out by the mine surveying service of the enterprise at intervals established by the work execution project, but not less than twice per shift.
858. During the lowering of pipes down operating process shafts, it shall be prohibited to be present in the hazardous area. The entry and withdrawal of shields through the support of process and dismantling shafts, and also the removal of support elements of the shafts that fall within the cross-section of the microtunnel, shall be carried out in the presence of a person of technical supervision.
859. In the process design, on the basis of engineering-geological surveys, a mine drainage section shall be developed, defining the methods of drainage and the parameters of the main drainage installations. The location of the main drainage installation chamber shall be determined by the construction organisation project. The floor of pump chambers shall be higher than the level of the haulage tracks by not less than 0.5 m.
860. Main drainage installations shall be equipped with emergency water-level signalling with the signal relayed to the dispatcher's control panel. When operating non-automated main drainage installations, round-the-clock attendance of maintenance personnel shall be ensured. In the main drainage chamber, instructions for the operation of the pumping installations, a diagram of the pipelines with valves and gate valves indicated, and a power supply diagram shall be displayed. The room shall be equipped with working and emergency lighting and fire protection equipment.
861. All drainage installations shall be inspected daily by the section mechanic or a specially appointed person. The results of the inspection shall be entered in the drainage installation inspection log. The cross-sections of drainage devices shall be designed for the maximum expected inflow. Flooding of decking and haulage tracks shall be prohibited. Measurements of mine water inflow and its chemical analysis shall be carried out not less than once every six months. At every underground construction site, measures for preventing flooding of mine workings by surface and ground water shall be provided for in the project and shall be implemented. During the construction of underwater tunnels, and the driving of workings in zones of possible water inrush, special emergency protection measures shall be implemented.
862. Outdoor and indoor substations shall be used for the power supply of the construction of underground structures. The reliability category of the external power supply of the facility's substation shall be determined by the construction organisation project depending on the construction method, hydrogeological and other conditions, and shall not be adopted below Category II. The power supply for the construction of utility tunnels (collectors) with a reliability level under Category III shall be performed where interruptions in the power supply of electrical installations do not create a threat to the safety of workers, the condition of mine workings and the environment. Where the reliability level of the power supply is increased, mobile power stations may be used as a back-up power source. The power supply of the most critical groups of electrical receivers - mine hoisting, drainage, dewatering installations, the main fan installation, lighting of workings and low-pressure compressor installations for work in caissons - shall be carried out from two independent power sources.
863. Networks with an insulated neutral shall be used in underground workings. Networks with a solidly earthed neutral of transformers and generators shall be prohibited, except for special transformers intended to supply converter devices of the contact networks of electric locomotive haulage, and for tunnel-boring complexes having their own transformer substation. Stationary luminaires with a voltage of up to 220 V of tunnel-boring complexes shall be used with protective disconnecting devices. The connection of other consumers and devices to those transformers shall be prohibited.
864. When constructing utility tunnels where a power supply from operating urban substations is possible, the power supply of underground electrical installations shall be carried out using networks with a solidly earthed neutral of the supply transformers, subject to the following technical actions: protection of the main line and branches to current receivers against short-circuit currents shall be carried out by instantaneous-action circuit breakers responding to overload current in any phase. The trip setting of the circuit breaker's release shall correspond to the upper limit of the operating current of the protected section of the network; monitoring of the condition of the insulation of networks and current receivers shall be carried out using fast-acting (0.05 s) protective disconnecting devices with a leakage current setting of not more than 0.01 A; repeated earthing of the neutral cores of cables shall be provided at all branches from the main line. In electrical networks with a voltage of up to 1000 V with an insulated neutral, protective earthing and continuous automatic monitoring of network insulation with an effect of disconnecting the damaged network shall be used to protect people. The total disconnection time of a network section with damaged insulation shall not exceed 0.2 s at a voltage of up to 660 V and 0.12 s at a voltage of 1000 V. The main drainage and main fan installations and the personnel and material-and-personnel hoisting installations are an exception, for which automatic insulation monitoring with an effect on a signal is permitted.
865. Inspection of the serviceability of the devices of insulation monitoring apparatus and disconnecting devices shall be carried out: every shift, by the duty electrician; daily, by the person responsible for the electrical facilities of the section; once a month, by the organisation's chief power engineer. When constructing utility tunnels, inspection of the serviceability of insulation monitoring apparatus and disconnecting devices shall be carried out not less than once a week by the electromechanic of the tunnel section, and not less than once every three months by the organisation's chief power engineer. The results of the inspection shall be entered in the log of inspections of the serviceability of the insulation monitoring devices of electrical equipment and electrical networks.
866. The power supply of surface consumers (main fan installations, hoisting installations, dewatering, compressor installations, temporary structures and lighting on the construction site, power supply of works for the development of construction sites) shall be carried out from networks with a voltage of up to 1000 V with a solidly earthed neutral. Protection of people against electric shock shall be carried out by protective neutral bonding.
867. The following operational and technical documentation shall be kept at each construction section: a list of works performed by order and in the course of current operation, drawn up by the person responsible for the electrical facilities with regard to local conditions; a log of the accounting and maintenance of protective equipment; an operational log; a log of inspections of the serviceability of the insulation monitoring devices of electrical equipment and electrical networks; a log of inspections of the insulation resistance of electrical equipment and electrical networks; a log of inspections of the earthing of electrical equipment.
868. The person responsible for the electrical facilities of the section shall have an electrical engineering education. The presence and procedure for keeping operational technical documentation shall be checked monthly by the chief power engineer. Changes in electrical installations occurring during operation shall be reflected in diagrams, which shall be signed by the person responsible for the electrical facilities, indicating his position and the date the change was made. The designations, types of electrical equipment and electrical apparatus and their numbers on the diagrams shall correspond to the actual ones. Each starting switchgear device shall bear an inscription indicating the installation or network being switched on. The use of uncalibrated fuse links shall be prohibited. Measurements on the construction site shall be taken quarterly. The measurement result shall be not less than 0.5 MΩ.
869. The following electrical networks shall be used in the construction of underground structures: for power loads - three-phase alternating current networks with an insulated neutral and a line voltage of up to 1000 V inclusive; for contact electric locomotive haulage - direct current with a voltage of up to 300 V inclusive; for the remote control of mobile mining machines and mechanisms - alternating current with a voltage of up to 42 V inclusive.
870. For the supply of individual high-power electrical energy receivers, mobile substations and transformers installed in workings, electrical cable networks in systems with an insulated neutral shall be used under underground conditions with an alternating current voltage of up to 10 kV inclusive. For the transmission and distribution of electrical energy in underground workings, cables with sheaths, protective coverings or mastic coatings that do not propagate combustion shall be used.
871. Tags indicating the purpose, type and cross-section of the cable shall be displayed at cable end terminations in electrical switchboard rooms and distribution points. The connection of cable cores to the terminals of starting apparatus without the use of lugs, special crown (vane) washers or other devices preventing the strands of the cable cores from splitting apart shall be prohibited. The connection of several cable cores to a single terminal (of a starter, transformer) shall be prohibited. The connection of an armoured cable to a flexible cable for power purposes shall be carried out via the terminals of the apparatus (starter, circuit breaker) by means of factory-made busbar boxes or connecting couplings.
872. In underground electrical networks with a voltage of up to 1000 V, protection shall be provided: of transformers and each outgoing connection from them against short-circuit currents - by circuit breakers with maximum current protection or fuse links; of electric motors and the cables supplying them against short-circuit currents, overload and no-voltage protection; of the electrical network against hazardous earth leakage currents - by circuit breakers complete with a leakage current relay for the entire electrically connected network. The total length of cables in the network shall not exceed 3 km. The value of the operating current setting of the maximum current relay of the circuit breakers shall be determined by calculation and indicated on the power supply diagram of the section.
873. A flexible cable supplying a mobile mechanism (loading machine, excavator, self-propelled wagon, roadheader) shall be suspended. The part of the cable with a rubber sheath adjoining the machine may be laid on the ground for a distance of not more than 30 m, subject to measures precluding the risk of its damage. Keeping flexible cables energised in the form of "coils" or "figures of eight" shall be prohibited. This requirement does not apply where the conditions of performing mining operations and the design of machines (laying machines, suspended pumps) provide for a reserve of flexible cable on a special device.
874. Cables laid in horizontal workings and inclined workings with an angle of up to 45 degrees shall be suspended non-rigidly, with sag, and positioned at a height precluding the possibility of the cables being damaged by moving machines and transport. The distance between the cable suspension supports shall be not more than 3 m, and the distance between cables shall be not less than 5 cm. Cables laid in inclined workings with an angle from 45 to 85 degrees shall have rigid fastening by means of clamps, brackets or other devices relieving the cable of the action of its own weight. The distance between fastenings shall not exceed 3 m. Cables laid in vertical workings and in workings with an angle of inclination of more than 85 degrees shall have rigid fastening. The distance between the cable fastening points shall be not more than 5 m. Cables laid down a borehole shall be secured to a steel wire rope by means of devices relieving the cable of its own weight, the design of which is determined by the work execution project.
875. Electrical wiring on scaffolding and staging shall be executed using a flexible cable or double-insulated wire with copper cores. The use of uninsulated wires for power and lighting electrical networks in underground workings shall be prohibited.
876. The connection of flexible cables that require disconnection during operation shall be made by means of plug couplings. In this case, the box with the contact sockets (receptacle) shall be mounted on the power supply side. The weight of the coupling shall not be transferred to the cable.
877. In underground workings not hazardous in terms of gas and dust, electrical machines, transformers and apparatus of the design specified in Table No. 14 shall be used.
878. The use in underground workings of power and lighting transformers and switching apparatus containing oil shall be prohibited (except for high-voltage cells of explosion-protected design). Oil-filled transformers or electrical apparatus may be used provided that they are located in fire-resistant chambers with lockable doors, and oil-collecting pits with a gravel bed are provided under each oil-filled apparatus containing more than 75 kg of oil.
879. Chambers shall be closed by metal doors opening outwards and not obstructing movement along the working when in the open position. Solid metal doors shall have ventilation windows that can be closed to stop the access of air into the chamber. Live parts of switchgear, panels and assemblies accessible to non-electrical personnel shall be protected by solid enclosures.
880. The floors in the chambers of electrical distribution points, in front of and behind the distribution switchboard for its full length, shall be covered: at a voltage of up to 380 V inclusive - with wooden gratings on insulators or dielectric mats; at a voltage exceeding 380 V - with wooden gratings on insulators additionally covered with dielectric mats.
881. Passages around switchgear shall be not less than 0.8 m wide. Uninsulated live parts located above a passage at a height of less than 2.2 m shall be enclosed by a solid mesh enclosure. In approach and haulage temporary underground workings, high-voltage power transformers shall be installed in niches with a concrete or metal lining.
882. A common earthing network shall be arranged at the construction site and in underground workings, to which the electrical installations subject to earthing and local earth electrodes shall be connected. The common earthing network shall have continuous electrical connection. Metal parts of electrical devices that are not normally live but that may become live in the event of damage to the insulation, as well as metal pipelines, signal cables and other items located in workings containing electrical installations and wiring, shall be subject to earthing. These requirements do not apply to metal support, non-current-carrying rails, or pipe and cable suspensions.
883. Steel plates with an area of not less than 0.79 m2 and a thickness of not less than 5 mm, placed in a sump or water collector, as well as steel pipes with a diameter of not less than 50 mm and a length of not less than 2 m, placed in a drill hole to a depth of not less than 1.5 m, shall be used as earth electrodes in mines. The metal lining of tunnels may be used as an earth electrode, in which case it shall be connected to the mine-wide earthing network. Certificates indicating the parameters and locations of all earth electrodes shall be drawn up. An object subject to earthing shall be connected by a separate earthing conductor directly to the earth electrode or to a common earthing conductor (busbar, loop). An earth electrode shall be connected to the common earthing network by conductors of the same cross-section.
884. In addition to connection to the local earth electrode and the mine-wide earthing network, the earthing loop in the chamber of a traction substation of contact electric locomotive haulage shall be connected to the current-carrying rails used as the return conductor of the contact network, or to the negative pole of the direct current source (rectifier installation) connected to the rails. In addition, the current-carrying rails used as the return conductor of the contact network shall be connected to the common earthing network.
885. The metal sheaths and earthing cores of direct current cables shall be earthed only on one side by connecting them to the negative pole of the rectifier installation. Two-sided earthing of the sheaths and earthing cores of direct current cables shall not be permitted. The earthing of mobile and portable electrical equipment connected to the electrical network by a flexible cable shall be carried out by connecting the equipment housings to the mine-wide earthing network by means of the earthing cores of the flexible cables, connected to the earthing terminals provided in the cable entries of the starting apparatus and electrical equipment.
886. When constructing tunnels from precast block or monolithic reinforced-concrete lining, a common earthing conductor (loop) shall be laid. Earthing conductors shall be accessible for inspection, protected against mechanical damage and corrosion, and painted black. After each repair of electrical equipment and equipment with an electric drive, the serviceability of their earthing devices shall be checked.
887. Where networks with a solidly earthed neutral of the supply transformers are used for the power supply of underground installations, the following shall be required: before the commencement of work, and periodically thereafter, measurement shall be made of the insulation resistance of electrical networks and electrical installations, the current spreading resistance of repeated earthing devices, and the total resistance of the "phase-to-neutral" loop. The frequency of measurements shall be determined by the schedule of planned preventive maintenance approved by the person responsible for the electrical facilities of the organisation; to protect people against electric shock in the event of voltage appearing on a part of equipment that is not normally live, protective neutral bonding shall be provided in combination with a protective disconnecting device and circuit breakers having maximum current protection (instantaneous trip). The disconnection time of the damaged section of the network shall not exceed 0.2 s. The operation of the protective disconnecting device shall be checked by button before the start of each shift. The protective disconnecting device shall be checked for its disconnection time not less than once every six months, which shall be recorded in the apparatus's certificate, and a test report shall be issued.
888. The earthing networks of surface production premises (freezing stations, dewatering installations, workshops) shall be connected to the earthing loop of substations, power stations or other earth electrodes. Protective neutral bonding shall be provided in electrical installations of up to 1 kV with a solidly earthed neutral. In this case, the resistance of the earthing device to which the neutrals of transformers and generators are connected, at a line voltage of 380 V, shall be not more than 4 Ω. In underground workings, the current spreading resistance of each of the repeated earthing devices shall be not more than 2 Ω.
889. When performing electric welding work in waterlogged workings with an unsealed lining, all electric welding installations with alternating current sources shall be equipped with devices for the automatic removal of the no-load voltage or its limitation to 12 V with a time delay of not more than 0.5 s. In workings under construction with an unsealed lining, a voltage (line) of not more than 42 V shall be used to supply hand-held electrical machines and tools. In dry premises and workings, hand-held electric tools with a voltage of up to 220 V shall be used with an individual protective disconnecting device, and the worker shall hold an electrical safety group of not lower than Group II and shall use personal protective equipment.
890. Underground workings, except for utility tunnels up to 300 m in length, shall be provided with local telephone communication with the control room (construction site). Telephone sets shall be installed at the main points of haulage and transportation of loads, in all electric machine chambers with duty personnel, in the chambers of the main drainage installations, at the shaft, in the explosives store, in the first-aid post, and also at locations provided for by the accident response plan. Communication lines in underground workings shall be executed as follows: trunk lines - with cables having rubber, polyvinyl chloride or lead sheaths. Cables with a lead sheath shall have armour; subscriber (distribution) lines - with cables having a rubber or polyvinyl chloride sheath. The execution of communication lines with field wires shall be permitted only in workings not hazardous in terms of gas and dust. The laying of communication cables shall be carried out on the side of the underground working free from power cables, and where this requirement cannot be met - at a distance of not less than 0.2 m from power cables.
891. Fire protection of facilities during the construction period shall be provided for in technological solutions in accordance with the stages of development of underground works. A fire protection project shall be developed as part of the construction organisation project for each facility. The fire protection project shall provide for actions to prevent fires and to neutralise the effect on people of hazardous factors (the formation of toxic and explosive gas-air mixtures, smoke, high temperature): fire protection systems and primary fire-fighting equipment, their type, quantity and placement at the facility, sources of external water supply; the use of non-combustible and low-combustibility substances and materials, including working fluids, impregnation and coating with fire-retardant compounds; the use of collective and personal protective equipment ensuring the safety of people during evacuation or while awaiting assistance.
892. Fire-fighting water supply for underground workings and construction sites, with a water source yield in accordance with the fire protection project, shall be provided at each facility. The fire-fighting process pipeline shall be permanently filled with water where the air temperature in the workings is positive, and shall provide a hydrodynamic head within the range of 0.5-1 MPa at the fire hydrants furthest from the water source, at the water flow rate through one fire nozzle. At shallow-depth facilities in whose workings self-propelled transport is not used and timber support is absent, the need for a fire-fighting process pipeline shall be determined by the organisation's technical manager.
893. The territory of the construction site shall be cleared of combustible materials and vegetation before the start of construction. Stores of fuels and lubricants, places for storing paint-and-varnish materials, for preparing antiseptic, anti-corrosion and fire-retardant compounds, and for storing other fire-and-explosion-hazardous substances and materials shall be located in accordance with the construction organisation project, having regard to wind direction, at safe distances from the exit from underground workings, but not closer than 50 m. In the event of a fire, the admission of people into the workings without the written permission of the person in charge of emergency response shall be prohibited, safety posts shall be established at all exits of the facility to the surface, and a personal record of persons who have left shall be organised.
894. To coordinate the activities of the construction-and-installation organisation and the operating organisation during the period of work under the operating conditions of a functioning metro, a joint order shall be issued regulating the procedure for the performance of works, the containment and elimination of the consequences of accidents, and safety actions. The management of accident elimination and the rescue of people shall be carried out by the operating organisation. Access to facilities under the operating conditions of a functioning metro is permitted on the basis of a written application from the construction-and-installation organisation: on start-up lines under commissioning or running-in conditions - by the headquarters for preparing the line for commissioning, and on operating lines - by the metro administration. Persons carrying out technical supervision for organisations performing construction-and-installation, finishing or other works at facilities under the operating conditions of a functioning metro shall pass examinations on knowledge of the relevant requirements. Work execution projects shall be agreed with the relevant metro services, which monitor compliance with the regulations set out in the projects.
895. To ensure the safety of commissioning works on automatic block signalling, signalling and communication systems, the transportation of materials along permanent rails shall be carried out using vehicles with insulated axles. The temporary storage of materials, products and tools is permitted outside the equipment clearance gauge, provided that they are secured. The procedure for storage and securing shall be determined by the metro services when agreeing the work execution project.
896. When performing electric welding work, the direct and return conductors of welding units shall be insulated and shall not come into contact with running rails and contact rails, and where they cross tracks, the conductors shall be laid under the rails in pipes made of non-conductive materials. Testing electrodes on running rails, contact rails, cable structures and supports of permanent devices shall be prohibited. The performance of gas welding work in tunnels is permitted subject to agreement with the relevant metro services and the written permission of the organisation's technical manager.
897. When performing work in tunnels, it shall be prohibited to: relocate permanent cables, damage their insulation or the sealing of passage openings through structures; place or rest foreign objects on cables and cable structures; store foreign objects on running rails, the contact rail casing, insulated joints, relay boxes, signal heads or trip-stops; disconnect operating permanent devices without authorisation. The presence of people in tunnels while the contact rail is energised shall be prohibited. Access to a tunnel while the contact network is energised is permitted for persons holding a pass stamped "Under voltage", "TsU", and under special passes or work orders issued by the headquarters. The responsible officer of the headquarters shall record in a special log the authorising document and the time of entry and exit of persons from the tunnel, and entry into the tunnel shall be carried out by a group consisting of from two to five persons. The station duty officer, upon receiving an instruction from the train dispatcher to remove the voltage from the contact rail, shall perform the following actions: switch on the working lighting of the tunnels; open the doors at the ends of the platforms; install short-circuiting devices on the contact rail; remove the "Danger! Live!" placard; post personnel from among the workers at each end of the station; disconnect the UPTK; switch on the working and emergency lighting of the tunnel; and give two long whistle signals indicating that the voltage has been removed from the contact rail.
898. Mining operations at underground facilities working deposits (seams) and other subsurface areas prone to rock bursts shall be carried out having regard to the adopted burst-hazard category and subject to the implementation of measures for reducing burst hazard developed for specific sections of the deposits. Geodynamic zoning shall be carried out at deposits prone and hazardous in terms of rock bursts. The following conditions shall be observed when conducting mining operations: the opening-up of deposits, and the preparation and extraction of ore bodies (deposits), shall be performed with minimal dissection of the ore and rock masses, ensuring the systematic extraction of reserves without the formation of areas or pillars with a concentration of stresses capable of causing a rock burst; the choice of locations for mine shafts, levels and workings of the near-shaft complex shall be made on the basis of geodynamic zoning, outside tectonically stressed zones; mine workings shall preferably be driven in the direction of the greatest of the stresses acting in the rock mass; mining operations without leaving rigid pillars shall preferably be conducted with diverging faces of stoping extraction or with extraction by a single face; measures for relieving the mass from elevated stress concentrations shall be implemented using advance overworking or underworking of the mass, methods of local relief (drilling of drill holes or boreholes, camouflet blasting), and the imparting of artificial yield to a structure formed by backfilling with specified properties. Organisations operating facilities at which mining operations are conducted at deposits prone or hazardous to rock bursts shall, annually, not later than the first quarter of the following year, submit to the territorial body of the federal executive authority authorised in the field of industrial safety, information containing the following particulars: the name of the mine, pit and deposit; the geological characteristics of the area, particulars of tectonic disturbances and the strength properties of the ore and host rocks; the methods used for forecasting the burst hazard of the rock mass; whether scientific supervision is in place; the mining systems adopted for the deposit; the measures applied for relieving the rock mass and other preventive actions; and particulars of rock bursts and micro-bursts that have occurred (date, location, depth, nature, consequences, causes, the conclusions of the commission, and plans and cross-sections). A commission chaired by the organisation's technical manager shall be established, and a special rock-burst forecasting and prevention service (hereinafter - the Service) shall be created, in organisations developing such deposits, which shall develop a set of measures for forecasting and preventing rock bursts. The developed, current measures for forecasting and preventing rock bursts are included in the long-term and annual mining development plans. Control over the activities of the Service is exercised by the organisation's technical manager. The activities of the Service are determined by regulations developed having regard to the requirements established in the Rules.
899. Geodynamic zoning shall be carried out at deposits prone to rock bursts. The following conditions shall be observed when conducting mining operations: the opening-up of deposits, and the preparation and extraction of ore bodies (deposits), shall be performed with minimal dissection of the ore mass, ensuring the systematic extraction of reserves without the formation of areas or pillars with a concentration of stresses capable of causing a rock burst; the choice of locations for mine shafts, levels and workings of the near-shaft complex shall be made in rock that is not burst-hazardous or least hazardous; mine workings shall preferably be driven in the direction of the greatest of the stresses acting in the rock mass; mining operations without leaving rigid pillars shall preferably be conducted with diverging faces of stoping extraction or with extraction by a single face; measures for relieving the mass from elevated stress concentrations shall be implemented using advance overworking or underworking of the mass, methods of local relief (drilling of drill holes or boreholes, camouflet blasting), and the imparting of artificial yield to a structure formed by backfilling with specified properties.
900. Dynamic manifestations of rock pressure are classified, by force and nature, into mining-tectonic bursts and rock bursts proper (hereinafter - rock bursts), micro-bursts, jolts and spitting. External indications of a dynamic manifestation of rock pressure include intensive slabbing and spalling of rocks (ores) on the perimeter of mine workings, as well as acoustic sound impulses (crunching, clicking, cracking).
901. Work shall be carried out for the timely identification of the proneness of rock to rock bursts at all deposits under exploration and development, and at mines, pits, tunnels and other underground structures under design and construction. Deposits or parts of deposits are classified as non-hazardous, prone to, or hazardous in terms of rock bursts.
902. Rockburst-prone deposits mean deposits, or parts thereof, containing rocks and ores with high elastic properties capable of brittle failure under load. Deposits are classified as rockburst-prone on reaching depths at which the acting stresses exceed 80 per cent of the compressive strength of the rocks of the deposit. The depth for classifying a deposit as rockburst-prone established at the design stage shall be refined based on the results of instrumental measurements during mining operations. Deposits at which rock spitting or intensive slabbing have occurred, tremors, micro-rockbursts or rockbursts have taken place, or at which the category "Hazardous" (rockburst-hazardous) has been identified by forecasting using local instrumental methods to determine the degree of rockburst hazard of the rock mass, are classified as rockburst-hazardous. Where similar manifestations have been recorded at a neighbouring mine (pit) within the same ore body and under similar geological conditions, the deposit is also classified as rockburst-hazardous. The opinion classifying a deposit as rockburst-prone or rockburst-hazardous, and the depth from which the deposit is classified as rockburst-prone or rockburst-hazardous, is given by the specialised organisation carrying out work on the rockburst problem at the deposit. On the basis of the opinion, and also where external indications of rockburst hazard of rocks (ores) appear, the head of the enterprise (organisation) shall issue an order classifying the deposit as rockburst-prone and establishing a rockburst commission (hereinafter referred to as the "Commission"), appointing the chairman of the Commission. The list of deposits that are rockburst-prone and rockburst-hazardous is given in Table No. 15.
Responsibility for issuing the order rests with the technical manager of the enterprise (organisation).
When classifying and registering underground mining facilities working deposits (or parts thereof) that are rockburst-prone or rockburst-hazardous in the state register of hazardous production facilities, account shall be taken of whether mining operations are carried out above or below the critical depth in terms of rockburst hazard conditions.
903. Where it is necessary to amend the list of deposits that are rockburst-prone and rockburst-hazardous, the operating organisation shall submit to the executive authority authorised in the field of industrial safety a justification for the amendments, together with the opinion of the specialised organisation carrying out work on the rockburst problem at the deposit. The regulation on the rockburst commission shall contain the following sections: general part; and the tasks, rights and duties of the rockburst commission. Matters are submitted for consideration by the Commission by the heads of mines, pits, construction management offices and construction sections, contracting organisations, and specialised organisations carrying out work on the rockburst problem at the deposit concerned. The Commission resolves all matters relating to the conduct of mining operations at deposits that are rockburst-prone and rockburst-hazardous in accordance with its tasks, rights and duties. A decision of the Commission is recorded in minutes and signed by all members of the Commission. The main tasks of the Commission are: consideration of methods of deposit opening-up, development schemes and mining methods, and also means and methods of maintaining mine workings; resolution of matters concerning the sequence and technology of stoping and development operations; selection of methods for preventing rockbursts and means of ensuring the safety of work in rockburst-hazardous areas; consideration of projects and the procedure for conducting mining operations in rockburst-prone and rockburst-hazardous areas; resolution of matters relating to the training of personnel by the organisation working the deposit that is rockburst-prone and rockburst-hazardous, and evaluation of the results of the Commission's activities; monitoring compliance with the requirements established by these Rules, by the Instructions on the safe conduct of mining operations at the deposit that is rockburst-prone and rockburst-hazardous, and with the Commission's decisions; consideration of proposals for the long-term planning of mining operations at the deposit, and for improving forecasting methods and rockburst prevention measures; consideration of reports by officials of mines, pits, construction sections and construction management offices on the state of work in rockburst-hazardous areas; resolution of matters relating to the transfer of mineral deposits from the "Prone" category to the "Hazardous" category; the immediate classification of a deposit as rockburst-hazardous in the event of unexpected manifestations of rockbursts or the establishment of the "Hazardous" category; the preparation and holding of scientific and technical meetings and seminars on the rockburst problem. The Commission may: halt mining operations where the requirements of the Rules and the Instructions concerning the safe working of areas that are rockburst-prone and rockburst-hazardous have been breached; invite to meetings of the Commission representatives of organisations working on the problem of rockburst control; obtain from the heads of facilities the necessary documentation describing rockburst control measures; and resolve technical and organisational matters relating to the safe conduct of mining operations. The Rockburst Commission shall: analyse the causes of rockbursts that have occurred at the deposit and identify ways of preventing them; and carry out, at facilities in operation and under construction, checks that the actions described in the rockburst control measures have been carried out.
904. At each deposit that is rockburst-prone or rockburst-hazardous, studies shall be carried out to improve the forecasting and prevention of rockbursts.
905. The Commission shall be established from representatives of the operating organisation, a representative of the territorial body of the federal executive authority authorised in the field of industrial safety, and the specialised organisation carrying out work on the rockburst problem at the deposit concerned. Where mining operations at the deposit being worked are conducted by other organisations, their representatives shall be included in the Commission. The technical manager of the organisation operating the mine-working facility is appointed chairman of the Commission. The Commission considers matters falling within its competence in accordance with the established requirements, including matters relating to the specific features of the working of the deposit. Decisions taken are recorded in minutes and are binding on the managers and specialists of the organisation working the deposit concerned.
906. According to the degree of hazard, areas of the rock mass around workings are divided into two categories: "Hazardous" and "Non-hazardous". The "Hazardous" category corresponds to a stressed state of the rock mass in the near-contour part of the working in which a rockburst may occur. Such an area of the working shall be brought into a non-rockburst-hazardous condition. The process of bringing it into a non-rockburst-hazardous condition shall be carried out under a project approved by the chairman of the Commission. Until the working has been brought into a non-rockburst-hazardous condition, the conduct of mining operations and the movement of persons not involved in carrying out preventive actions shall be prohibited. The "Non-hazardous" category corresponds to a non-rockburst-hazardous condition and does not require anti-rockburst actions to be carried out. The need to forecast rockburst hazard nevertheless remains. Categories according to degree of hazard are determined by local forecasting methods in accordance with the Instructions on the safe conduct of mining operations at a deposit that is rockburst-prone and rockburst-hazardous (hereinafter referred to as the "Instructions"), developed for each deposit that is rockburst-prone and rockburst-hazardous.
907. The Instructions are developed by the specialised organisation carrying out work on the rockburst problem at the deposit concerned, considered by the Commission established in accordance with the requirements of the Rules, and approved by the technical manager of the organisation. The Instructions on the safe conduct of mining operations at a deposit that is rockburst-prone and rockburst-hazardous shall contain the following sections: title page; abstract; introduction; general provisions; the procedure for opening-up, preparing for extraction and working extraction areas and blocks; methods for forecasting the rockburst hazard of areas of the rock and ore mass; bringing mine workings into a non-rockburst-hazardous condition; and driving and maintaining mine workings. The title page of the Instructions shall contain information on the name of the organisation carrying out work on the rockburst problem at the deposit (facility) concerned. The title page shall contain the name of the deposit and of the operating organisation. The title page shall be approved by the technical manager of the organisation. The Instructions shall not duplicate the provisions of the Rules. The "Introduction" section shall contain a brief geological and mining-engineering description of the deposit and its specific features, the depths reached in exploration, opening-up and working, the outlook for the development of mining operations, a description of the tectonics, the results of geodynamic zoning, the block structure and fracturing, the stressed state of the virgin rock mass, and information on the dimensions of the abutment pressure zones. The "Introduction" section sets out information on the rockburst hazard of the rocks and the mining depth on the basis of which the deposit has been classified as rockburst-prone or rockburst-hazardous. The "General Provisions" section shall clearly set out the organisation of work, indicating the subordination and responsibility of persons for forecasting and monitoring rockburst hazard, and for implementing rockburst prevention measures and monitoring their effectiveness. The procedure for training and instructing mine workers shall be set out. This section presents a description of rockbursts and other geodynamic phenomena reflecting the specific geological conditions and mining technology of the deposit. The "Procedure for Opening-up, Preparation for Extraction and Working of Extraction Areas and Blocks" section shall specify the long-term planning of mining operations, the direction and layout of field workings, and also the procedure for working extraction areas and blocks, the use of advance protective extraction, and other regional and local actions for reducing the rockburst hazard of the rock mass. The "Methods for Forecasting the Rockburst Hazard of Areas of the Rock and Ore Mass" section shall set out: the persons and structural subdivisions carrying out the work, the organisation of the work, reporting, and the organisation of work on forecasting the rockburst hazard of areas of the rock and ore mass; the classification of areas of the rock and ore mass by rockburst hazard; the locations and frequency of forecasting the rockburst hazard of areas of the rock and ore mass; the methods and technical means of forecasting rockburst hazard (with nomograms for determining rockburst hazard categories); work on forecasting and monitoring the effectiveness of actions for preventing the rockburst hazard of areas of the rock mass and mine workings; the keeping of records and the procedure for notifying the technical manager of the enterprise (organisation) facility of the forecasting results; and safety measures when carrying out work on forecasting rockburst hazard. The "Bringing Mine Workings into a Non-rockburst-hazardous Condition" section shall specify the methods for bringing mine workings into a non-rockburst-hazardous condition and their parameters. The organisation of the work and the persons performing it, the procedure for keeping records, and the effectiveness and methods for assessing it shall be set out. This section shall set out the technological features and technical means for carrying out work to bring mine workings and areas of the rock mass into a non-rockburst-hazardous condition, and also safety measures when performing this work. The "Driving and Maintaining Mine Workings" section shall set out: a list of rockburst prevention measures when driving and maintaining workings under rockburst-hazardous conditions; and safety measures, the organisation and the specific features of work in implementing rockburst prevention measures. The appendices to the Instructions shall contain the necessary specimens of record-keeping and reporting documents reflecting the specific features of the deposit, the regulation on the Service approved by the technical manager of the enterprise (organisation), and also methods for forecasting and monitoring rockburst hazard, with nomograms, parameters, standards and explanations of the conditions for their application. The Instructions may be revised and supplemented by the Commission on the basis of the results of scientific research obtained and the generalisation of experience in conducting mining operations.
908. Parts of deposits that are rockburst-hazardous, and also the locations where the latter have manifested, shall be marked on mine working plans by conventional symbols. At every facility working deposits that are rockburst-prone and rockburst-hazardous, a record shall be kept of all cases of rockbursts, micro-rockbursts and tremors, rock spitting, intensive slabbing and scaling, the results of determining the rockburst hazard categories of workings, and the rockburst prevention measures applied, together with an assessment of their effectiveness. Records are kept by specialists of the Service or of the surveying and geological service in the relevant logbooks. The logbook for recording rockbursts, micro-rockbursts, tremors, rock spitting, intensive slabbing and scaling shall contain the following sections to be completed: date of manifestation, shift; name of the mine working; location of the manifestation, reference to the mine working plan (walls, roof, length of the area); manifestations, nature and extent of the damage with reference to the mining and technical conditions, geological description of the area, description of the fracturing (sketch); influence of blasting operations; type of support and its lag behind the face; shape of the working cross-section before and after the manifestation; safety actions (planned after the manifestation); and the position, surname, first name, patronymic (if any) and signature of the responsible executor. The logbook of instructions and permits for conducting mining operations shall contain the following sections to be completed: date, mine, level, working; area; name of the mine working; nature of the manifestations and violations; prohibition of mining operations or the principal anti-rockburst actions; position, surname, first name, patronymic (if any) and signature of the person issuing the instruction; position, surname, first name, patronymic (if any) and signature of the person receiving the instruction; position, surname, first name, patronymic (if any) and signature confirming implementation of the instruction; and position, surname, first name, patronymic (if any) and signature of the person issuing the permit for conducting mining operations. The logbook for forecasting and monitoring the effectiveness of preventive actions shall contain the following sections to be completed: date of determination, shift; name of the facility (mine, level, working, location); borehole number, measurement points, indicating the borehole azimuth, angle of inclination and length; assessment of rockburst hazard, indicating the assessment method and parameters and the rockburst hazard category; parameters of the preventive actions; results of monitoring the actions; and the signature of the section supervisor or of the Service, or their deputies.
909. The technical manager of the organisation shall, within 24 hours, report every case of a rockburst and micro-rockburst to the territorial body of the federal executive authority authorised in the field of industrial safety. On detecting external indications of rockburst hazard, an employee of the facility (organisation) shall immediately report this to the mine dispatcher or to the technical supervision personnel. Mine workings located in rockburst-hazardous areas of the deposit shall be provided with telephone communication.
910. Cases of micro-rockbursts, tremors, rock spitting, intensive slabbing and scaling are reviewed monthly by the technical manager of the facility together with the engineering services, and within 24 hours of their first occurrence, to establish the causes and to develop measures for dealing with them.
911. Work to eliminate the consequences of a rockburst is authorised by the chairman of the Commission that investigated the case concerned, on the basis of the results of the local rockburst hazard forecast for the area affected by the rockburst. A project of work and actions for eliminating the consequences of the rockburst is drawn up, to be approved by the technical manager of the facility. A certificate of concealed works performed is drawn up for the filling of cavities formed as a result of rockbursts during the driving of mine workings.
912. Rockburst record cards are drawn up for all cases of mining-tectonic rockbursts, rockbursts and micro-rockbursts, and are sent to the specialised organisations carrying out work on the rockburst problem at the deposit. Rockburst record cards shall contain the following sections to be completed: name of the mine (pit, facility), deposit; date of the rockburst; depth of the location of the rockburst from the surface, m; location; geological description of the rockburst area, information on geological disturbances, the elements of their occurrence, and the strength properties of the ore and host rocks; elements of the occurrence of the ore body and host rocks; information on the stresses in the virgin rock mass, and the methods and results of forecasting the degree of rockburst hazard of the rocks (ore) in the rockburst area before and after the rockburst; external indications of the rockburst and whether they were present; work performed before the rockburst; information on the preventive actions applied; information on the mining method, roof control and work technology; information on the rockburst and its consequences; the causes of the rockburst; the main conclusions of the commission that investigated the rockburst, and the decisions taken to ensure the safety of the further conduct of mining operations; and a sketch of the location of the rockburst manifestation (plan, sections). Rockburst record cards shall be signed by the technical manager of the mine (pit), the chief mine surveyor, the chief geologist, and the head of the Service for the Forecasting and Prevention of Rockbursts.
913. Employees of the organisation visiting underground mine workings shall be made familiar with the indications of rockburst manifestation and instructed on safety measures.
914. When designing and opening up new levels of deposits at operating facilities, and also when reconstructing existing levels, provided that they are classified as rockburst-prone or rockburst-hazardous, the project documentation shall provide for actions aimed at preventing rockbursts. The project shall provide for capital and operating expenditure, including for instruments and equipment for rockburst control. All expenditure necessary for ensuring the safety of mining operations shall be included in the start-up complex. The project documentation for conducting mining operations at facilities that are rockburst-prone and rockburst-hazardous shall justify the shapes of the working cross-sections, the type and design of the temporary and permanent support in accordance with the local support projects in force at the facility, and also the length of the sections of workings with temporary support. The type of support, the lag of the permanent support behind the face, and the length of workings requiring support are regulated by the Instructions. The technological part of the technical project (opening-up, preparation and the working procedure, the driving of mine workings, and mining methods) shall be agreed with the specialised organisation carrying out work on the rockburst problem at the deposit, on submission by the design organisation.
915. Changes to the parameters of anti-rockburst actions and to the frequency of forecasting the degree of rockburst hazard provided for by these Rules and the Instructions are made by the Commission on the basis of special studies and the opinion of the specialised organisation carrying out work on the rockburst problem at the deposit concerned. In particularly difficult mining and geological conditions (significant tectonic disturbance and mining depth, present-day tectonic movements and high seismic activity of the areas, mountainous terrain and other possible preconditions for the occurrence of mining-tectonic rockbursts), provision shall be made at deposits (and areas thereof) that are rockburst-hazardous for the establishment (expansion of the network) of seismic stations for the continuous identification of zones and assessment of the seismicity of the rock mass.
916. When designing the opening-up, preparation and mining methods at deposits that are rockburst-prone and rockburst-hazardous, the following shall be observed: the division of the deposit into mine fields and the procedure for working them shall ensure the systematic extraction of reserves, as far as possible without the formation of pillars, acute angles or projections on the stoping front; the use of advance working of protective ore bodies (layers), including the drilling of large-diameter destressing boreholes, and the location of workings in protected zones; a reduction in the use of open-stope mining methods; a reduction in the number of mine workings driven close to the stoping front, especially in abutment pressure zones; a restriction on converging and overtaking stoping fronts; and the preferential driving of mine workings outside the zone of influence of tectonic disturbances and in the direction of the maximum stress in the rock mass.
917. When working closely spaced ore bodies, the extraction of the non-hazardous or less hazardous ore body shall be carried out first.
918. When a thick ore body (deposit) that is rockburst-prone and/or rockburst-hazardous is worked in inclined, horizontal or vertical layers (blocks, slices), the first layer (block, slice) worked is protective in relation to the subsequent ones. When working ore bodies, pillars that may affect the working of adjacent ore bodies shall not be left. Where it is impossible to comply with this requirement, the locations for laying out workings shall be selected taking into account the influence of pillars on the rockburst hazard of the workings. The locations for laying out workings shall be regulated by the Instructions.
919. The forecasting of the rockburst hazard of areas of the rock mass is divided into regional and local forecasting. Regional forecasting is used to identify rockburst-hazardous zones within mine fields. Data from regional forecasting shall be taken into account at the design, planning and mining operation stages, and shall be refined in mine workings by local methods. Regional forecasting is carried out taking into account data from geodynamic zoning, by the following methods: on the basis of data on the strength and deformation characteristics of all varieties of rocks and ores; at the stage of geological exploration work, on the basis of an analysis of core material according to the intensity of core disking; on the basis of observation data using systems for the continuous automated monitoring of the stressed state and rockburst hazard of the rock mass; according to changes in the magnitudes (rates) of deformations and displacements; according to changes in the stresses in the rock and ore mass, determined instrumentally; by analytical calculations of the stressed state and rockburst hazard of the rock mass, taking into account its block structure, by constructing forecast maps; and on the basis of data from the geodynamic monitoring site. The methods of regional forecasting of the rockburst hazard of deposits that are rockburst-prone and rockburst-hazardous are established by the Commission in accordance with the Instructions. Regional forecasting is carried out by the Service using a seismic station and with the participation of the specialised organisation conducting research at the deposit concerned.
920. Local forecasting of the rockburst hazard of areas of the rock and ore mass, and also the assessment of the effectiveness of rockburst prevention measures, is carried out by geomechanical or geophysical methods, or by visual observation of the failure of the near-contour rock mass of workings, in accordance with the Instructions. The core disking method is adopted as the basic method of local forecasting of the rockburst hazard of areas of the rock mass. The Commission, together with the specialised organisation carrying out work on the rockburst problem at the specific deposit, may decide to apply other methods of assessing the rockburst hazard of areas of the rock mass, developed in relation to the specific conditions of the deposit. Methods are applied to forecast the rockburst hazard of the mass around a working after tests have been carried out and the rockburst hazard criteria obtained have been compared with the criteria obtained by the basic core disking method. The application of local forecasting methods and criteria is established by the specialised organisation carrying out work on the assessment of rockbursts at the deposit concerned. The methods of forecasting rockburst hazard and its frequency are determined by the Instructions.
921. The assessment of rockburst hazard at deposits that are rockburst-prone shall be carried out in the most heavily loaded areas, which include: hazardous zones identified as a result of regional forecasting; areas of the ore mass and rock mass in the abutment pressure zone from stoping operations; areas of the ore mass and rock mass with disjunctive and plicative geological disturbances; ore and barren pillars and projecting parts of the ore mass and rock mass; contact zones between lithological rock varieties; and junctions of workings and advance workings. Rockburst-hazardous areas for each deposit shall be specified in detail by the Instructions.
922. Monitoring of rockburst hazard in workings shall be carried out periodically where there are changes in the mining and geological, and mining and technical, conditions during the conduct of mining operations, at locations where the "Hazardous" category was previously established or where external indications of rockburst hazard have appeared. The frequency of monitoring in workings, including non-rockburst-hazardous workings, shall be determined by the Instructions.
923. When driving workings in rockburst-hazardous rocks, the forecasting of rockburst hazard and rockburst prevention actions shall form an integral part of the driving technology. Bringing mine workings driven in the ore mass and in the rock mass with the "Hazardous" category into a non-rockburst-hazardous condition is carried out by creating a protective zone using camouflet blasting, destressing boreholes, destressing slots, cavities, or a combination of the methods listed. In addition to the methods listed, other methods developed for specific geological and mining-technical conditions may be applied. The choice of methods and their parameters is determined by the Instructions.
924. Areas of workings in the "Hazardous" category are brought into a non-rockburst-hazardous condition by creating, in the edge part of the rock mass, a protective zone of width n + 2 m, but not less than 2 m. The width of the protective zone at stope faces is established experimentally, taking into account the specific geological and mining-technical conditions, and is regulated by the Instructions. The protective zone is formed by creating, in the edge (near-face) parts of the mass, a strip (layer) of broken rock or a continuous slot, subject to the following conditions: the plane of the broken rock (destressing slot) shall be perpendicular to the direction of action of the maximum stresses in the mass; the dimensions of the protective zone along the length of the working shall exceed the length of the rockburst-hazardous area on each side by not less than 2 m in development workings and not less than 3 m in stoping workings.
925. Requirements for camouflet blasting when forming a protective zone in the ore mass and rock mass surrounding a mine working are established by the Instructions.
926. When designing, constructing and operating mines at deposits that are rockburst-prone and rockburst-hazardous, the following requirements shall be observed: shafts shall be located outside the zone of influence of major geological disturbances, with a distance between shaft walls of not less than 50 metres; when sinking shafts, a control geological borehole, with mandatory determination of the rockburst proneness of the rocks and ores, shall be drilled within the shaft cross-section; the use of yielding supports, supports of the supporting, strut or enclosing types, and also combined supports and rock-bolt support with yielding elements; giving the working a tent-shaped or polygonal (stable) cross-sectional shape; the drilling of destressing slots and boreholes, and the creation of slots by camouflet or contour blasting; the discontinuation or temporary withdrawal from operation of mine workings in the "Hazardous" category; the regulation, in time and space, of technological processes and methods of rockburst prevention; the restriction of the driving of workings in the abutment pressure zone from stoping operations; and the forecasting of rockburst hazard and monitoring of the effectiveness of anti-rockburst actions.
927. The main horizontal and inclined workings of shaft stations, including chambers, shall be oriented in the direction of action of the maximum horizontal stress of the virgin rock mass.
928. The driving and maintenance of workings at deposits where rockbursts have occurred shall be carried out subject to the following preventive actions being implemented: support of workings to prevent the collapse of roof and side rocks, the creation of stable shapes, the drilling of destressing slots and boreholes, and contour blasting; preference shall be given to yielding types of support; the bringing of workings in the "Hazardous" category into a non-rockburst-hazardous condition; and the support of workings in zones affected by geological disturbances (such support shall be carried out using permanent support with yielding elements, for example arch steel support). The type of support, the lag of the permanent support behind the face, and the length of sections of workings requiring support are regulated by the Instructions.
929. Development workings in the ore body shall be driven outside the abutment pressure zone from stoping operations. The permissible distance from the stoping front is regulated by the Instructions. At the design stage, this distance shall be taken as not less than 40 m.
930. The distance between the nearest sides of parallel workings and chambers of various purposes in rockburst-hazardous areas, down to a depth of 1000 m, shall be not less than 4dS, where dS is the largest cross-sectional dimension of the larger working, and at a depth of more than 1000 m, not less than 5dS. The justification for changes to the conditions is set out in the Instructions.
931. When sinking shafts, a lag of the permanent support behind the face of not more than the rough diameter of the shaft may be permitted. The driving of workings directly from the shaft shall be carried out after the erection of temporary or permanent support in the shaft.
932. The holing-through of two workings in areas that are rockburst-prone and rockburst-hazardous shall, from a distance of 15 m between the faces, be conducted from one face only; the other face shall be stopped. The pillar formed during the holing-through, if in the "Hazardous" category, shall be brought into a non-hazardous condition over its entire area.
933. Intersections of workings shall be made at a right angle or an angle close thereto. The sequence of driving the workings is governed by the instructions.
934. When sinking shafts in areas of category "Hazardous", advance relief slots shall be used, calculated so that the plane of the slot is perpendicular to the direction of action of the maximum horizontal stresses. Where shafts are located in rock hazardous in terms of rock bursts, actions ensuring the reduction of stress concentrations in the shaft walls to non-hazardous values shall be designed and carried out. Actions for the prevention of rock bursts shall be carried out before the permanent support is erected in the shaft. In particularly complex conditions, actions for the prevention of rock bursts shall be approved by the Commission.
935. When driving chambers and large cross-section workings in areas of category "Hazardous", in addition to the advance relief slot, extended rock bolting with yielding elements in the roof and sides of the face area of the working shall be used. The feasibility and parameters of the support elements are governed by the instructions.
936. The driving of horizontal large cross-section workings under category "Hazardous" shall be carried out in stages, with priority extraction of the upper layer, which shall first be brought to a condition not hazardous in terms of rock bursts.
937. Stoping operations in a block (panel) in rockburst-prone and rockburst-hazardous areas shall be carried out under a technical project in accordance with the requirements of the Rules and the Instructions.
938. In projects for stoping operations in rockburst-prone and rockburst-hazardous areas of the rock mass, the following requirements shall be met: priority extraction of protective ore deposits or layers; the general advance of the stoping operations front shall be carried out in the direction from worked-out spaces towards the rock mass, with a minimum number of advance workings and pillars. Where pillars are used, their safety shall be ensured by creating artificial yieldability, reducing the stress level, creating slots, camouflet or shake blasting of explosive charges, and other preventive actions; as the stope face approaches an advance working or a worked-out space, a forecast of the degree of rockburst hazard in the advance working shall be made. Where category "Hazardous" is established, advance workings shall be brought to a condition not hazardous in terms of rock bursts by forming a protective zone, for example by means of camouflet blasting, relief boreholes, relief slots, cavities, or a combination of the methods listed; the width of pillars between the stope face and the advance working (worked-out space), at which they must be brought to a condition not hazardous in terms of rock bursts over the entire area, is determined by the instructions or by the Commission; mining operations in the workings shall be carried out after rock popping and intensive slabbing have subsided.
939. The loading-out of ore (rock) at the face shall be carried out using load-haul-dump machines with remote control, or with the operator's cab, fitted with protective guarding, located not closer than 4 m from the front edge of the bucket or other loading device.
940. When mining deposits that are rockburst-prone and rockburst-hazardous, sequential advance of the stoping operations front shall be provided for both within the mine field (area) and within the deposit as a whole. Departures from this requirement may be permitted with the authorisation of the Commission.
941. When mining thick ore bodies (deposits) using level forced caving systems, preliminary ore breaking shall be used to form a protective cushion for the protection of block bottoms.
942. When mining rockburst-hazardous closely spaced ore bodies, the most extensive ore body, consistent along strike and dip, shall be used as the protective one, and priority extraction thereof shall be carried out without leaving pillars in the worked-out space. Where all the ore deposits in the deposit are of insignificant extent within the level being mined, advance protective extraction is ensured by the sequential mining of individual closely located deposits or layers with overlapping of the protected zones.
943. When mining the protective deposit, barren zones shall be destressed by rows of boreholes drilled in one plane, parallel to the ore deposit being protected, or by means of camouflet blasting.
944. Under the slicing system of mining thick ore bodies with backfilling of the worked-out space, advance mining of the protective layer along the roof (floor) of the ore deposit, or destressing of the rock mass by large-diameter boreholes, shall be carried out, with mandatory assessment of the effectiveness of the destressing. The parameters of borehole destressing are determined by the instructions.
945. The lead of the mining of the protective ore body (layer) along strike for the protection of stoping workings is determined by the instructions.
946. The mining of steeply dipping thick ore bodies shall be carried out predominantly by the single-stage level or sublevel forced caving system, with ore breaking onto a confined medium.
947. When mining ore deposits that are rockburst-prone and rockburst-hazardous, the use of mining systems in which the front of stoping operations advances towards the worked-out space, including up-dip, without preventive actions being carried out, shall be prohibited.
948. When mining steeply dipping ore bodies of medium thickness, sublevel caving systems or sublevel drift (cross-cut) systems shall be used, with mining of the sublevels in descending order, backfilling of the worked-out space with hardening mixtures, and end-slice ore drawing. When using the sublevel caving system, footwall development shall be used, allowing stoping operations to be conducted from the centre of the deposit towards the flanks, or as a single front from one flank to the other.
949. The mining of gently dipping and inclined ore bodies shall be carried out predominantly by systems with backfilling or roof caving, without leaving rockburst-hazardous pillars.
950. The advance of the stoping operations front when mining ore bodies shall be carried out predominantly away from zones of increased rockburst hazard, faults, tectonic disturbances and zones of stress concentration. These zones shall first be brought to a condition not hazardous in terms of rock bursts and mined out as a priority.
951. Areas of the ore mass or rock mass scheduled for mining in particularly complex conditions, of a width commensurate with the extent of the abutment pressure zone, shall be brought to a condition not hazardous in terms of rock bursts in advance, before category "Hazardous" arises in them. The work shall be carried out under a special project approved by the technical manager of the facility. The project shall provide for the following: before the start of mining operations to prepare the level, individual blocks bounded by major faults within the deposit, and the principal elements of occurrence of the faults, shall be identified; in areas of the ore mass or rock mass located at a distance of 5 to 10 metres from the fault plane of a tectonic disturbance, mining operations shall be carried out using a set of actions for the prevention of rock bursts, sloughing, falls of ground and the caving of rock (ore); rockburst-hazardous pillars shall be brought to a condition not hazardous in terms of rock bursts over the entire area; the mining of pillars shall be carried out in one direction from the worked-out space, with the formation of a protected zone. The instructions shall provide for preventive actions, developed for each specific deposit taking account of its particular features.
952. The Rock Burst Forecasting and Prevention Service is a structural subdivision of the enterprise (organisation) and carries out work on assessing the rockburst hazard category of areas of the rock mass and on the implementation of actions for the prevention of rock bursts. The structure and numerical composition of the Service are determined and approved by the Commission on Rock Bursts. The Head of the Service directs the conduct of work on forecasting and assessing the rockburst hazard of areas of the rock mass and of workings, monitors the performance of work on the safe conduct of mining operations in rockburst-hazardous areas, and monitors and assesses the effectiveness of actions for the prevention of rock bursts. The Head of the Service bears personal responsibility for the timely inclusion in the mining operation plans of the results of the regional and local rockburst hazard forecast. The organisational and technical work of the Service is determined by a document developed on the basis of the requirements, and is carried out in accordance with the work plan of the Service, agreed with the specialised organisation carrying out work on the rock burst problem at the deposit concerned, and approved by the technical manager of the enterprise (organisation). A mining engineer having not less than three years of practical experience of underground work and experience of managerial work is appointed Head of the Service.
953. The Service is guided by the legislation of the Russian Federation in the field of industrial safety and the instructions for the safe conduct of mining operations at a deposit that is prone and hazardous to rock bursts. The managers and specialists of the Service are appointed and dismissed by order of the head of the enterprise (organisation), in agreement with the chairman of the Commission on Rock Bursts. The instructions of the Head of the Service are binding on the managers of all areas and services responsible for the safe conduct of underground mining operations.
954. Where a system of continuous forecasting and monitoring of the stress state of the rock mass has been established at the enterprise, the personnel operating that system may form part of the Service and report directly to its Head. Scientific and methodological support for the operation of the system of continuous forecasting and monitoring of the stress state of the rock mass is provided by the specialised organisation carrying out work on the rock burst problem at the deposit concerned.
955. The principal task of the Service is work on forecasting the rockburst hazard of areas of workings and on the prevention of rock bursts, as well as the assessment of the effectiveness of measures taken for the prevention of rock bursts, the identification of the causes of rock bursts, and the development of measures for their prevention. The tasks of the Service are also as follows: the conduct of a regional forecast of the rockburst hazard of mine fields with a view to identifying rockburst-hazardous areas and developing actions for the safe conduct of mining operations; the monitoring of compliance with the requirements in the field of industrial safety, as well as with the Instructions for the safe conduct of mining operations at a deposit that is prone and hazardous to rock bursts; the development of solutions for the prevention of rock bursts, the conduct of mining-experimental work, and the testing and introduction of new forecasting methods and rock burst prevention techniques.
956. The powers of the Service include: participation in research on the problem of forecasting and preventing rock bursts; interaction with scientific organisations, including seismic stations; the maintenance of documentation on matters relating to rock bursts; participation in the development of annual and long-term plans for the development of mining operations and of projects for the opening-up, preparation and mining of the deposit; participation in the preparation of projects for the mining of blocks (panels) and of specifications for driving workings in areas that are prone and hazardous to rock bursts; the monitoring of the implementation of actions for the prevention of rock bursts; and the consolidation of accumulated experience in the prevention of rock bursts.
957. The Service carries out work (with the involvement of specialised organisations) to determine the mechanical, physical, structural and other characteristics of rocks and ores in samples and in the mass, characterising their propensity to accumulate elastic energy and to fail in a brittle manner. The Service collects and analyses information on the stress-strain state, signs of rockburst hazard and rock bursts, the mechanical and physical properties of rocks, the particular behaviour of rocks in zones of increased rock pressure and in the vicinity of tectonic disturbances, the effectiveness of the measures taken for the prevention of rock bursts, and the timeliness of the development and introduction of actions for the safe conduct of mining operations in rockburst-hazardous areas. The Service participates in the preparation of projects for measuring stations, their equipping and the conduct of observations. The Service examines proposals on matters of the safe mining of rockburst-hazardous deposits. It develops proposals for the use of the results of the analysis. The Service checks the serviceability, correct operation and current repair of instruments. It draws up requisitions for equipment, instruments and materials. The Service works in liaison with the structural subdivisions of the enterprise (organisation) and with other Services. By order of the chairman of the Commission on Rock Bursts, certain types of work necessary for the performance of the tasks and functions of the Service are carried out by the specialised departments and Services of the facility (organisation).
958. Scientific and methodological support for the activities of the Service is provided by the specialised organisation carrying out work on the rock burst problem at the deposit concerned.
959. At the end of the calendar year, the Head of the Service draws up a report on activities.
960. The Head of the Service shall: know the mining operation technology of the enterprise (organisation); train the personnel of the Service (areas) in the rules of the safe conduct of mining and experimental work; develop proposals for the chief engineer of the enterprise (organisation) on the safe conduct of mining operations; issue certificates and reports on the work performed and its results at the direction of the chief engineer of the enterprise (organisation) or of a superior organisation; provide assistance to organisations engaged in conducting research; upon the completion of research and mining-experimental work, draw up reports with generalisations, conclusions and practical proposals on the safe conduct of mining operations and proposals for their introduction; prepare materials for meetings of the Commission; draw up annual and yearly reports and information on the work performed; present communications and reports on the results of the work and on the popularisation of methods of the safe conduct of mining operations in rockburst-hazardous conditions for the managers, specialists and workers of the enterprise (organisation); conduct instruction of the personnel of the Service (underground areas) in the safety rules for the conduct of mining operations in rockburst-hazardous conditions and check knowledge of those rules, and also appoint the person responsible for carrying out anti-rockburst actions in workings of category "Hazardous".
961. The Head of the Service may: require the managers of the enterprise's subdivisions to perform actions for the safety of mining operations in rockburst-hazardous areas; suspend mining operations where anti-rockburst actions are not performed, and notify the management of the enterprise (organisation); take part in the consideration of matters concerning the conduct of mining-experimental and research work aimed at the development of forecasting methods and techniques for combating rock bursts.
962. The Head of the Service is responsible for: monitoring implementation of the approved plan of actions for the prevention of rock bursts; the condition, maintenance and storage of documentation on the work carried out; the timeliness of implementation of the instructions of the chief engineer of the enterprise (organisation) and of the decisions of the Commission; the performance of work on forecasting the rockburst hazard of areas of the deposit, the conformity of the rock burst prevention measures applied with the mining and geological conditions, and the timely assessment of their effectiveness; the creation of safe conditions during mining-experimental and research work on the forecasting and prevention of rock bursts; and compliance with the requirements of the normative documents on the forecasting and prevention of rock bursts.
963. The assignment to employees of the Service of functions not related to the performance of the tasks defined by the Regulations on the Service, the instructions and the decisions of the Commission, shall be prohibited.
964. The facilities of open-pit mining operations are open pits, placer mines, dredging areas, heap leaching facilities, rock dumps, slag dumps and hydraulic dumps.
965. The decommissioning of an open-pit mining facility shall be accompanied by the restoration of land areas disturbed during subsoil use to a condition suitable for further use (reclamation).
966. Blasting operations at open-pit mining facilities shall be carried out in compliance with the requirements established by regulation for their conduct.
967. Each unit of mining and transport equipment shall have a "Shift Handover Log", the procedure for maintaining which is determined by the organisation operating the open-pit mining facility. The correctness of the maintenance of the log shall be checked by the technical managers of the shift (the mine foreman, the area supervisor or his deputy) and by specialists of the organisation during their visits to the workplaces. The frequency of checks is established by the technical manager of the facility.
968. Workplaces shall be illuminated in accordance with the requirements of the following illumination standards specified in Table 16.
969. For communication between benches at an open-pit mining facility, sturdy stairways with handrails on both sides and a slope of not more than 60 degrees, or ramps with a gradient of not more than 20 degrees, shall be provided. Flight stairways of a height of more than 10 m shall be not less than 0.8 m wide, with horizontal landings spaced not more than 15 m apart in height. The spacing and locations of stairways along the length of the bench are established by the mining operations development plan. In the winter period, the steps and landings of stairways shall be cleared of snow and ice and treated with an anti-icing agent.
970. At points of pedestrian and vehicle passage under belt conveyors, protective canopies shall be installed to protect persons from possible injury by pieces of the material being conveyed falling from the belt.
971. It shall be prohibited: for persons to be present in the hazard zone of operating machinery, within the prism of possible collapse on benches, and in the immediate vicinity of the toe of a bench slope; to work on benches in a zone of overhanging cornices, boulders, large rocks, or overhangs of snow and ice. Where it is not possible to eliminate loose slabs or to scale the pit wall, all work in the hazard zone shall be stopped, persons shall be withdrawn, and the hazardous area shall be fenced off and warning signs installed.
972. Mining operations for driving trenches, working benches, dredging areas, and dumping of waste dumps shall be conducted in accordance with the project and local projects (specifications), taking account of the engineering-geological conditions, approved by the technical manager of the facility. The specification shall indicate the dimensions of working platforms and berms, the slope angles, the bench height, the prism of collapse, and the distances from mining and transport equipment to the toes of the bench or dump. Where the engineering-geological conditions change, the conduct of mining operations shall be suspended until the specification is revised. All employees exercising control and performing the work shall be familiarised with the specification against signature. The conduct of mining operations without an approved specification, or with departure from it, shall be prohibited.
973. Where unmanned technology is used, the zones (boundaries) of mining operations shall be marked with warning signs and equipped with automated access control and communication systems. Monitoring of the use of unmanned loading technology and the movement of motor vehicles shall be carried out by an operator located at a safe distance, determined by the project.
974. The height of a bench shall be determined by the project, taking account of the results of studies of the physical and mechanical properties of the rocks and the engineering-geological conditions of their occurrence, as well as the parameters of the equipment used. The formation of cornices and overhangs on benches shall not be permitted. The height of benches shall not exceed, in manual working of loose stable dense rocks, 6 m, and of loose unstable friable rocks, 3 m.
975. The slope angles of working benches are determined by the project, taking account of the physical and mechanical properties of the rocks.
976. Actions for the safe formation of temporarily non-working pit walls and the resumption of mining operations shall be approved by the technical manager of the organisation. The limiting slope angles (angles of stability) of temporarily mothballed sections of the pit wall, and the parameters of the benches and safety berms during operation, are established by the project.
977. The width of the working platforms of an open-pit mining facility, taking account of their purpose and the location on them of mining and transport equipment, transport routes, and power supply and communication lines, is determined by the project.
978. The distance from the toe of a bench and from the crest of a pit bench to the axis of the nearest railway track shall be not less than 2.5 m. Where railway tracks or conveyors are present, the distance from the toe of a dump to the axis of the railway track or the axis of the conveyor shall be not less than 4 m.
979. When benches are being eliminated and set to their limiting position, the overall slope angle of the pit walls, established by the project, shall be observed.
980. The cross-sectional profile of safety berms shall be horizontal or shall slope towards the pit wall. Berms along which workers systematically move shall have guarding and shall be cleared of scree and pieces of rock.
981. When conducting mining operations, monitoring of the condition of pit walls, trenches, benches, slopes and dumps, as well as of zones of possible collapses or subsidence due to the presence of underground workings or karst, shall be carried out. Where signs of rock mass movement are detected, work is stopped until measures ensuring the stability of the rock mass have been taken. Mining operations may be resumed with the authorisation of the technical manager of the open pit, under a specification approved by him providing for the necessary safety measures. The frequency of inspections and instrumental observations of deformations of pit walls, slopes, benches and dumps, as well as of facilities falling within the zones of influence of mining operations and located on the earth's surface, is established in the project for mine surveying work.
982. In the open pit, regular scaling of benches (by manual, mechanised and drilling-and-blasting methods), as necessary, to remove overhangs and cornices, and the elimination of loose slabs, shall be carried out under a specification (work organisation project) approved by the technical manager of the organisation and providing for safety measures. Manual scaling shall be carried out under a permit to work, under the supervision of a person exercising technical oversight. Drilling, slope scaling and other operations on bench slopes with an angle of more than 35 degrees shall be performed using safety harnesses with ropes secured to an anchor point. Safety harnesses shall be inspected before each use and checked annually, with an entry made in the inspection log.
983. When conducting mining operations, the distance between mining and transport machines, horizontally and vertically, shall be not less than 10 m in manual working, and not less than one and a half times the sum of the maximum digging radii in excavator working; where excavators operate in pairs on the same level, the distance between them shall be not less than the sum of their greatest working radii (for a dragline, taking account of the bucket throw distance). When conducting mining operations using unmanned technologies, the distance between equipment shall be determined in accordance with the project.
984. Where a propensity to landslides is established in the course of conducting mining operations, corresponding amendments shall be made to the project documentation, taking account of the results of studies of the physical and mechanical properties of the rocks on the basis of a substantiation of rock stability, and the necessary safety measures shall be provided for.
985. The conduct of mining operations using non-blasting or combined technology for preparing hard rock masses for excavation, with the use of weakening solutions, is carried out under a special process procedure. The process procedure shall provide for actions for the safe performance of work when using and preparing the solutions, and shall set out the parameters for conducting drilling, blasting, pouring and mining operations. The process procedure shall be approved by the technical manager of the organisation.
986. Work on thawing frozen ground shall be carried out under a project approved by the technical manager of the organisation, providing for measures for the safety of the conduct of such work.
987. Old and flooded workings and surface water bodies shall be shown on the mining operation plans.
988. Mining operations in the vicinity of flooded workings or water bodies shall be carried out under a project approved by the technical manager of the organisation, providing for pillars to be left to prevent a breakthrough of water.
989. The workplace for conducting drilling operations shall be provided with: a prepared work front (a cleared and levelled working platform); a project (specification, process chart) for drilling. Mine surveying support for drilling and blasting operations shall be carried out in accordance with the established requirements.
990. A drill rig shall be positioned at a safe distance from the crest of the bench in accordance with the project, but not less than 2 m from the crest to the nearest support point of the rig, and its longitudinal axis, when drilling the first row of boreholes, shall be perpendicular to the crest of the bench. It shall be prohibited to place pieces of rock under the jacks of the rigs. When positioning rotary-cone drill rigs for the row of boreholes nearest to the slope, control of the rigs shall be carried out remotely. Movement of a drill rig with the mast raised on the bench shall be carried out over a levelled platform within the limits of the block marked out for drilling. When moving a drill rig from one bench to another, or under a high-voltage line, the mast shall be placed in the transport position and the drilling tool removed or secured. It shall be prohibited to drill boreholes with fire (thermal) drilling rigs in rocks prone to combustion and the release of toxic gases.
991. Each borehole with a collar diameter of more than 250 mm shall be covered upon completion of drilling. Areas of drilled boreholes shall be fenced off with warning signs. The procedure for fencing off the zone of drilled boreholes and for covering them is approved by the technical manager of the organisation. Exploratory boreholes not intended for further use shall be liquidated.
992. The augers of rotary drilling rigs with non-mechanised assembly and disassembly of the drill string and cleaning of the borehole collar shall have guards interlocked with the supply of electric power to the rotator motor.
993. The operation of drill rigs shall be prohibited where the over-hoist limiters of the drilling tool, the winch brake, and the dust suppression system are defective.
994. The hoisting rope of a drill rig shall have a safety factor of five. Not less than once a week, the area mechanic or another specially appointed person shall conduct an external inspection of the rope, with an entry made in the log recording the results of the inspection. Protruding wire ends shall be cut off. Where more than 10 per cent of the wires in the hoisting rope are broken over the length of one lay, it shall be replaced.
995. When drilling with rock drills and electric drills, the width of the working berm shall be not less than 4 m. Oversize pieces prepared for drilling shall be stacked stably in a single layer outside the zone of possible collapse of the bench.
996. To ensure the stability of the slopes of workings and dumps, to reduce the moisture content of the rock being mined and of overburden, and to create safe conditions for the operation of mining and transport equipment, the project shall provide for measures for draining the area where the work is performed and for protection against surface water and atmospheric precipitation. To prevent landslides, the surface of the possible landslide mass shall be protected by hillside ditches or protective bunds, protecting the mass from the penetration into it of surface water and meltwater, snow and mud flows, in accordance with actions developed annually and approved by the technical manager of the organisation.
997. A main dewatering installation shall have a sump. In drainage mines, the sump shall have two compartments. The capacity of the sump for open-pit dewatering shall be calculated for not less than a three-hour inflow, and the sumps of the dewatering installations of drainage mines for a two-hour normal inflow.
998. Stationary dewatering installations shall provide for the automatic switching-on of standby pumps in place of those that have failed, the possibility of remote control of the pumps, and monitoring of the operation of the installation with transmission of signals to the dispatcher's control panel. The total capacity of the operating pumps of the dewatering installation shall ensure that the maximum expected daily inflow of water is pumped out within not more than 20 hours. The installation shall have standby pumps with a total capacity equal to 20 to 25 per cent of the operating pumps.
999. The casing pipes of a borehole undermined by the open pit shall be cut off in good time and reliably capped.
1000. Stationary dewatering installations in areas with sub-zero air temperatures shall be insulated before the winter period.
1001. When arranging dewatering by drainage mines, the collars of drainage-ventilation boreholes shall be cased with perforated pipes projecting 1 m above the floor of the bench, the pipes shall be painted a bright colour and marked with the borehole numbers, and the mouth of the pipe shall be covered with a metal mesh.
1002. The selection of areas for the siting of dumps shall be carried out after engineering-geological and hydrogeological surveys have been conducted. The project shall set out the characteristics of the soils in the areas intended for the siting of dumps. The procedure for forming and operating dumps located above active underground workings, and for filling in subsidence and worked-out areas of open-pit mining facilities, shall be determined by a special project. The conduct of mining operations with intermediate dumps (stockpiles) shall be carried out under a project approved by the technical manager of the organisation. The possibility of dumping in waterlogged and water-saturated areas is determined by the project, providing for the necessary safety measures for dumping operations. The siting of dumps on the areas of deposits subject to mining by the open-pit method shall be prohibited.
1003. The location of transfer points in the working area of a quarry is determined in accordance with the mine development plan. The transfer point shall be constructed in accordance with the design.
1004. The storage of snow in waste rock dumps shall be prohibited.
1005. Where signs of landslide processes appear and where deformation rates exceed those specified in the design documentation, dumping operations shall be stopped until actions for the safe conduct of mining operations, approved by the organisation's technical manager, have been developed. Operations resume following positive control measurements of deformation rates, with the permission of the facility's technical manager.
1006. Loading railway tracks shall have an elevation above the level at which the excavator or other machinery stands, as determined by the dump passport. The level of the railway tracks when loading rock mass into wagons by dragline-type excavators is determined by the local design (passport) for the operation of the excavator, taking into account engineering-geological conditions.
1007. The distance from the railway track axis to the edge of the plough dump, after each track shift, is established depending on the stability of the dump bench and shall be: not less than 1600 mm for dump cars with a load capacity of up to 60 t; 1800 mm for dump cars with a load capacity of more than 60 t. At dumps formed by single-bucket excavators, at the dump car unloading point, the distance from the railway track axis to the upper edge shall be: not less than 1600 mm for standard gauge; not less than 1300 mm for 900 mm gauge.
1008. The outer rail of the unloading track shall have an elevation of 100-150 mm relative to the inner rail.
1009. At the end of unloading dead-end tracks, stop blocks fitted with track barrier indicators shall be installed; these indicators shall be illuminated during the hours of darkness or shall have a reflective coating. Track barrier indicators shall be positioned on the side of the locomotive driver and set out from the track axis at a distance of not less than 2.5 m and at a height of 1.5 m. A signal sign "Locomotive Stop" shall be installed at the unloading dead-end track, positioned at a distance equal to the maximum length of the train from the unloading point.
1010. The acceptance of loaded trains for unloading rock into the dump, after each shift of the dump track, shall take place with the permission of the shift technical manager, with a corresponding entry made in a special log.
1011. The dispatch of loaded trains to dump unloading dead-end tracks shall be performed wagons first, except for their dispatch to the tracks of absetzer dumps. The dispatch of loaded trains locomotive first shall be permitted only where actions for the safe performance of work, approved by the facility's technical manager, have been implemented.
1012. During the unloading of dump cars, persons shall remain outside the zone of rock mass spreading. Along the railway track at the point of train unloading, on the side opposite the pit, a platform shall be prepared for personnel servicing the train. The cleaning of dump cars shall be mechanised. Manual cleaning of dump cars may take place only where actions for the safe performance of work, approved by the facility's technical manager, have been developed. Manual cleaning of dump cars at pits shall be prohibited. For the safe unloading of dump cars loaded with freezing, adhering rock or oversized pieces, actions for the safe performance of work, approved by the organisation's technical manager, shall be developed.
1013. For the duration of the shifting and repair of railway tracks, the section of track where this work is performed shall be fenced off.
1014. Roads in quarries and on dumps shall be located outside the limits within which rock mass pieces may roll from bench slopes. Signs warning of the danger of persons being present on slopes, near their base and at vehicle unloading points shall be installed on dumps.
1015. Motor vehicles and other transport shall be unloaded at the dump and transfer point at locations specified in the passport. In doing so, the vehicle's support point nearest to the slope shall be located outside the collapse (sliding) prism of the rock. The dimensions of the collapse prism shall be established by surveying service employees and communicated to personnel. All employees at the dump and transfer point shall be familiarised with the passport against signature.
1016. Dump platforms formed by bulldozers or front-end loaders, and transfer point platforms, shall have a transverse gradient of not less than 3 degrees along the entire unloading front, directed from the slope edge into the depth of the dump over the length of the wheelbase of the dump trucks in operation, and the front necessary for the manoeuvring of motor vehicles, road trains, bulldozers, front-end loaders and other machinery. Diagrams establishing the procedure for the movement of motor vehicles across the facility's territory shall be displayed at the entrance to dumps and transfer points. The unloading zone shall be delimited on both sides by signs depicting a dump truck with its body raised, with indicators of the unloading direction. A safety berm with a height of not less than 0.5 of the wheel diameter of the motor vehicle of the maximum load capacity used under the given conditions shall be formed along the entire front of the unloading zone. The safety berm serves as a reference point for the driver. Driving onto the safety berm during unloading shall be prohibited. Monitoring of the presence of formed safety berms and their conformity with the passports shall be carried out each shift by persons exercising technical supervision. Where the absence of a safety berm or its non-conformity with the passports is identified, the person exercising technical supervision shall report this to the shift dispatcher. Performing work in the absence of a safety berm specified in the passport shall be prohibited, except for work on forming it. Where a safety berm is absent, or its height is less than that established by the design documentation, approaching the edge of the dump closer than 5 m, or closer than the distance specified in the passport, shall be prohibited. The height of the guard around the loading opening of the receiving hopper shall be not less than 0.5 of the wheel diameter of the motor vehicle. Where motor vehicles of different load capacities are used, the approach to the receiving hopper shall be divided into sectors with the height of the guard of the loading opening corresponding to vehicles of the relevant load capacity. During the hours of darkness, the unloading zone shall be illuminated.
1017. The approach of a dump truck for unloading shall be reversing, and the operation of the bulldozer or front-end loader shall be perpendicular to the upper edge of the platform slope. In doing so, the movement of the bulldozer or front-end loader takes place with the blade leading only, with a safety berm being formed simultaneously in front of the bulldozer's or front-end loader's blade, in accordance with the passport. The unloading of dump trucks and the operation of a bulldozer or front-end loader within the collapse prism, or where the bench (tier) slope has been undercut by an excavator, shall be prohibited.
1018. The simultaneous operation, at a transfer point, of an excavator in the same sector as a bulldozer or dump truck shall be prohibited. The distance between vehicles standing at unloading and passing vehicles shall be not less than 5 m. The installation of an overhead contact line on the trestle of the unloading platform shall be prohibited.
1019. The presence of unauthorised persons, motor vehicles and other machinery not related to the loading and unloading process shall be prohibited in areas for storing rock mass (rock), at unloading platforms and transfer points (stockpiles). In all cases, persons shall remain at a distance of not less than 5 m from the machine.
1020. The organisation's geological and surveying service shall organise monitoring of dump stability and instrumental observation of deformations across the entire dump area. The methods and techniques of observation and the evaluation of their results are determined by the design of the monitoring station or the design for the performance of surveying work.
1021. During the operation of a hydraulic dump and the raising of containment dams, the cutting of soil and the construction of quarries and pits in the downstream area and on the downstream slope of the dam, as well as in the storage bed, shall be prohibited.
1022. The elevation of the crest of the dam of fill-type hydraulic dumps above water level, or the elevation of the above-water beach at the upstream slope of the containment dam of hydraulic-fill dumps above water level, shall conform to the design and be not less than 1.5 m for Class I and II storage facilities, and 1.0 m for Class III and IV storage facilities. To monitor the water level in the settling pond, a water-level gauge made of non-deformable material with centimetre graduations shall be installed at the measurement point. The zero of the gauge shall be tied to a reference benchmark and checked annually. The critical water level in the pond shall be marked on the water-level gauge.
1023. When discharging slurry onto the beach, to prevent overflow onto the crest and the downstream slope of the dam, the elevation of the crest of the hydraulic dump at the upstream slope above the beach shall be not less than the diameter of the slurry discharge outlet, but not less than 0.5 m.
1024. The length of the above-water beach, throughout the entire period of operation of hydraulic-fill dumps, shall conform to that specified by the design for each fill tier, but shall be not less than 50 m for Class I storage facilities, 40 m for Class II storage facilities, 30 m for Class III storage facilities and 20 m for Class IV storage facilities.
1025. Sections of a filled hydraulic dump shall be fenced off, and warning posters and signs shall be installed on them. Footbridges with handrails shall be provided for servicing the hydraulic fill. Approaching the water of the settling pond, washouts, subsidence holes or funnels formed on the hydraulic dump, as well as walking on the ice of the settling pond, shall be prohibited.
1026. Dams, channel-diversion and hillside drainage ditches, and dykes shall be prepared for the passage of flood and storm water. Preparation shall be carried out in accordance with actions for the passage of flood and storm water, approved by the organisation's technical manager.
1027. Where visible signs of deformation appear on the berms and crest of hydraulic dumps, the discharge of slurry shall be stopped, the cause of the deformation shall be established, and measures shall be taken to restore the body of the dam.
1028. To prevent erosion of the hydraulic dump, the supply of slurry with a lower consistency and an increased specific flow rate compared with those specified in the design shall be prohibited. When flushing slurry pipelines, measures preventing erosion of the dam shall be taken.
1029. When filling a structure, the construction of the containment embankment by bulldozer shall be performed after checking the soil for moisture content and density, at which passability for machinery and persons is ensured.
1030. For hydraulic dumps located above territory that has been or is being undermined, a forecast of possible zones of water-conducting cracks, faults and subsidence holes shall be prepared, taking into account the loads from the hydraulic dump structures when it is filled to the design elevation, as well as a forecast of seepage losses into the mined-out space.
1031. The movement of a drilling rig with its mast raised on a bench shall take place over a prepared platform within the marked-out drilling block. When moving a drilling rig from one bench to another, or under a high-voltage line (HVL), the mast shall be laid down into the transport position, and the drilling tool shall be removed or securely fastened.
1032. In the event of a sharp drop in the water level in a hydraulic dump located above territory that has been or is being undermined, the discharge of slurry into it shall be stopped immediately, and measures shall be taken for the release and organised drainage of water from the pond. The discharge of tailings water into open water bodies without appropriate treatment to sanitary standards shall be prohibited. To prevent dusting of the surface layer, measures for its stabilisation (grass seeding, tree planting and other methods) shall be taken.
1033. For the prompt elimination of damage and emergency situations at hydraulic dumps, a reserve of construction materials, earthmoving machinery, motor vehicles and other machines provided for by the plan of actions for the localisation and elimination of the consequences of accidents shall be maintained.
1034. The acceptance into operation of mining, transport and road machines and process equipment after installation and major overhaul shall be performed by a commission, the composition of which is determined by the head of the organisation.
1035. The serviceability and completeness of mining machines shall be checked each shift by the operator, weekly by the section mechanic and power engineer, and monthly by the chief mechanic, chief power engineer or other persons designated by an administrative document, with an entry made in the machine's onboard log.
1036. During non-working hours, mining, transport and road-construction machines shall be moved away from the face to a safe location, the working attachment shall be lowered to the ground, the cab shall be locked, and the supply cable shall be de-energised.
1037. Riding in multi-seat cabs of motor vehicles, in railway trains and in locomotive cabs shall be permitted for persons accompanying the trains, as well as for persons performing shift technical supervision and individual employees holding written permission from the technical manager. The number of persons transported shall be established by the head of the organisation.
1038. The movement of mining, transport and road machines from one work site to another, and their transportation on vehicles, shall be performed in accordance with process charts approved by the organisation's technical manager. The crossing of railway tracks by bulldozers, motor vehicles and other wheeled, tracked or walking machines shall take place at designated locations equipped in accordance with the design documentation and marked with road signs.
1039. Work using mining, transport and road machines shall be conducted in accordance with the work project (passport). Passports shall be kept in the cabs of the machines. Conducting mining operations without an approved passport, or with deviations from it, shall be prohibited. The transportation (towing) of self-propelled mining machines and auxiliary equipment, including complete transformer substations, complete switchgear and connection points, within the territory of the mining facility shall be permitted only using a rigid coupling and where actions specially developed by the organisation to ensure the safety of transportation are implemented. The transportation of machines and equipment using other types of coupling, or using two or more tractor units, shall take place in accordance with actions for which a permit to work has been issued. In the event of a sudden interruption of the electricity supply, personnel operating the machinery shall move the starting devices of the electric motors and the control levers to the "Stop" (zero) position. The presence of unauthorised persons in the cab and on the external platforms of machines and mechanisms during their operation shall be prohibited, except for persons exercising technical supervision and persons holding permission from the organisation's technical manager. Structural elements of the equipment, gangways and platforms shall be cleaned of rock mass and dirt each shift.
1040. The storage of highly flammable substances on mining and transport machines shall be prohibited. Lubricants and wiping materials shall be stored in closed metal boxes.
1041. When a tracked excavator moves over a horizontal section or uphill, the travel gear drive shall be at the rear, and when descending a slope, at the front. The bucket shall be emptied and shall be not higher than 1 m above the ground, and the boom shall be positioned in the direction of travel of the excavator. When a hydraulic excavator moves, the loading bucket shall be positioned in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
1042. When a walking excavator moves, the bucket shall be emptied, and the boom set in the direction opposite to the direction of travel of the excavator. When the excavator moves uphill or downhill, measures excluding spontaneous sliding shall be provided.
1043. The relocation of the excavator shall take place along a route located outside collapse prisms, with gradients not exceeding those permitted by the excavator's technical passport, and having a width sufficient for manoeuvring. The relocation of the excavator shall be performed on signals from the operator's assistant or a specially designated person, and constant visibility between them and the excavator operator shall be ensured. For walking excavators, the transmission of signals from the operator's assistant to the operator via a third member of the work team may take place.
1044. The excavator shall be positioned on the bench or dump on a levelled base with a gradient not exceeding that permitted by the excavator's technical passport. The distance between the bench or dump slope or the vehicle and the excavator's counterweight is established by the face passport depending on the mining and geological conditions and the type of equipment, but shall in any case be not less than 1 m. When the excavator operates with a bucket capacity of less than 5 m3, its cab shall be located on the side opposite the bench slope.
1045. When excavators load railway wagons and unload them at excavator dumps, the train crew shall obey the signals of the excavator operator, given in accordance with the signals established for the operation of railway transport. When loading motor vehicles, drivers of motor vehicles shall obey the signals of the excavator operator, the meaning of which is established by the organisation's technical manager. Excavator operators and vehicle drivers shall be familiarised with the list of signals. A table of signals shall be displayed in a prominent place on the excavator's body.
1046. The height of waste rock dumps and dump tiers, the slope angles and collapse prisms, and the rate of advance of the dumping front are established by the design depending on the physical and mechanical properties of the dump rock and its base, the dumping methods and the terrain relief. The formation of sub-tiers not exceeding the height of the dump tier and meeting the requirements of these Rules may take place.
1047. The presence of employees (including servicing personnel) within the excavator's operating zone (the radius of the excavator's hazard zone) while the excavator is in operation shall be prohibited. Information on the radius of the hazard zone shall be indicated on the excavator's body.
1048. Ropes used on excavators shall conform to the excavator's operating manual or passport and shall have the manufacturer's certificate. Boom suspension ropes shall be inspected not less than once a week by the section mechanic. Over the length of one lay, there shall be not more than 15 per cent broken wires of their total number in the rope. Protruding ends of broken wires shall be cut off. Hoisting, hauling and crowding ropes shall be inspected at intervals established by the organisation's technical manager. The results of rope inspections are entered in the shift handover log, and entries on their replacement, indicating the date of installation and the type of rope installed, are entered in the mining machine's unit log.
1049. In the event of a threat of collapse or sliding of the bench during the operation of the excavator, or upon the discovery of misfired explosive charges, the excavator operator shall stop work, move the excavator to a safe location and notify the shift technical manager.
1050. Oversized pieces of rock mass shall be stacked stably in a single layer, without creating obstacles to the movement of mining transport equipment on the platform.
1051. When the excavator operates on soils that cannot withstand the pressure of the tracks, special measures ensuring its stable position, reflected in the face passport, shall be taken.
1052. When rock mass is loaded by an excavator into dump cars or other containers in faces with overhead contact lines of electrified transport, actions on safe working methods, including arrangements for protection against contact between the bucket and the contact wire, shall be developed and observed. The actions shall be approved by the organisation's technical manager.
1053. The gradients and radii of the rail tracks and roads of multi-bucket excavators on rail, walking-rail and crawler undercarriages shall be established within the limits provided for in the operating manual or the excavator's technical passport. Devices for monitoring changes in the gauge of rail tracks and their gradients shall be checked not less than once a month, with the results entered in a special log. The operation of the excavator shall be prohibited where the specified devices are absent or faulty, and also where the under-excavator tracks are faulty or the bench is waterlogged.
1054. Rotary excavators with non-extendable booms shall have automatic devices ensuring the specified speeds of movement and angles of rotation of the rotor boom, and multi-bucket excavators shall have devices protecting the bucket-wheel frame, rotor boom and conveyor from being raised, lowered or rotated through an angle greater than that provided for in the operating manual or technical passport.
1055. Before the start of a new cut by multi-bucket excavators, the face shall be inspected by a person exercising technical supervision, and measures shall be taken to remove foreign objects (large roots, timber, metal objects) across the entire working front of the excavator over the width of the cut, taking into account the collapse prism.
1056. Spreader bridges and cantilever spreaders shall have properly functioning instruments for continuous automatic measurement of wind speed and direction, interlocked with an emergency signal and the control system for the travel mechanisms of the spreaders, as well as instrumentation, limit switches, signalling and intercom devices. In addition to automatically operating braking devices, the bridge's travel bogies shall have serviceable hand brakes.
1057. During the repair of a spreader bridge, the simultaneous dismantling of hand and automatic braking devices shall be prohibited.
1058. Counterweights located near roads and passageways shall be fenced off to exclude persons entering their zones of action.
1059. During a thunderstorm, in fog and blizzard with visibility down to 25 m, as well as during heavy rain, wet and heavy snowfall, the movement and operation of the spreader bridge shall be prohibited.
1060. The passage of transport, machines and mechanisms, as well as the passage of persons, under the cantilever of the spreader shall be prohibited.
1061. The distance between the end of the dumping cantilever of the spreader bridge and the crest of the dump shall be not less than 3 m; for cantilever belt spreaders with periodic movement, this value shall be not less than 1.5 m.
1062. The cab of tracked and wheeled loaders, tractors, bulldozers, motor graders and self-propelled scrapers intended for operation at a mining facility shall be fitted with a device protecting the operator in the event of the machine overturning and a device protecting against rock mass falling from above.
1063. Mining and transport equipment operated at open-pit mining facilities shall be equipped in accordance with the standards established by the manufacturer with: fire-fighting equipment; emergency stop signs; first-aid kits; chocks (wedges) for placing under the wheels (for wheeled machinery); an intermittent audible signal when reversing; yellow flashing beacons mounted on the cab; two rear-view mirrors; repair tools provided by the manufacturer; and the manufacturer's operating and repair manual (technical passport).
1064. The person responsible for releasing mining transport equipment for operation, after checking its technical condition, issues drivers (operators) with waybills specifying measures for the safe performance of work, with an entry made in the onboard log.
1065. When wheeled scrapers with tractor traction are used, the gradient of ramps in the loaded direction shall be not more than 15 degrees, and in the empty direction not more than 25 degrees.
1066. In the event of an emergency stop of self-propelled machinery, measures excluding its spontaneous movement downhill shall be taken.
1067. To inspect the blade or bucket from below, it shall be lowered onto special reliable supports, and the engine shall be switched off.
1068. The height of the bench during hydraulic monitor sluicing shall be adopted depending on the physical and mechanical properties of the rock, the design of the hydraulic monitors and the sluicing arrangement adopted, shall conform to the design, but shall not exceed 30 m (except for the working of benches with chalk deposits - up to 50 m).
1069. In hydromechanised mining, the distance from the hydraulic monitor installation and other face equipment (scrapers, bulldozers) to the face shall be not less than 0.8 of the bench height. For clayey, dense and loess-like rocks liable to collapse in blocks, this distance shall be not less than 1.2 of the bench height. When sluicing with a side face, the distance from the hydraulic monitor to the face shall be not less than 0.4 of the bench height.
1070. Before the hydraulic monitor starts operating, personnel shall be removed from the zone of action of its jet. The area of the section, at a distance of not less than 1.5 times the range of action of the hydraulic monitor's jet, shall be fenced off with warning signs. Leaving an operating hydraulic monitor unattended shall be prohibited.
1071. Ancillary work in the face shall take place after the face has been inspected and overhangs and cornices have been eliminated. The operation of a hydraulic monitor during a thunderstorm shall be prohibited.
1072. The slope angles of benches worked out by a hydraulic monitor shall not exceed the natural angle of repose of the rock.
1073. When hydraulic monitors operate towards each other, the operation of one of them shall be stopped when they close to within a distance of 1.5 times the maximum jet range of the more powerful hydraulic monitor. The distance between two simultaneously operating hydraulic monitors shall be greater than the maximum jet range of either of them.
1074. A hydraulic monitor shall be located at a distance from a high-voltage power line of not less than twice the jet range.
1075. The premises of pumping and dredge-pump installations shall have telephone or radio communication with the location where the hydraulic monitors are installed and shall be equipped with emergency signalling.
1076. Within the boundaries of the industrial section, the polygon being worked shall first be cleared of forest, shrubs and stumps. Before the start of the summer season of operation of the dredge (dredger), the dredge cut shall be cleared of ice. Clearing the polygon and the presence of persons within the hazard zones of the working ropes while the dredge (dredger) is operating shall be prohibited. The dimensions of the hazard zone are established by the head of the dredge (dredger).
1077. The operation of the dredge (dredger) shall be conducted in accordance with the face passport approved by the organisation's technical manager.
1078. Where a frozen layer of peat (seasonal or permafrost) is present in the face, working shall take place after preliminary thawing. Advance dredging (undermining of the lower thawed part of the face) shall be prohibited.
1079. The dredge (dredger) shall be equipped with an operating manual and pontoon drawings showing the compartments, watertight bulkheads, and the location of hatches in the deck.
1080. Dredges (dredgers) shall be equipped with two-way signalling between the dredge operator's room (wheelhouse) and the mechanisms. For communication between the dredge operator (bagermeister) and the workers servicing the mechanisms (except on small-capacity dredges), in addition to audible signalling, a public address system shall be provided.
1081. The descent of persons into the loading hatch shall be permitted after the bucket chain has been stopped and the position of the buckets on the upper bucket drum has been inspected in advance. The descent of persons into the loading hatch without a safety belt shall be prohibited. Work in the loading hatch shall take place in accordance with actions approved by the head of the dredge.
1082. On the dredge (dredger), life-saving equipment (rings, buoys, life jackets) shall be evenly distributed along the sides of the pontoon and outside the superstructure, with not less than two sets for every 20 m of deck length. Life rings shall be fitted with lines not less than 30 m long. Escape routes to life-saving equipment shall be marked.
1083. Each dredge (dredger) shall have a rope run around the pontoon above water, fixed at such a height that a person who has fallen overboard can grasp it. There shall be not less than two boats with oars on the water, equipped with life-saving equipment. At the points on the pontoon where persons pass to a boat, folding gangway bridges with handrails and openings with chain guards shall be provided.
1084. Electricity shall be supplied to the dredge (dredger) from a shore switchgear unit by means of an armoured or flexible cable, laid on supports, and over water - on rafts (floats). The cable shall be brought onto the dredge by means of a special boom secured to the rear mast.
1085. Frame-hoisting winches shall be equipped with two brakes (a working brake and a safety brake), as well as protection against over-hoisting of the bucket frame, with duplicate audible signalling. The dredge (dredger) shall be equipped with automatic activation of emergency pumps for pumping water out of the pontoons.
1086. Signalling for the presence of water, with the signal displayed at the control panel, shall be installed in the pontoon. When the signal for water ingress is triggered, measures for detecting and eliminating the leak shall be taken urgently. Where damage cannot be eliminated with the available means and there is a threat of loss of buoyancy, the crew shall leave the damaged facility.
1087. Dredges and dredgers shall be equipped with primary and automatic fire-fighting equipment in accordance with the design.
1088. The anchor of the dredger shall have a rope with a length equal to the maximum depth of the water body, with a buoy painted red attached to it. When turning the dredge (dredger), the correct laying of the main or swing anchor, as well as the securing of the main and swing ropes, shall be checked.
1089. The extraction of dimension stone and large blocks shall be performed in benches, with each bench worked out sequentially from top to bottom. Benches may be divided into sub-benches.
1090. The height of the bench shall be determined by the project depending on the geological mining conditions (jointing), shall be a multiple of the height of the cut-out block (allowing for the kerf thickness) and shall not exceed: 3 m where stone-cutting machines with mechanised stone removal are used, and shall correspond to the stone-cutting equipment applied; 2.35 m where removal is manual; 6 m where hard rock such as granite is worked manually and small-scale mechanisation equipment is used.
1091. The parameters of monoliths and blocks when they are split off from the rock mass shall be determined by the project, allowing for the process equipment applied. Where stone is extracted using wedge splitting: the splitting-off of stone on the bench shall be carried out from top to bottom; the working front of each working face shall be at least 10 m, and the distance between stone splitters shall be at least 4 m.
1092. The sequence in which splitting or cutting operations are carried out when a block (monolith) is separated from the rock mass shall exclude its spontaneous overturning. The longitudinal vertical cut or splitting operation shall be carried out last.
1093. The width of the working platform of a bench (sub-bench) is determined by calculation and shall ensure that the platform accommodates the equipment, the separated blocks and the necessary stock of materials, and that free passages at least 1 m wide are available; the minimum width of the working platform shall not be less than 3 m.
1094. When benches are brought to their final position, safety berms shall be left, the width of which shall correspond to that adopted by the project.
1095. Where a deposit is opened without a trench, at least two exits from the site where the work is carried out shall be provided, fitted with ladders; in one of them the ladders shall have an angle of inclination of not more than 40 degrees.
1096. Before a stone-cutting machine is started, the operator shall verify that there are no persons, machines or mechanisms within the zone of action of the cutting rope. The presence of operating personnel within a radius of less than 10 m from the rope of a working wire-rope stone-cutting machine, or of another stone-cutting machine with a rope-operated travel mechanism, shall be prohibited. The portable control panel of the stone-cutting machine shall be installed outside a zone with a radius of 10 m from the rope of a working wire-rope stone-cutting machine, or of another stone-cutting machine with a rope-operated travel mechanism.
1097. All undercut overhanging stones or pieces thereof left by the stone-cutting machine shall be removed (broken off). The roof of the upper bench, for a distance of at least 2 m from its crest, shall be cleared of stone waste.
1098. The removal (selection) of wall stone cut at the face by the stone-cutting machine shall be carried out starting from the upper rows. Where the bench height exceeds 1.5 m, stone shall be removed by a mechanised method.
1099. The height of a stone stack shall not exceed 1.8 m, or 2.5 m for a stack of large blocks. The method of stacking shall ensure its stability.
1100. Where two or more stone-cutting machines operate simultaneously on the same rail track, the distance between them shall be at least 15 m.
1101. In combined schemes for the extraction of block stone involving the use of bar-type and wire-rope stone-cutting machines, the following sequence shall be observed: drilling of a vertical process borehole, horizontal undercutting by the bar-type machine, and transverse and then longitudinal vertical cutting by the wire-rope stone-cutting machine.
1102. Where stone-cutting machines with a helical rope are used, the non-working part of the rope shall be located outside the protection zone of power lines, on non-working benches and outside the zone of action of lifting mechanisms.
1103. The parameters of the mining system (bench height and slope angle, the width of safety berms and safety pillars) are determined by the project. In this case, the height of a bench when a salt seam is worked shall not exceed 8 metres, and the slope angle of the bench being worked shall not exceed 75 degrees (except where a salt seam is worked in a bench of height less than 3.0 m, with a bench slope angle of up to 90 degrees).
1104. All disused workings (excavations), as well as workings in which work has been temporarily suspended on the territory of a salt lake, shall be fenced off with warning signs.
1105. When common salt is extracted from a basin or lake, the discharge of processing waste into the worked-out space of the working zones shall be prohibited.
1106. Salt-harvesting combines whose diesel-generator unit is mounted in the same wagon as the rest of the equipment shall have artificial ventilation.
1107. Where two salt-harvesting combines operate on the same working track, the boundary of operation of each salt-harvesting combine shall be marked. The boundary of operation of the salt-harvesting combines is marked by means of a red disc 200 mm in diameter, installed between the gauges of the working track and the loading track.
1108. In a salt lake, along roads used by motor vehicles, tractors and other vehicles, marker posts shall be installed at such a distance from one another that they are visible to the driver at any time of day and in any weather.
1109. The electrical wiring of a salt-harvesting combine shall be laid in metal pipes or made using a special cable with an anti-corrosion coating. Power and lighting wiring directly on the territory of basins shall be made using cables. The laying of cables directly on the bottom of a basin or on the salt bed in a salt lake shall be prohibited. Cables shall be laid on special supports or trestles.
1110. Structures, devices, rolling stock and equipment shall conform to the design documentation and shall also have data sheets containing their technical and operational characteristics. Monitoring of the operation of railway transport shall be carried out by an automated (microprocessor-based) system for controlling the movement of rolling stock on railway tracks, and by communication devices. The track superstructure shall conform to the project and to the requirements of the Rules. The operation of railway tracks without ballast shall be prohibited. Local materials may be used as ballast for movable tracks. The number of bolts in the joint connections of movable tracks shall be at least four.
1111. Loads that have been unloaded or prepared for loading shall be placed alongside the track and secured so that the structure clearance gauge is not infringed. Loads (other than ballast unloaded for track work), where their height is up to 1200 mm, shall be located at a distance of at least 2 m from the outer edge of the head of the outermost rail, and at a distance of at least 2.5 m where the height is greater.
1112. Railway tracks shall be cleared of spillage and snow and shall periodically be subjected to instrumental inspection for conformity with their designs. The procedure and time limits for inspection and clearing shall be established by the chief engineer of the organisation. To monitor the commissioning, operation and decommissioning of railway tracks and roads in the working of mineral deposits, the operating organisation shall have a diagram of transport communications, plotted on the mine working plan, which shall be approved by the chief engineer of the site and updated on a monthly basis.
1113. The operation of turnouts having at least one of the following defects endangering the safety of rolling-stock movement shall be prohibited: disconnection of the switch blades; a gap between the switch blade and the stock rail, measured opposite the first rod, of 4 mm or more; chipping of the switch blade creating a risk of flange climbing, and in all cases chipping of a length of more than 200 mm on main tracks, 300 mm on receiving-and-departure tracks and 400 mm on other station tracks; a drop of the switch blade relative to the stock rail of 2 mm or more, measured at the cross-section where the width of the top of the switch blade head is 50 mm or more; vertical wear of stock rails: for type R-50 and lighter, 8 mm or more on main tracks, 10 mm or more on receiving-and-departure tracks, 12 mm or more on other station tracks; for type R-65 and heavier, 10 mm or more on main tracks, 12 mm or more on receiving-and-departure tracks, 14 mm or more on other station tracks; vertical wear of frog points, at the cross-section where the width of the frog point is 40 mm, exceeding 6 mm on main tracks, 8 mm on receiving-and-departure tracks and 10 mm on other station tracks; a distance between the working edge of the frog point and the working face of the check-rail head of less than 1474 mm; a distance between the working faces of the check-rail head and the wing-rail head of more than 1435 mm; a fracture of a switch blade or stock rail; a fracture of a frog (point, wing rail) or check rail; rupture of a check-rail bolt; loosened bolted fastening at the heel of the switch blades.
1114. At stations and posts equipped with electric interlocking, the clearing of turnouts and tracks of snow and rock mass shall be carried out automatically, by a mechanised method. Manual clearing is permitted by not fewer than two workers, one of whom performs the duties of a signalman and shall carry hand signal flags, and, during the hours of darkness and during fog and snowstorms, shall carry a switched-on signal lantern.
1115. Structures and devices of signalling, interlocking and block systems (hereinafter referred to as "SIB systems") and communication systems shall be protected from the hazardous effect of traction current, overhead power lines and lightning discharges. Monitoring of SIB, automatic blocking and communication devices shall be carried out according to a schedule approved by the chief engineer of the organisation.
1116. Manually operated turnouts shall be equipped with indicators, whether illuminated or non-illuminated. The division of points into illuminated and non-illuminated ones is established by the operating organisation.
1117. At places of permanent movement of persons across railway tracks, pedestrian tunnels, bridges or walkways shall be provided, illuminated during the hours of darkness. Crossing the tracks at unauthorised places shall be prohibited. Places where railway tracks intersect with roads shall be illuminated during the hours of darkness.
1118. Standard level crossings shall be provided on the permanent railway tracks of the site where mining operations are conducted. Level crossings on temporary railway tracks shall ensure the safety of traffic movement and shall have: a horizontal platform or a gradient of up to 10 per mille; a grade break provided at a distance of 5 m from the outermost rail; longitudinal gradients of roads on the approaches to the crossing not exceeding 60 per mille; continuous decking; an angle of intersection of at least 30 degrees; standard warning signs; clearance gates for electrified tracks; signal signs "S", for the sounding of a signal by the locomotive driver, installed at a distance of not less than the braking distance on both sides of the crossing; the width of the carriageway shall be established depending on the maximum load capacity of the dump trucks used at the site where mining operations are conducted. The classification of level crossings and the procedure for guarding them are established by the head of the organisation. Unguarded level crossings in sections with automatic block signalling shall be equipped with automatic crossing signalling.
1119. The normal position of barriers shall be: open for an automated level crossing, and closed for a non-automated one. Guarded level crossings shall have direct telephone communication with the nearest station duty officer or dispatcher.
1120. The conveyance and transfer of large-size process equipment and out-of-gauge loads across level crossings shall be carried out in accordance with a procedure approved by the chief engineer of the organisation, under the observation of a person exercising technical supervision.
1121. All work involving the crossing of railway tracks by power lines, communication lines, oil pipelines, water pipelines and other above-ground and underground facilities shall be carried out in accordance with a project approved by the chief engineer of the site.
1122. Track blocking devices (derailing shoes or catch points, turning beams), when in their blocking position, shall not permit rolling stock to leave the tracks on which they are installed.
1123. The repair of structures and devices shall be carried out while ensuring the safety of traffic movement. It shall be prohibited: to commence work before the places where work is carried out, and which are hazardous for the passage of rolling stock, have been protected with signals; to remove the signals protecting the places of work before they have been fully completed, and before the condition of the track and the overhead contact system and compliance with the clearance gauge have been checked. Places where work is carried out that present a hazard to the passage of rolling stock shall be protected with signals on both sides of the sections of track, irrespective of whether a train is expected or not, at a distance of not less than the established braking distance of the locomotive. Before the start of track repair work, the person in charge shall instruct the workers on the conditions for the safe performance of this work and indicate the places to which the workers shall move away during the passage of trains, and shall also notify the station duty officer and agree the working conditions with that officer.
1124. On station tracks it shall be prohibited to carry out work requiring protection by stop signals or speed-reduction signals without the written permission of the station duty officer and without a prior entry by the person in charge of the work in the log for the inspection of tracks, turnouts, SIB devices, communication and the overhead contact system. Where work is carried out on the station's overhead contact system that requires the voltage to be removed and protection by stop signals or speed-reduction signals, but without impairing the integrity of the track and engineering structures, an entry shall be made on the commencement and completion of the work, or it may be replaced by a telephone message, recorded in the same log, transmitted by the person in charge of the work to the station duty officer. The bringing of devices back into operation on completion of repair work shall be carried out by the station duty officer on the basis of an entry by the person in charge of the work in the log for the inspection of tracks, turnouts, SIB devices, communication and the overhead contact system, or of a telephone message, recorded in the same log, transmitted to the station duty officer, with the subsequent signature of the person in charge of the work within twenty-four hours.
1125. Rolling stock shall be kept in sound working order ensuring the safety of traffic movement. Locomotives shall be equipped with automatic and hand brakes. Electric locomotives and traction units, in addition to automatic brakes, shall be equipped with electric brakes.
1126. The automatic brakes of rolling stock shall ensure: a braking force guaranteeing that the train stops during emergency braking at a distance not exceeding the established braking distance, smoothness of braking, and the stopping of the train in the event of disconnection or rupture of the brake pipe; the possibility of applying different braking modes depending on the loading of the wagons and the track profile.
1127. Locomotives shall have properly functioning: brakes (on diesel locomotives - hand and pneumatic; on electric locomotives - hand, pneumatic, electric and electromagnetic); devices for giving audible signals; sanders; a speed recorder; primary fire-fighting equipment; lighting devices; an automatic train stop and automatic cab signalling (for locomotives authorised to run onto the tracks of the general railway network); radio communication equipment. Multiple-unit rolling stock and dump cars shall be equipped with automatic brakes.
1128. It shall be prohibited to put into operation locomotives and other self-propelled units on rail running gear where the following are defective: devices for giving audible signals; fire-fighting equipment; pneumatic, electric and hand brakes and the compressor; radio communication equipment; vigilance-control interlocking devices used where a locomotive is operated by a single driver; automatic coupling devices; the sanding system; the headlight, buffer lamp, lighting and control-and-measuring instruments; the protective interlock of the high-voltage compartment; devices protecting against short-circuit currents, overload and overvoltage, and against emergency stoppage of the diesel engine; the safety device, provided for by the design, against the falling of parts onto the track; protective covers of electrical equipment.
1129. It shall be prohibited to leave rolling stock without securing it against spontaneous run-away (movement). The procedure for securing and the number of braking devices are established by the head of the transport shop and are set out in the station's technical and operating instructions.
1130. It shall be prohibited to operate wagons having at least one of the following defects: a wheelset requiring replacement; a crack in the bolster of a bogie or in the side frame of a cast bogie; a fracture of the bolster or of the transverse tie; a broken column bolt or axle-box bolt; a fracture of the coupler, the draft gear or the coupler yoke of the automatic coupling device; a fracture or crack (extending from the horizontal to the vertical flange) of the centre sill, side sill, bolster or buffer beam; a fault in the body, or in the closing mechanism of the hatch of a gondola car or hopper car, that endangers the safe keeping of the goods carried and the safety of movement; an axle box requiring replacement, a melted or broken axle-box bearing, or the absence of an axle-box cover; a total clearance between the side bearers on both sides of the bogie of more than 20 mm, or of less than 2 mm, for freight wagons. In addition, it shall be prohibited to operate dump cars having the following defects: tipping cylinders (a crack, loosened fastening, air leaks); the lever mechanism for tipping and for opening the longitudinal side; the control cocks; a discharge line with an air leak exceeding the established norms, but in any case more than 50 kPa (0.5 atm) per minute; a body frame with deflection, for dump cars with lifting sides, where a gap of more than 70 mm forms between the floor and the side.
1131. The composition of locomotive crews and the procedure by which they operate locomotives are established by the head of the organisation depending on the type of locomotive and local working conditions. Under electric and diesel traction, a single locomotive crew may operate several locomotives controlled from one cab. The operation of a locomotive by a single driver is permitted only where devices for automatic stopping are provided in case the driver suddenly loses the capacity to drive the train.
1132. The speed of train movement on the railway tracks of a surface mining site is established by the organisation's internal instruction on the operation of railway transport, depending on the rolling stock used, the track superstructure and profile, and local conditions.
1133. On sections between stations, between posts, and on block sections, the presence of only one train is permitted.
1134. On electrified tracks, the movement of cranes with a raised jib shall be prohibited, except where crane operations are carried out under a permit to work and with the overhead contact system devices switched off.
1135. The dismantling and laying of railway tracks by machines and mechanisms not equipped with devices for lifting the load in question shall be prohibited.
1136. The conveyance of rail panels on railway flat wagons fitted with removable standardised equipment, without appropriate securing by stops and restraining chains, shall be prohibited.
1137. Face tracks and dump tracks shall terminate in safety stops, fixed at a distance of not less than 10 m from the end of the rail track, and shall be marked with signal signs painted with reflective paint or illuminated during the hours of darkness.
1138. On the non-working part of face and dump sidings (tracks), it shall be prohibited to leave cranes, track shifters and other mechanisms without protecting them with derailing devices preventing rolling stock from running into them or from moving onto the working part of the track. It shall be prohibited to occupy catch sidings and safety sidings with rolling stock. Where process trains travel with the wagons leading and without a guard, the leading wagon (dump car) shall be equipped with an audible signal and, during the hours of darkness, also a light signal. In this case, at stops during shunting operations, the duties of the shunter (person in charge of shunting) are assigned to the assistant driver, specially trained for this purpose. An engineering train sent onto a section to a loading and unloading siding with the wagons leading and without a guard and without audible and light signals shall consist of wagons (dump cars) with not more than 12 axles.
1139. The loading of wagons (dump cars) shall be carried out in accordance with the loading data sheet. One-sided out-of-gauge loading, as well as loading exceeding the load capacity of the wagons (dump cars), shall be prohibited.
1140. When a train of wagons is stopped on a gradient, the pneumatic and hand brakes shall be applied and brake shoes placed under the wheels. Uncoupled wagons shall be reliably secured with hand brake shoes and hand brakes to prevent them from spontaneously running away downhill.
1141. The inclusion of wagons for the carriage of persons in freight-train consists shall be prohibited. The carriage of workers engaged in track work is permitted in a wagon specially intended for this purpose, included in a maintenance train, and also in track machines, in accordance with the instruction drawn up by the organisation.
1142. The bringing-up and movement of railway train consists during loading (unloading) shall be carried out only on the permissive signals of the excavator operator or the operator of the loading device, after a permissive light signal (signal light) has been switched on.
1143. When working on ruling gradients of 60 per mille, rolling stock shall be equipped with high-speed brakes (electro-pneumatic or other). Rolling stock operated on sections of track with a gradient of between 40 and 60 per mille is fitted with adequate traction and braking devices.
1144. The operation of engineering trains not equipped with high-speed brakes, on gradients of between 40 and 60 per mille, shall be carried out using an additional locomotive and in compliance with the requirements of the measures for the safe performance of work, approved by the chief engineer of the organisation.
1145. When traction units are operated, loading on gradients of up to and including 60 per mille, and unloading on gradients of up to and including 40 per mille, shall be carried out in compliance with special safety measures approved by the chief engineer of the organisation.
1146. Shunting on station tracks shall be carried out on the instructions of the station duty officer or the shunting dispatcher, and on sections equipped with dispatcher centralisation, on the instructions of the train dispatcher. Shunting on the tracks of locomotive and wagon depots and other rolling-stock repair tracks shall be carried out under the observation of, and on the personal instructions of, the depot duty officer or another person entrusted with directing shunting on these tracks. The demarcation of the areas of responsibility for directing shunting operations, and the allocation of duties among the workers performing shunting, are established by the station's technical and operating instructions.
1147. The design of the overhead contact system of process railway transport shall conform to the design documentation. The height of suspension of the contact wire above the rail head, on permanent tracks, shall be not less than 6250 mm at stations and not less than 5750 mm on the sections between stations.
1148. For the supply of the overhead contact systems of electrified process railways, a system with earthing of one phase or of the mid-point of the traction transformer shall be used. In this case, the earthing of the traction transformer shall be carried out outside the protective earthing loop of the substation.
1149. The height of suspension of the contact wire above the level of the rail head, on movable railway tracks with side suspension, shall be not less than 4400 mm.
1150. The distance from the centreline of the outermost track to the supports of the overhead contact system, on permanent tracks, shall be not less than: 2750 mm on straight sections between stations; 2450 mm at stations; 3100 mm on electrified tracks newly commissioned. On curved sections of track these distances shall be increased in accordance with the structure clearance gauge. The relative positioning of the overhead contact system supports and the signals shall ensure the visibility of the latter. On movable tracks, when a consist of dump cars is loaded by multi-bucket gantry excavators, the clearance distance between the rolling stock and the wire shall be not less than 800 mm.
1151. Within engineering structures, the distance from the pantograph and from live parts of the overhead contact system to earthed parts of the structures shall be not less than: 150 mm at a rated voltage of up to 1 kV, 200 mm up to 4 kV, 250 mm up to 10 kV, and 350 mm above 10 kV.
1152. The anchor insulator of the contact wire and of the messenger and registration wires shall be located not closer than 1.5 metres from the support.
1153. All rail tracks not used for the movement of electric locomotives shall be separated from electrified tracks by means of insulated joints.
1154. Work on a live overhead contact system is permitted for persons entitled to carry it out, and only from special towers mounted on a motor trolley or on a special platform, or from movable ladders with insulated platforms. Live-line work shall be carried out under permits to work. Carrying out any work on the overhead contact system during rain, fog, wet snow or a thunderstorm shall be prohibited.
1155. Each group of overhead-contact-system workers shall have a person in charge, responsible for the safety of the work, holding at least electrical safety qualification group IV.
1156. Metal structures (bridges, overpasses, signal lights, water columns) located at a distance of less than 5 metres from live parts of the overhead contact system, metal supports of the overhead contact system and the fastening parts of overhead-contact-system insulators on reinforced-concrete and masonry engineering structures and on reinforced-concrete supports, as well as the drives of sectioning disconnectors, non-working anchor branches and counterweights of tensioning devices installed on wooden supports, shall be earthed. Earthing shall be carried out by connecting the structure to be earthed to the traction rails. Earthing conductors and the points at which they are connected to the rails and to the devices to be earthed shall be accessible for inspection.
1157. The drives of sectioning disconnectors, in the disconnected position, shall be locked. Each drive shall have an assigned number clearly marked on its cover.
1158. Work on the overhead contact system shall be carried out in the presence of a second person.
1159. Electric locomotives shall be equipped with interlocks preventing entry into the high-voltage compartment and access onto the roof of the electric locomotive while the current collector is raised.
1160. The repair and inspection of equipment located on the roof of a traction unit or electric locomotive shall be carried out in a depot or on a specially provided track (section of track), with the voltage necessarily removed and the overhead contact system earthed.
1161. The inspection and repair of equipment, auxiliary machines, traction motors and apparatus on traction units or electric locomotives outside a depot shall be carried out subject to the following conditions: the traction unit or electric locomotive shall be stopped and braked with the hand brake, and brake shoes shall be installed; the auxiliary machines and apparatus shall be switched off; the diesel engine on the additional section of the traction unit shall be stopped; the current collectors shall be lowered and earthed, and the valves supplying air to the current-collector drives shall be closed; the reverser handle and the control-panel key shall be removed; the panels of the auxiliary machines and current collectors shall be interlocked; the high-speed circuit breaker shall be switched off. After the auxiliary machines have come to a complete stop, the main disconnector and the auxiliary-circuit disconnector shall be disconnected using a disconnecting rod. The key to the control panels and the handle of the reverser mechanism shall, before work begins, be handed over to the person carrying out the work. The electric locomotive driver, even where the voltmeters read zero, shall verify that the current collectors are lowered. Repair work shall be carried out in accordance with the approved list of work, on instruction or in the course of routine operation.
1162. At all intersections of electrified tracks with roads, and at points where loading and unloading operations are carried out, illuminated or lit warning signs "Beware of overhead contact wire" shall be installed, and, near level crossings on both sides, clearance gates, the height of which shall be less than the height of suspension of the contact wire by not less than 0.5 metres.
1163. On bridges, overpasses and pedestrian footbridges passing over electrified tracks, continuous safety screens shall be installed, of a height of not less than 2 m and extending not less than 1 m on both sides from the contact wire.
1164. The equipment and structures of the mechanised devices for feeding and removing wagons at loading and unloading sections shall have guards and covers over moving and rotating parts, or over the zones in which they operate, ensuring the safe performance of work.
1165. Exits from premises located near railway tracks shall be arranged parallel to the track. Where exits are directed immediately towards the railway roadbed, the rail track shall be fenced with a handrail for the entire length of the building, with pedestrian movement directed towards the nearest road or an equipped crossing. Guard barriers shall be installed at places where the railway tracks are reached from behind buildings and structures that obstruct the visibility of an approaching train.
1166. The width of the carriageway of in-pit haul roads, the longitudinal and transverse gradients of the roads, and the radii of curves in plan are established by the project, allowing for the dimensions of the motor vehicles and road trains. Temporary entrances into trenches shall be arranged so that, along them, during the movement of traffic, a free passage of not less than 1.5 m remains on both sides.
1167. Where a road gradient exceeds 60 per mille, platforms with a gradient of up to 20 per mille and a length of not less than 50 metres shall be provided, at intervals of not more than every 600 m of the length of the gradient.
1168. The carriageway of the road within the pit contour (other than face roads) shall conform to the project and be protected from the possible failure prism by a rock bund or a protective wall. The height of the rock bund is taken as not less than half the wheel diameter of the largest-capacity vehicle operated in the pit. The vertical axis drawn through the crest of the rock bund shall be located outside the failure prism. The distance from the inner edge of the rock bund (protective wall) to the carriageway shall be not less than 0.5 of the wheel diameter of the maximum-capacity vehicle operated in the pit.
1169. In winter, roads shall be cleared of snow and ice, sprinkled with sand (slag, fine crushed stone) or treated with a special anti-icing compound.
1170. Every vehicle shall have a technical passport containing its principal technical and operational characteristics. Quarry vehicles in operation shall be equipped with: fire-fighting equipment; emergency stop signs; first aid kits; wheel chocks (blocks) for placing under the wheels; an intermittent audible signal for reversing; a device (indicator) for blocking the raising of the body under an overhead power line, for dump trucks with a load capacity of 30 t or more; two rear-view mirrors; means of communication. Vehicles shall be dispatched onto the route only if all their assemblies and units ensuring traffic safety, as well as the safety of other work provided for by the technology of using motor transport, are in technically sound condition. They shall also carry the necessary reserve of fuel and the set of tools provided for by the manufacturer. The use of open flame (blowtorches, torches) for heating oils and water shall be prohibited. For these purposes, open-pit mining facilities shall be provided with stationary steam-heating (electric-heating) points at vehicle parking locations. Drivers shall carry with them documents authorising them to drive the relevant vehicle. Drivers operating vehicles with a diesel-electric transmission shall hold an electrical safety qualification group no lower than Group II.
1171. During capital repairs and in the course of subsequent operation, within the periods provided for by the manufacturer (as per the list), flaw detection shall be carried out on the units, parts and assemblies of heavy-duty dump trucks that affect traffic safety.
1172. The movement of vehicles shall be regulated by road signs. The speed and the procedure for the movement of vehicles, motor vehicle and tractor trains on the technological roads of the quarry are established by the organisation's technical manager. The towing of faulty dump trucks with a load capacity of 27 t or more shall be carried out by special tractor units. Leaving faulty dump trucks on the carriageway shall be prohibited.
1173. The work of vehicle drivers at an open-pit mining facility shall be carried out only after briefing on safety measures, practical familiarisation with the routes of movement and the issue of a certificate authorising work at the open-pit mining facility. Waybills shall be issued to drivers of vehicles and self-propelled mining transport equipment. The entry onto the territory of the mining operations site (mining allotment) of vehicles, tractors, tractor units, loading and lifting machines belonging to other organisations shall be carried out with the permission of the management of the organisation operating the facility, after briefing the driver (operator), with an entry made in a special log.
1174. Control over the technical condition of dump trucks and compliance with traffic rules shall be ensured by officials of the organisation's facility, and where motor transport is operated by a contracting organisation acting under a contract, by officials of the contracting organisation. When vehicles are dispatched onto the route and returned to the garage, pre-trip and post-trip inspection of the technical condition of motor vehicles by drivers and officials shall be ensured, in the procedure and to the extent approved by the organisation's technical manager.
1175. Overtaking of vehicles on technological roads shall be prohibited.
1176. When rock mass is loaded into vehicles by excavators, the following conditions shall be met: a vehicle awaiting loading shall remain outside the radius of the excavator's danger zone and shall move into the loading position only after a permitting signal from the excavator operator; a vehicle under loading shall remain within the excavator operator's field of view; a vehicle under loading shall be braked; loading into the vehicle body shall be carried out only from the rear or the side, and moving the excavator bucket over the vehicle cab shall be prohibited; the height of fall of the load shall be kept to the minimum possible and shall in all cases not exceed 3 m; a loaded vehicle shall proceed to the unloading point only after a permitting signal from the excavator operator. One-sided or oversized loading, as well as loading exceeding the vehicle's established load capacity, shall be prohibited.
1177. The cab of a dump truck intended for operation at an open-pit mining facility shall be fitted with devices, provided for by the manufacturer, protecting the driver in the event of the machine overturning and protecting against pieces of rock mass falling from above.
1178. When rock mass is loaded by excavators, the cab of the dump truck shall be covered by a protective canopy ensuring the driver's safety.
1179. In the absence of protective devices, the vehicle driver shall leave the cab for the duration of loading and remain outside the maximum radius of the danger zone of the excavator (loader).
1180. While working on the route, the following shall be prohibited: moving the vehicle with the body raised; repair and unloading under power transmission lines; reversing more than 30 m at loading points (except for work on the excavation of trenches); driving over cables laid on the ground and not protected by special safety devices; carrying outside persons in the cab; leaving the vehicle cab before the body has been fully raised or lowered; stopping the vehicle on a downgrade or upgrade; moving alongside railway tracks at a distance of less than 5 metres from the nearest rail; operating the vehicle with a faulty engine starting device. If the vehicle stops on an upgrade or downgrade owing to a technical fault, the driver shall take measures preventing spontaneous movement of the vehicle. In all cases, an audible signal shall be given when the vehicle moves in reverse.
1181. The clearing of the body from adhered and frozen-on rock mass shall be carried out at a specially designated location by mechanised means.
1182. Tyre-fitting work shall be carried out in separate rooms or at special areas equipped with the necessary mechanisms and guards. Persons performing tyre-fitting work shall be trained and briefed.
1183. The organisation's head shall determine the range of persons exercising control over the condition and safe operation of conveyors and other types of continuous technological transport.
1184. Belts for general industrial purposes may be used on conveyors located on the open surface. Difficult-to-ignite conveyor belts shall be used in conveyor galleries. The structures of galleries and overpasses shall be made of non-combustible materials. In this case, automatic fire-fighting equipment and automatic fire alarm equipment shall be installed at drive stations and transfer points. Along the length of a conveyor located in a gallery, fire pipelines and automatic fire alarm equipment shall be installed. A signal indicating the activation of the fire alarm shall be transmitted to the dispatch point. At a normalised water flow rate, the water pressure at the outlet of fire hydrants in galleries with conveyors installed shall be 0.5 - 1.0 MPa (5 - 10 kg/cm2), and in pipelines it shall be limited by their strength. In sections of pipelines where the pressure exceeds 1.0 MPa (10 kg/cm2), pressure-reducing devices shall be installed upstream of the fire hydrant. In unheated premises in the winter period, fire pipelines shall be kept in sound condition in dry-pipe mode. To prevent belt ignition, conveyor drive stations shall be equipped with thermal locks (sensors). As a reserve for fire-fighting in galleries with belt conveyors, the use of all operating water-supply mains and slurry pipelines, fitted with permanent switching points, is provided for.
1185. Limit switches shall be installed for discharge trolleys on movable (shuttle) conveyors, and special stops shall be installed on rail tracks. Power supply to the electric motors of automatically discharging trolleys and movable conveyors shall be provided by suspended trailing cables or contact wires, with the suspension height not less than 3.5 metres from the floor or maintenance platforms. Where the trolley wire is suspended at a lower height (from 3.5 to 2.2 m), the trolley wire shall be guarded. Discharge trolleys shall be equipped with devices preventing their spontaneous movement.
1186. The removal of spilled material from under belt conveyors shall be mechanised (hydraulic removal). The manual removal of material from under head, tail and deflecting drums shall be carried out only with the conveyor stopped, with the electrical circuit of its drive disconnected and warning signs reading "Do not switch on! People at work!" posted on the starting devices. On the side of the main passage for people, the rollers of the carrying and return strands of the belt shall have guards, not interlocked with the conveyor drive, along the entire length of the conveyor. On the side of the secondary (erection) passage, the rollers of the carrying and return strands of the belt may be left unguarded, provided that the entrances to this zone are fitted with gates interlocked with the conveyor motor, preventing people from accessing this zone while the conveyor is operating.
1187. It shall be prohibited to guide the movement of the belt by hand, or to adjust the edge seals, while the conveyor is running.
1188. Slipping of the conveyor belt shall be eliminated after cleaning the drums and the belt and tensioning the belt with tensioning devices. It shall be prohibited to switch on and operate conveyors whose moving and rotating parts (belt, drums, rollers) are covered with the transported material.
1189. Where the axis of drive, tensioning and deflecting drums, or of conveyor drive stations, is located at a height of more than 1.5 m above floor level, maintenance platforms shall be provided for servicing the drives. They shall be equipped with ladders and handrails with a solid deck covering, and the distance from the bottom of the most protruding structures of the platform to the material transported by the conveyor shall be not less than 0.3 m. The vertical distance from the floor of the platforms to the bottom of the most protruding building structures (utility systems) shall be not less than 1.8 m. Platforms shall have a grating or solid, non-slip, decking.
1190. The height of galleries and overpasses from floor level to the bottom of the structures shall be not less than 2 m. The width of galleries and overpasses shall meet the conditions for ensuring passages: not less than 800 mm on one side of the conveyor (for the passage of people), and on the other side not less than 700 mm where the belt width is up to 1400 mm and not less than 800 mm on both sides of the conveyor where the belt width exceeds 1400 mm; between two or more parallel conveyors - not less than 1000 mm, and between the gallery wall and the conveyor frame - not less than 700 mm where the belt width is up to 1400 mm and not less than 800 mm where the belt width exceeds 1400 mm.
1191. When movable belt conveyors travelling on rails are installed in galleries and on overpasses, the requirements of the manufacturer's instructions shall be observed: passages between conveyors (protruding dimensions) and the walls of the building or other equipment shall be not less than 1 m; the locations where conveyors are installed (their zones of operation) shall have guards not less than 1 m high from floor level around their entire perimeter; emergency pull-cords or "Stop" buttons shall be installed along the conveyor route, in front of the guards, at intervals of every 30 m.
1192. The installation of apron conveyors and feeders shall allow for the possibility of servicing them from both sides. The width of the free passages between conveyors shall be not less than 1.2 m, and between the walls of the building and the conveyors - not less than 1 metre.
1193. Where conveyor lines are placed in an open design, access shall be ensured to the main units of the conveyor line and adjacent equipment.
1194. Apron and scraper conveyors installed in an inclined position shall be equipped with catchers for the transport links, preventing runback of the belt in the event of its tearing. The covers of the housings of screw conveyors and scraper conveyors (except for special inspection windows and hatches) shall be equipped with an interlock preventing access to the rotating and moving parts of screw conveyors and scraper conveyors while they are operating.
1195. Workplaces at the discharge hoppers of cableway transport, in the zone where the ropes exit the station, shall have guards ensuring safety of work in the event of the spontaneous detachment of a car from the haulage rope. Suspended safety nets shall be installed at points where cableway transport crosses roads, buildings and structures.
1196. Working platforms at discharge hoppers and at the cableway station shall be provided with telephone communication and signalling, and shall also have the capability of an emergency stop of the cableway drive with a signal transmitted to the operator. In the event of a sudden stoppage of the cableway, its restart shall be prohibited until the causes of the stoppage have been established and the faults eliminated.
1197. Where a drum-type discharge trolley or a movable feeder is installed on a belt conveyor, passages shall be provided on both sides of the conveyor in accordance with the requirements of the Rules.
1198. Where underground-to-surface conveyor galleries emerge onto the surface, external entrances shall be provided in them and crossings over the conveyor shall be installed.
1199. Emergency exits from galleries and overpasses shall be located at intervals of not more than every 100 m.
1200. In the passages of conveyor galleries with an incline of more than 7 degrees, steps or wooden ramps and handrails shall be provided.
1201. The speed of movement of the conveyor belt during manual ore sorting shall be not more than 0.5 m/s. The belt shall be guarded at ore-sorting locations.
1202. Where conveyors are located above passages and equipment, their lower strand shall be guarded with solid sheeting preventing spilled material from falling.
1203. Where belt conveyors transport dry and dust-generating materials, materials at high temperature and materials releasing vapour, enclosures shall be provided at the loading and unloading points, ensuring that the content of harmful impurities remains within the maximum permissible concentration. Where dry, powdery, dust-generating materials are transported, the zone of their movement shall be sealed. In conveyor galleries, at the points where they adjoin buildings, partitions with self-closing doors shall be provided.
1204. Elevators, scraper conveyors and screw conveyors transporting dry and dust-generating materials shall be enclosed in tight housings along their entire length, and the loading and unloading points shall be equipped with tight enclosures. For monitoring the working parts of the mechanisms, the housings shall have inspection windows (hatches) with tightly closing doors allowing visual observation.
1205. Elevators transporting wet products shall, to prevent the splashing of slurry, be enclosed along their entire length by protective shields or housings. Emergency switches shall be installed at the loading and unloading points of elevators.
1206. All chain elevators shall be equipped with braking devices preventing the reverse travel of the endless chain, and with catchers in the event of its breakage.
1207. The wheels of self-discharging trolleys and self-propelled conveyors shall be guarded. The clearance between the guard and the head of the rail shall not exceed 10 mm.
1208. The weights of the tensioning devices of conveyors and cableways, as well as the tensioning drums, shall be guarded and positioned so that, in the event of a belt or rope failure, the weight or drum cannot fall onto people or equipment. The spaces beneath the weights shall be guarded to a height of not less than 2 m, and the weight pits shall be covered with decking. Weight tensioning stations shall be interlocked with the conveyor drive in the event of weight failure. Limit switches, automatically activated in the event of weight failure or belt sag, shall be installed at the tensioning stations.
1209. In the event of a prolonged stoppage of conveyors (especially in winter), the belts shall be completely cleared of the transported material.
1210. People may descend into bunkers by ladders only after the loading and discharge conveyors and feeders have been stopped. Descent into bunkers and work within them shall be carried out under a permit to work, under the supervision of a person exercising technical supervision, after the electrical drive circuits of the loading and discharge conveyors and feeders have been disconnected, in compliance with the additional safety measures provided for by the organisation's internal instructions. Persons descending into a bunker shall be briefed and provided with safety harness systems secured at the top of the bunker. To eliminate material hang-up in bunkers, the bunkers shall be equipped with special devices. Explosion-proof luminaires shall be used for illuminating the bunker.
1211. Bunkers shall be fitted with an automated system for monitoring the fill level.
1212. Bunker openings shall be guarded on their non-working sides by handrails with solid sheeting along their lower edge.
1213. Working platforms of receiving and discharge devices and bunkers shall be equipped with audible signalling intended to notify operating personnel of the arrival of a railway train. Signals shall be given 1.5 - 2 minutes before the vehicles arrive. A traffic light permitting or prohibiting the entry of a railway train or a vehicle onto the bunker platform for unloading shall be installed at receiving bunkers.
1214. Slurry-water collection installations shall be inspected not less than once a day by the chief mechanical engineer or by a responsible official appointed by him. The results of the inspection shall be recorded in the log of inspections of drainage installations.
1215. Footbridges for workers to cross the conveyor shall be located at a distance from one another of: not more than 50 m in buildings and underground chambers; not more than 100 m in other cases. Footbridges shall be guarded by handrails, shall have a solid deck covering, and shall be installed so that the vertical distance from the decking to the bottom of the most protruding building structures (utility systems) is not less than 1.8 m. From the bottom of the most protruding structures to the material transported by the conveyor - not less than 0.3 m. The decking shall be solid and non-slip, or a grating, with a width of not less than 0.8 m.
1216. It shall be prohibited to route cables along the structures of a conveyor located in galleries, buildings and other surface structures, as well as in underground workings, except for interlock, protection, signalling and control cables routed in protective boxes or pipes along the structures of the conveyor.
1217. On conveyor lines located in the open air, cables with a voltage of up to 35 kV routed on the conveyor frame shall be provided with protection against mechanical damage.
1218. Workers may move in the gallery of a steeply inclined conveyor only with the conveyor stopped, or while the equipment's condition is being checked during idling rotation.
1219. Open-pit mining facilities whose annual output of rock mass exceeds 5 million m3 and whose working life exceeds 5 years shall have an automated control system for the mining and transport complex (including monitoring, transport accounting and control of dump truck operation with the capability of automatic or remote control, and monitoring and accounting of the working face of quarry excavators and drilling rigs using high-precision satellite navigation). A remote control system for process equipment shall be installed (implemented) under a design at mining operation facilities using unmanned technology. Platforms and roads on which remotely controlled equipment operates shall be fenced off and fitted with warning notices; the presence of unauthorised personnel within the zone of operation of the equipment shall be prohibited. The control system shall be provided with protection against voltage interruption and shall have an emergency power supply system. In the event of malfunctions in the operation of the system, an independent communication line shall be provided for the emergency and safe stoppage of operating equipment. Electrical substations shall have telephone or radio communication with the power dispatcher (operating personnel of the power supply organisation) or with the quarry switchboard.
1220. All telephone lines shall be two-wire.
1221. Communication installations shall be provided with protection against the influence of high-voltage contact-network lines, lightning discharges and stray currents.
1222. The composition of the atmosphere at open-pit mining facilities shall meet the established standards for the content of the principal constituent parts of air and harmful impurities (dust, gases). The ventilation of open-pit mining operation facilities shall be carried out in accordance with the design documentation. The air of the working zone shall contain not less than 20 per cent oxygen and not more than 0.5 per cent carbon dioxide, and shall not contain toxic gases in excess of the maximum permissible concentrations. Control over the composition of the air at workplaces shall be carried out every shift by a person exercising technical supervision. To intensify natural air exchange in poorly ventilated and stagnant zones of an open-pit mining facility, artificial ventilation shall be organised by means of ventilation installations or other means, in accordance with actions approved by the organisation's technical manager.
1223. Workers shall be permitted onto workplaces after mass blasting operations only after the person in charge of the blast has received a report from the emergency rescue unit (service) that the concentration of toxic blast products in the air has decreased to the established sanitary norms, but not earlier than 30 minutes after the blast, after the dust cloud has dispersed and visibility has been fully restored, and after the blast site(s) has been inspected by a responsible person (in accordance with the mass blast schedule).
1224. At open-pit mining facilities where a dust-and-gas regime has been established, a dust-ventilation service shall be organised, and the facilities shall be served by an emergency rescue unit (service).
1225. Measures for controlling dust and gases shall be provided at points of gas and dust release. Where the means employed do not achieve the necessary reduction in the concentration of harmful impurities, the cabs of excavators, drilling rigs, vehicles and other equipment shall be sealed, with purified air supplied to them and excess pressure created, and workers shall be provided with personal respiratory protective equipment.
1226. To reduce dust formation during the excavation of rock mass in warm periods of the year, the systematic irrigation of blasted rock mass with water shall be carried out. To reduce dust formation on motor roads, at positive air temperatures, the roads shall be watered, with binding additives used where necessary.
1227. If the operation of vehicles, bulldozers, tractors and other machines fitted with internal combustion engines is accompanied by the formation, in the working zone, of concentrations of toxic exhaust gas impurities exceeding the maximum permissible concentration, catalytic exhaust-gas neutralisers shall be used. The organisation shall ensure control over the content of harmful impurities in exhaust gases. In the event of a fire, all work in quarry areas whose atmosphere is contaminated with combustion products shall be stopped, except for work connected with extinguishing the fire.
1228. Where toxic gases are released from drained water onto the territory of an open-pit mining facility, measures shall be carried out that reduce or completely eliminate the filtration of water through the slopes of the facility's benches.
1229. Inspection wells and boreholes of pumping stations for the discharge of industrial waste water shall be reliably covered.
1230. Workers may descend into wells for the performance of repair work only after the water has been drained off, thorough ventilation has been carried out, and a preliminary measurement of the content of harmful gases has been taken in the presence of a person exercising technical supervision. If harmful gases are detected at workplaces in concentrations exceeding the permissible values, work shall be suspended and people shall be withdrawn from the danger zone.
1231. Control over the implementation of dust-control measures and over compliance with the established standards for atmospheric composition and radiation safety at an open-pit mining facility is vested in the management of the operating organisation.
1232. In the combined development of mineral deposits, mining operations shall be conducted under a design containing: an analysis of the specific mining-geological, mining-technical, hydrogeological and technological conditions of the combined development of the deposit; a justification of the production (technical) feasibility and technical-and-economic expediency of the combined development of the deposit; the parameters of the quarry field and the mine field, with the mineral reserves planned for extraction by open-pit and underground methods; the boundaries of the zones of influence of underground workings (dangerous ground movement, caving, funnel formation); measures for the safe conduct of mining operations, and the functions and duties of the organisation's officials and structural subdivision.
1233. In the combined development of a deposit, the undermining (overmining) of mineral reserves shall be prohibited. In underground mining beneath an operating quarry, a safety pillar shall be left in place, and mine-surveying and operational control shall be carried out in accordance with the requirements for the performance of mine-surveying work.
1234. In the combined development of deposits, the face of mining operations shall be positioned in the direction: for underground stoping operations - from the rock mass towards the quarry; for open-pit operations - towards the advancing face of the underground stoping operations. In the combined development of deposits, the extraction of minerals by the underground method from within the design outline of the quarry shall not be permitted.
1235. In the combined conduct of mining operations in a quarry and an underground mine within a single vertical plane, the following conditions shall be observed: leaving a safety pillar in place, ensuring the stability of the rock mass and of the quarry walls; the use of mining systems preventing the movement (destruction) of the rock mass of the safety pillar; limiting the yield of mass blasts in the quarry and in underground workings and their seismic effect on pillars, roof slabs and wall benches; preventing the penetration of gases from blasting operations into underground workings, or their being drawn in by the ventilation system, as well as the discharge of these gases into the quarry; the use of a forcing method of ventilating underground workings or, in individual cases, a combined method ensuring air back-pressure beneath open-pit work areas; preventing the inrush of storm water and groundwater from the quarry into underground workings.
1236. The following shall be prohibited: leaving part of the ore deposits in the quarry walls and safety pillars; the untimely extraction and destruction of ore pillars and roof slabs in the mine by mass blasts; failure to comply with the technology for excavating, in the quarry, ore pillars between backfilled chambers left as a result of underground mining operations.
1237. In the simultaneous (combined) development of a deposit by open-pit and underground methods, as well as in the operation of underground drainage workings and cyclic-and-continuous-flow technology, joint measures for ensuring the safety of workers at underground and open-pit mining operation facilities, approved by the organisation's technical manager, shall be carried out and shall include: the coordination of plans and schedules for mining and blasting operations; the use of a forcing scheme for ventilating underground facilities; the checking, by representatives of the professional emergency rescue unit (service), of the state of the atmosphere in underground facilities after mass blasts at open-pit mining facilities; the prevention of the danger of water inrush into underground mine workings from the open-pit mining facility; the possession, by persons forming part of the shift supervision, of means for monitoring the content of toxic blast products in the atmosphere. Control over the performance of the above measures shall be exercised by the technical managers and specialists of the open-pit and underground mining facilities.
1238. When work is performed to relocate the mouth of an ore pass from the quarry, and during the performance of repair work, the number of capital operating ore passes from the quarry into underground workings shall be not less than two. When the upper part of the ore passes is worked out, they shall be filled up to the toe of the bench.
1239. The construction and equipping of ore passes shall be carried out under a design approved by the organisation's (enterprise's) technical manager. The design shall provide for the mining-and-civil-engineering part, as well as protection against storm water and flooding. The ore pass shall have concrete safety barriers with a height of not less than 0.33 and a width of not less than 0.5 of the wheel diameter of the haul truck.
1240. Quarry workers shall be familiarised, against signature in the briefing log, with the layout of access routes to the ore passes.
1241. An ore "cushion" shall always remain in the ore passes. When passing clayey, waterlogged ore prone to caking and spontaneous combustion, the accumulation of ore in the ore pass shall not be permitted. The above operations shall be carried out taking into account additional measures ensuring the safety of ore drawing.
1242. In the design, construction and operation of mining operation facilities with combined (integrated) development, the principal factors constituting a hazard during the conduct of mining operations shall be taken into account: the undermined condition of the rock masses forming the quarry walls; the presence of underground voids within the boundaries and beneath the bottom of the quarry; the effect of underground mass blasts near the boundaries of the quarry; the effect of mass blasts at the quarry on the condition of underground mine workings; the presence of aerodynamic connections between the quarry and the underground mine; the waterlogging of underground mine workings, and the prevention of inrushes of flood water and storm water into underground mine workings.
1243. All mine workings, the boundaries of the open stoping space in underground operations, mined-out chambers, the boundaries of the surface outline of the caving zone, exploration and control observation boreholes and benchmarks, as well as the zones of water-bearing horizons, the position of the sumps of dewatering installations indicating the elevations of the sump floor, water pipelines, and isolation stoppings in underground drainage workings preventing the penetration of poisonous gases from the pit into underground workings shall be plotted on the mine surveying plans and sections. When planning the development of mining operations in the pit, the boundaries of abandonment of drainage workings as at the end of the planned period shall be plotted on the mine surveying plans.
1244. Open-pit mining operations conducted in zones of previously completed underground operations and containing voids (unfilled chambers), as well as in caving zones, shall be carried out under a special (local) project agreed with the design organisation. The placement of mining equipment within the hazardous zone shall be prohibited. The boundaries of the hazardous zone shall be marked out on the ground by the mine surveying service and indicated with warning signs. The operation of mining and transport equipment in the caving zone shall be carried out after settlement of the rock mass, testing of the bench toe by control drilling, and a positive conclusion by the geological and mine surveying service of the facility (organisation).
1245. For each working bench - extraction block, a drilling-and-blasting operations record shall be prepared on the basis of mine surveying documentation, taking into account the actual position of the roof of the mined-out space (based on the results of exploration drilling), and shall be approved by the technical manager of the pit. The thickness of the crown pillar shall ensure the safe placement and operation of mining equipment on it. If observation data (including visual observation) reveal a risk of collapse of the crown pillar, work shall be stopped, and personnel and machinery removed to a safe place until the emergency situation is eliminated. A project shall be prepared and safety measures developed for the elimination of the emergency situation, approved by the technical manager of the facility.
1246. When carrying out work in zones of possible collapses or subsidence, measures ensuring the safety of work shall be taken (advance exploration drilling, withdrawal of mining machines from faces located near the zone of possible caving for the duration of blasting). Where indications of rock and mine working displacement are detected, work shall be stopped, and work shall be resumed only after organisational measures for the work, approved by the technical manager of the organisation, have been developed. Mine surveying control over displacement and deformation of the pit walls (benches, floor) is carried out in accordance with the requirements for the performance of mine surveying work.
1247. Recovery of ore reserves in the pit walls shall be carried out after cessation of open-pit operations and after the walls have been brought to their final position. Extraction of the safety pillar shall be carried out under a special project, subject to measures precluding collapse of the pillar and the pit walls and ensuring the safety of work.
1248. To ensure the safe and efficient combined development of mineral deposits, an assessment of the geomechanical condition of the rock mass shall be made, a forecast of changes in that condition shall be drawn up, control over the development of deformation processes shall be maintained, and such processes shall be managed by regulating the parameters, relative position, sequence and organisation of mining operations, as well as by artificial reinforcement of unstable sections of the rock mass. For each deposit and rock mass, or part thereof, prone to rockbursts, "Instructions for the Safe Conduct of Mining Operations" shall be developed, establishing the rockburst hazard category and defining a set of measures for forecasting and reducing rockburst hazard for specific sections of the deposit.
1249. To improve the stability of pit walls, provision shall be made for leaving pillars in the underground mined-out space or for backfilling the mined-out space with hardening mixtures. The dimensions of pillars are selected so as to prevent their failure under the effect of increased rock pressure.
1250. In the combined development of mineral deposits, mass blasts in open-pit and underground mining operations shall be carried out under drilling-and-blasting (blasting) operation projects developed and approved in accordance with the established procedure.
1251. Organisations conducting the combined development of a deposit by open-pit and underground methods shall, together with the emergency rescue services (units) servicing the facilities, before conducting blasting operations in pits, identify the sections (locations) of underground mine workings into which the penetration of gases, water inrush or deformation of the rock mass is possible, and shall develop additional measures to ensure the safety of work in those sections.
1252. Before conducting a mass blast in the pit, personnel shall be withdrawn from underground workings into which the penetration of gases, water inrush, or deformation of the rock mass is possible. Before work is resumed after the blast, section supervisors or designated workers shall check the condition of the active faces and mine workings in the section.
1253. In the combined development of a deposit, where aerodynamic connections exist between underground workings and the pit space, the ventilation schemes and methods of mines (shafts) are determined by the project, taking into account the formation of excess depression in the zone of influence of open-pit operations. In such cases, a forcing method of the mine-wide ventilation system shall be provided for.
1254. Auxiliary forcing fans shall be positioned as close as possible to the zones of aerodynamic connections, ensuring excess air pressure in underground workings. The use of auxiliary forcing fans is determined by the project in the specific conditions of deposit extraction.
1255. Ventilation of mining operations during the opening-up and extraction of ore reserves located in the pit walls and beneath the pit floor may be adopted as local ventilation through workings opening from the pit, or as general ventilation through raises connected to the mine-wide ventilation of the mine.
1256. When new aerodynamic connections between underground workings and the pit appear through the stoping space, corresponding adjustments shall be made to the operating ventilation scheme within twenty-four hours by order of the technical manager of the facility.
1257. To prevent the icing-up of ore passes in the presence of groundwater, to prevent the penetration through them into underground mine workings of gases from blasting operations in the pit, and to ensure safety in these conditions when drawing ore from ore passes, the operation of ore passes shall be carried out under a special project approved by the technical manager of the organisation (facility).
1258. The combined development of water-bearing and waterlogged deposits (quicksands, water-bearing karsts, flooded workings) shall be conducted under a deposit dewatering project. Such projects shall provide for measures for the safety of work, the protection of the region's water resources, and the protection of workings against water and gas inrushes, the sequence of driving mine workings, drainage and dewatering systems, as well as the organisation of control over the safe conduct of mining operations within the boundaries of hazardous zones.
1259. Mining operations within a barrier or safety pillar beneath a water body (flooded pit) shall be carried out after water has been drained from flooded workings or diverted from water bodies located on the surface beyond the boundaries of the deposit, to prevent the penetration of water into underground workings. Partial extraction of barrier or safety pillars without prior diversion of water from water bodies, using backfilling systems, shall be carried out under a project approved by the head of the organisation (facility) and agreed with the design organisation. The main dewatering system shall have a capacity reserve necessary for pumping water from the mine to the surface, taking into account possible additional inflows from the water body (pit) and the rock mass.
1260. Transfer of water from the pit into underground workings shall be carried out only where the water flows by gravity through drainage boreholes, with the mandatory use of driven or through-type filters. It shall be prohibited to use operating ore passes and ventilation raises as drainage workings for the transfer of process, ground and flood waters from the pit.
1261. Processing of mineral resources includes activities involving the technological processes of crushing, sorting, beneficiation, agglomeration and metallisation of ores and concentrates. Beneficiation of mineral resources means the totality of technological processes for processing mineral raw materials to extract useful components therefrom with a concentration exceeding their content in the initial raw material.
1262. When processing ores containing components with increased natural radioactivity, workers shall use personal protective equipment complying with the requirements of the applicable sanitary rules for working with radioactive substances and other sources of ionising radiation.
1263. The operation of industrial smoke stacks and ventilation stacks shall be carried out in accordance with the established requirements for the operation of industrial smoke and ventilation stacks. The operation of continuous process transport at facilities for the processing of solid non-combustible mineral resources shall be carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Rules established for facilities conducting open-pit mining operations.
1264. It shall be prohibited to lay pipelines carrying corrosive (aggressive) liquids (reagents) above other pipelines made of carbon steel.
1265. Bays in which equipment that is a source of noise is located shall be separated from other areas by sound-insulating partitions. Main process equipment generating elevated noise levels shall be provided with separate sound-insulating enclosures. Points where pedestrian walkways and personnel passages cross pipelines shall be equipped with crossover bridges or gangways.
1266. In premises housing equipment with a large open water surface (flotation machines, classifiers, thickening tanks, concentrating tables), drainage of condensate shall be arranged. Chutes conveying material to apparatus and discharging processing products, where inclined at more than 45 degrees, shall be covered on top. Admission of persons inside mills, washing drums, and processing apparatus for inspection, repair and cleaning of the internal surface of the apparatus from sludge and residual material shall be carried out under a permit to work, after compliance with the safety requirements specified therein in accordance with the work execution project.
1267. Loading and unloading of dry products and concentrates, blending and packaging of finished concentrates shall be mechanised and sealed.
1268. At receiving bunkers for rock mass, measures shall be taken to prevent its caking, hanging-up, freezing together, and the entry of dust into the working area of the premises. Storage bunkers and containers for dry rock mass shall be equipped with dosing devices and automatic devices preventing their overfilling and complete discharge.
1269. Sampling shall be carried out by mechanical samplers operating in automatic mode or remotely controlled. Sampling for the adjustment of non-periodic sampling technology may be carried out manually, at established points of the process flow scheme determined by the technical manager of the organisation. Places (sites) for manual sampling shall comply with safety requirements and shall have local lighting.
1270. All premises in whose atmosphere the appearance of gases, aerosols and other admixtures harmful to human health is possible shall be equipped with exhaust ventilation and fitted with the corresponding monitoring and measuring instruments with alarm systems for exceedance of the maximum permissible concentrations of harmful substances.
1271. Air removed from reagent premises shall be subjected to purification, and, where necessary, neutralisation, before being discharged into the atmosphere.
1272. The procedure for the evacuation of personnel from hazardous zones in the event that the concentration of harmful substances in the atmosphere of production premises exceeds the maximum permissible concentration (MPC), as well as their use of personal protective equipment, shall be specified in the plan of measures for the localisation and elimination of the consequences of accidents at hazardous production facilities.
1273. Ventilation (aspiration) installations shall be equipped with special devices (hatches, fittings) for monitoring the air being moved. The procedure for the operation and maintenance of ventilation installations shall be defined by the process regulations and the operating and maintenance instructions for each ventilation installation, approved by the technical manager of the organisation.
1274. The project shall provide for mechanised pneumatic cleaning and/or hydraulic cleaning of dust in production premises. In premises where wet floor cleaning is provided, as well as those with a wet process, floors shall have a waterproof covering. The slope of floors for water drainage shall be not less than 0.02 degrees (1.8 degrees). On main passageways, floor slopes shall not exceed 0.04 degrees (2.6 degrees), and on service passageways - not more than 0.1 degrees (6 degrees).
1275. Neutralisation of cyanide-containing industrial effluents using chlorine products and other reagents shall be carried out in sealed equipment provided with aspiration, monitoring instruments and remote control. Aspiration installations at locations equipped with enclosures of aspiration systems and hydraulic dust-suppression systems shall be interlocked with the process equipment. Where ventilation and aspiration installations are interlocked with main and auxiliary equipment, additional starting devices located directly at the ventilation or aspiration equipment shall be provided. While process equipment is operating, the main supply-and-exhaust ventilation and aspiration installations shall operate continuously. Where ventilation systems are faulty, the operation of process equipment whose operation is accompanied by the release of dust and gas shall be prohibited.
1276. In the reagent section, audible or visual alarm signalling notifying of the shutdown of fans shall be provided. When a ventilation installation stops, or when the content of harmful substances in the air rises above the maximum permissible concentrations, work in the premises shall be suspended and workers evacuated to fresh air. Entry into the premises shall be permitted only after general ventilation has been restored and the content of harmful substances in the air of the working area has decreased to the MPC level. Locations for unloading reagents, opening packaging and containers, mixing tanks, settling tanks and other apparatus where the release of harmful substances is possible shall be equipped with local exhaust devices with seals and enclosures with suction. Air removed from the premises shall be subjected to purification and neutralisation before discharge into the atmosphere.
1277. Newly installed and reconstructed ventilation (aspiration) installations shall be accepted for operation by a commission appointed by the head of the organisation.
1278. A traffic light permitting or prohibiting the movement of trains (dump trucks, skips) onto the receiving area shall be installed in front of the ore-receiving building (section). In certain cases, unloading may be carried out on permissive signals of traffic lights interlocked with a boom barrier and installed in front of the bunker. Working platforms of receiving and unloading devices and bunkers shall be equipped with audible and visual signalling intended to notify operating personnel of the arrival of railway trains. Signals shall be given 1.5-2 minutes before the arrival of railway trains and the start of operation of skip hoists and cableways.
1279. On the working platforms of receiving devices, at the level of the rail heads of the railway tracks, passages for the servicing of rolling stock shall be provided. For this purpose, decking shall be installed between the rails at the same level as the rail heads. The decking shall be cleared of spillage in a timely manner. For opening the hatches of gondola cars, gangways above the level of the rail heads shall be installed, ensuring the safe unloading of cars. Places for the safe location of personnel during the approach of trains shall be provided near receiving devices (bunkers). The presence of personnel on the unloading side of the receiving bunker at the moment of feeding and unloading shall be prohibited.
1280. It shall be prohibited to unload faulty cars, as well as to repair cars on the unloading area of receiving devices.
1281. When ore is delivered by trolley (contact-line) locomotives, warning notices of the danger of electric shock shall be posted at unloading locations.
1282. Contact wires of the trolley locomotive haulage entering the premises above receiving bunkers shall be equipped with sectional disconnectors with earthing blades. It shall be prohibited to unload cars while the voltage in the contact network located in the above-bunker premises has not been removed. The absence of voltage in the contact network shall be confirmed by a light signal.
1283. Car dumpers located on the working platforms of receiving devices shall be fenced with lattice guards. The height of the guards shall be not less than 2 m, the mesh width of the lattice shall be not more than 10 mm, and the gaps between the platforms and the ends of the car dumper rotor shall be not more than 60 mm. Control of the car dumper shall be carried out from premises specially equipped for that purpose, with a view of the unloading area. During hours of darkness, the unloading area shall be illuminated.
1284. Railway tracks, manoeuvring areas for motor vehicles, and receiving bunkers shall be kept free of ore spillage and foreign objects.
1285. When repair work is carried out in the receiving hopper of bunkers, the tracks leading to the receiving devices shall in all cases be closed by boom barriers or by another method, with notification given to transport personnel accordingly. Trains shall be withdrawn from the area of the receiving devices. Where there are two or more receiving bunkers, to ensure repair work in one of them, measures for the safe performance of work, approved by the technical manager of the organisation, shall be developed.
1286. Communication (telephone, loudspeaker, light signalling) shall be maintained between the receiving area of the bunker and the platforms of the feeder and the crusher.
1287. The loading openings of receiving devices shall be fenced with sturdy handrails on the sides and on the side opposite unloading. In the case of two-sided unloading, the guards shall be provided on the sides.
1288. When ore is delivered by motor vehicles, wheel stops preventing vehicles from rolling into the bunker shall be provided on the unloading area of the receiving bunker, together with guards, or a rock berm not less than 1 m high shall be built up around the perimeter of the turning areas at receiving bunkers. The presence of personnel and the performance of any work on the unloading area within the working zone of the dump truck and bulldozer shall be prohibited, as shall reversing of the dump truck towards the unloading point over a distance of more than 30 m. In all cases, the movement of dump trucks after unloading with the body raised shall be prohibited, as shall movement in reverse without giving a continuous audible signal. The height of the guard at the loading opening of the receiving bunker shall be not less than 0.5 of the vehicle wheel diameter. Where vehicles of different load capacities are used, the approach to the receiving bunker shall be divided into sectors with the guard height of the loading opening corresponding to vehicles of the relevant load capacity. To prevent spontaneous rolling of the vehicle, the approach to the guard of the loading bunker shall have a slope, over the length of the wheelbase of the dump truck in operation, of not less than 3 degrees, directed away from the bunker guard.
1289. Elimination of ore hang-ups in bunkers shall be carried out mechanically using special devices and equipment. The lowering of persons into bunkers for this purpose shall be prohibited.
1290. Where self-discharging trolleys or reversible conveyors are used at bunkers and at conveyor transfer points, loading openings are covered with grates having openings not more than 0.2 x 0.2 m in size.
1291. A permit to work shall be issued for work associated with the descent of personnel into the receiving hoppers of feeders and bunkers for inspection or repair work, and the work shall be carried out in accordance with the work execution project. In doing so, the following requirements shall be observed: the bunker, its structures, the above-bunker platforms and the railway tracks in this section shall be completely cleared of material and ventilated; when welding and gas-flame work is carried out, control over the condition of the air environment in the bunker shall be organised; workers shall be instructed on the safe conduct of work in bunkers and continuous observation by persons of technical supervision shall be ensured; warning signs indicating that work is being carried out inside the bunkers shall be installed on the working platforms of receiving and transport devices of intermediate bunkers, at the mechanisms of the bunker gates; before workers descend into the bunker, the electrical circuits of the loading and unloading devices shall be disconnected and notices reading "Do not switch on! People working!" shall be posted; the entry of objects into the bunker where work is being carried out shall be excluded, or coverings shall be installed precluding injury to persons working in the bunker; the work team in the bunker shall consist of not less than three persons, two of whom shall be located in the above-bunker part; a safety rope (cable) shall be stretched along the perimeter of the receiving bunker for the attachment of safety systems to it; workers shall use safety systems and shall inspect the personal protective equipment issued to them before and after each use; workers shall use safety harnesses subject to testing in accordance with the product passport; portable lamps with a voltage not exceeding 12 V shall be used for lighting inside the bunker.
1292. The working platform of the operator controlling the feed of rock mass into the crusher shall have a guard providing protection against possible ejection of rock mass fragments from the crusher onto the platform.
1293. For eliminating hang-ups of rock mass above the working space of crushers, as well as for starting an emergency-stopped crusher under "blockage", process regulations shall be developed and approved by the technical manager of the facility, defining the methods, sequence of operations and techniques for the safe performance of work to eliminate hang-ups and restart the crusher. Where oversized fragments of rock mass become lodged in the working space of crushers, they shall be removed from the crusher using lifting equipment fitted with special devices. It shall be prohibited to extract or break up ore fragments lodged in the working space of the crusher by hand. Cutting of metal items that have entered the crusher shall be carried out under the observation of a person of technical supervision, under a permit to work.
1294. Screens shall be installed on vibration-isolating supports absorbing vibrations arising during the operation of the equipment.
1295. Screens and crushers shall be provided with protective devices safeguarding persons against accidental ejection of rock mass fragments: for cone crushers - blank removable guards, except for stage-1 coarse crushers operating "under blockage"; for jaw crushers - blank removable guards with inspection windows, precluding the possibility of rock mass fragments being ejected from the crusher mouth.
1296. For observing the operation of jaw crushers, it shall be prohibited to use platforms provided by the project for their servicing during repair, arranged on the housings in hazardous proximity to the entrance to their working space. Access to such platforms shall be restricted by a door or gate interlocked with the crusher start-up system.
1297. "Raking" of discharge openings of feeders supplying ore to the screen, and of loading and discharge hoppers, while feeders and screens are operating, shall be carried out using devices and equipment specially provided for that purpose.
1298. It shall be prohibited to clear the troughs of electro-vibratory feeders while they are operating, to step onto the sides of the feeder, to touch them, or to clean the gaps of the vibratory drives.
1299. Cam-type, horizontal and vertical hammer crushers shall be fitted with an interlock precluding the possibility of starting the crusher with the housing cover open.
1300. Crushing of rock mass fragments that generate explosive dust when ground shall be carried out in accordance with process regulations, with the implementation of measures precluding dust explosion, approved by the technical manager of the organisation.
1301. To prevent metal items from entering medium- and fine-crushing crushers, feed belt conveyors shall be equipped with metal detectors, extractors, magnetic washers and other special devices.
1302. Removal of metal items from the conveyor belt and from a magnetic extractor not withdrawn from the working area shall be permitted only after the conveyor has been stopped and the magnetic system switched off.
1303. Under local control, the starting devices of mills and classifiers shall be positioned in such a way that the worker starting the mill and classifier can monitor their start-stop and operation.
1304. It shall be prohibited to remove or loosen the hatch cover nuts when the mill is in the hatch-down position, or to install or tighten the bolts of the scroll feeder casing and the ring gear casing while the mill is operating.
1305. When loading mills using ball feeders or rod-loading mechanisms, measures defining the procedure for their safe performance shall be developed, approved by the technical manager of the facility.
1306. The feeding of liquid reagents and reagent solutions into intermediate tanks and feeders at consumption areas shall be carried out through pipelines by means of pumps. The feeding of cyanides and sodium sulphide in dry form and of concentrated sulphuric acid directly to the process feed points shall be prohibited. Reagents shall be carried through the flotation section only in vessels specially designated for that purpose.
1307. The feeding of reagents from consumption tanks located on dosing areas to contact tanks, flotation machines and other units is carried out by means of automatic sealed dosing devices through closed pipework.
1308. In sections where contact of workers with flotation reagents is possible, wash-basins with a supply of cold and hot water shall be installed, devices for the rapid removal of substances that have come into contact with the skin, by rinsing them off with a jet of water, shall be provided, and special eye-wash stations with the necessary solutions shall be provided.
1309. Consumption tanks for cyanides shall be located in reagent areas in an isolated room equipped with local exhaust ventilation. The room shall be kept locked.
1310. The introduction of cyanide reagent pipelines at feed points shall be carried out in such a way as to preclude free access to the cyanide solution. It shall be prohibited to measure the quantity of reagents at their feed points.
1311. Tanks, intermediate and consumption tanks for reagents and the pipework connected to them shall have separate drip trays or emergency containers sized for the complete discharge of the reagents. The volume of the drip tray is calculated for the complete emptying of the container. Effluent from reagent areas shall be removed through a dedicated pipeline, bypassing the drainage devices of the flotation section. The mixing of acids with solutions of cyanides, xanthates, aerofloats, sodium sulphide and hydrosulphite shall be prohibited. The mixing of solutions of copper, zinc and iron sulphates, zinc chloride and calcium chloride with solutions of sodium sulphide, hydrosulphite and cyanide shall be prohibited, to preclude the possible release of highly toxic gases - hydrogen sulphide and hydrocyanic acid - as well as insoluble precipitates clogging the pipelines.
1312. Persons of technical supervision shall check the availability and serviceability of personal protective equipment of the personnel servicing reagent areas.
1313. Sumps (pits) with pumps shall be provided for the emergency discharge of flotation machines and the collection of wash water.
1314. When operating electromagnetic and magnetic separators, it shall be prohibited to bring metal objects close to the magnetic system. When electromagnetic separators are stopped, the voltage shall be disconnected from the windings of the magnetic system.
1315. Inspection and raking hatches of chutes and separators shall be closed during operation. The doors of the separator providing access to its internal electrical components shall be equipped with an electrical interlock precluding the possibility of their being opened while the separator is operating. It shall be prohibited to remove wood chips and other objects from feeder troughs by hand.
1316. It shall be prohibited to touch live parts of the electrical separator disconnected from the high-voltage network before they have been discharged and checked with an indicator.
1317. The workplaces of the electrical separator operator and the rectifier equipment operator shall be equipped with dielectric insulators.
1318. For production premises classified as Category A or B in terms of explosion and fire hazard, in which the release of explosive or poisonous vapours and gases is possible, as well as in crushing sections where sulphurous gases are released, provision shall be made for an emergency exhaust ventilation system.
1319. To prevent explosions of sulphur ore dust in the working space of hammer crushers, the following shall be ensured: continuous supply of spent steam or finely atomised water (by fog generators, nozzles) to the crushing zone of operating crushers; protection against the accumulation of static electricity on the crushers. In the hammer crusher section, workers shall be provided with isolating breathing apparatus for the protection of the respiratory organs.
1320. When radiometric processing and monitoring methods using sources of radioactive and ionising radiation are applied, the requirements of the radiation safety norms in force shall be complied with.
1321. Work and processes in which radiation sources are used, as well as separation, monitoring and analysis methods based on their application and the corresponding installations, separators and instruments, shall be carried out in accordance with the radiation safety instructions.
1322. Where radiation sources are used, a set of actions for work with radioactive sources of ionising radiation shall be developed and implemented, taking into account all types of radiation exposure to humans and providing for protective actions ensuring that the total dose from all sources causing external and internal exposure is reduced to levels not exceeding the maximum permissible doses for the corresponding categories of persons.
1323. Possible types of external radioactive radiation from the locations where radioactive preparations are placed shall be monitored using the corresponding dosimetric instruments.
1324. Personnel working with radioactive isotopes shall be admitted to work only after special training and a medical examination.
1325. When opening containers with adhesive compound (gach, petrolatum), the use of tools producing sparks on impact shall be prohibited.
1326. The temperature in the wax-melting vessel (rendering vat) shall not exceed 95 °C. To prevent rapid boiling of the adhesive compound, foaming and ejection of material from the wax-melting vessel, water shall not be allowed to enter it. Heating shall be carried out slowly. If crackling or foaming occurs, the temperature increase shall be stopped until the moisture has fully evaporated. In the event of ignition of the adhesive compound, extinguishing shall be carried out using sand, an asbestos cloth, or foam or carbon dioxide fire extinguishers.
1327. The maximum permissible concentration of hydrocarbon vapours released into the working area air when heated to a temperature of 140 °C shall not exceed 300 mg/m3.
1328. Radial thickeners, pyramidal and trough-type settling tanks shall be fenced if the upper edge of their side wall is at a height of less than 1 m above the level of the working platform.
1329. Walking on the side walls of radial thickeners, pyramidal and trough-type settling tanks shall be prohibited.
1330. When measuring pulp density and taking samples, standing on the annular launder and going beyond the fencing of the truss platform shall be prohibited. Moving the load end of the thickener's movable truss beyond the annular launder onto the service (walk-through) platforms shall be prohibited.
1331. When cleaning the thickener's annular launder, the drive of the movable frame shall be switched off.
1332. The design of devices ensuring uniform distribution of material across the width of dewatering screens shall preclude the ejection of the material being dewatered and the splashing of pulp.
1333. While drum and disc vacuum filters are in operation, tightening the sectors and repairing breaks in the tensioning wire shall be prohibited.
1334. When operating filtering apparatus, special scrapers shall be used to clean the frames and cloths of cake.
1335. While the clamping device of a filter press is in operation, adjusting the frames, plates and filter cloths shall be prohibited.
1336. While filtering apparatus with harmful emissions are in operation, the supply and exhaust ventilation shall operate continuously.
1337. Drum filters equipped with devices for washing off the sediment shall have guards to protect workers from splashes.
1338. Leaf filters with pull-out frames shall be equipped with stationary platforms for washing off the sediment.
1339. The procedure for taking evaporators out of operation (shutdown) shall be approved by the facility's technical manager. Work inside an evaporator, including flushing, purging the apparatus and monitoring the air environment, shall be carried out in the presence of a technical supervision officer in accordance with the process charts for repair work.
1340. The presence of persons inside a furnace for cleaning and repair at a temperature above 60 °C shall be prohibited.
1341. While the furnace is switched on, keeping the furnace doors open, cleaning the floors and knocking off cake shall be prohibited.
1342. The site where heap leaching work is carried out shall be fenced and marked on the outside with warning signs.
1343. Residential premises and catering points shall be located taking into account the wind rose and at a distance of not less than 500 m from the work site.
1344. To lift persons onto the surface of the heap, a ladder with handrails on both sides shall be provided.
1345. Pipelines, tanks and equipment containing cyanide solutions and acids shall bear the marking "POISON", and open settling ponds containing cyanide solutions and acids shall have protective fencing.
1346. Potentially hazardous locations on the production site shall be equipped with automatic alarm devices producing audible and visual signals when the maximum permissible concentration of cyanides and acids in the working area air is exceeded.
1347. All types of work on the surface of the heap shall be carried out by not less than two workers using personal protective equipment.
1348. Reactors and leaching tanks shall be equipped with technical means for monitoring the level of solution filling, exhaust ventilation, alarm and interlock systems precluding the established level from being exceeded. The dosing of solution components and their mixing shall be carried out by an automated method precluding a violent reaction with gas evolution and ejection of mixtures.
1349. The reactor's drain nozzles shall be cleared only when the agitator has come to a complete stop, there is no solution in the reactor and the feed pipelines have been shut off. For the emergency discharge of solutions, the reactor's design shall provide for a special outlet with the corresponding pipework or tanks.
1350. While reactors are in operation, the lids on them shall be tightly closed and secured. To preclude the possibility of starting a reactor before the ventilation system has been switched on, the corresponding interlock and alarm system shall be installed.
1351. The loading and unloading of high-pressure apparatus shall be mechanised.
1352. Work inside high-pressure apparatus shall be carried out under a permit to work in accordance with the work organisation project approved by the organisation's technical manager.
1353. In the production of arsenious anhydride, process operations shall be carried out in sealed systems using personal protective equipment.
1354. The use of the amalgamation process for gold extraction shall be prohibited. Mercury recovered incidentally from man-made or partially mined deposits shall be collected for subsequent disposal in accordance with the established procedure. When decommissioning gold-recovery plants where the amalgamation process was previously used, mercury and gold amalgam shall be disposed of by a specialised organisation, and the floors, drainage channels, sumps and the top layer of soil shall be cleaned.
1355. Floors, walls, ceilings and building structures of shops and sections of gold-recovery plants where highly toxic reagents are used shall be constructed in accordance with the design documentation, taking into account safety requirements.
1356. The floor drainage system of gold-recovery plants shall ensure the collection of all effluents and their return to the process.
1357. Sections in which processes take place in an acidic environment shall be separated, and acidic drainage water shall be neutralised before discharge. The floors, walls, building structures and equipment of these sections shall have acid-resistant coatings.
1358. Exhaust ventilation systems of apparatus in which the release of explosive and flammable substances is possible shall be of explosion-proof design.
1359. Process monitoring and control of equipment handling cyanide solutions (pulp) shall be automated or carried out remotely.
1360. Equipment and tanks of the cyanide process shall be fitted with automatic devices preventing accidental overflow of solutions (pulp) and equipped with overflow pipelines.
1361. Equipment parts, pipelines, fittings and other devices in contact with cyanide solutions (pulp) or their vapours shall be made of cyanide-resistant materials; wiring and parts made of non-ferrous metals and their alloys (copper, copper-zinc, aluminium) shall be isolated from contact with cyanides.
1362. The concentration of protective alkali in cyanide solutions (pulp) held in uncovered and non-aspirated equipment and tanks shall be maintained at a level ensuring an alkalinity of the medium of not less than 10.0 pH.
1363. In cyanidation and cyanide solution preparation sections, the air removed by exhaust ventilation shall be drawn from the upper zone of the premises. Air from supply ventilation systems shall be delivered to the working area at fixed workplaces and walkways.
1364. Before removal from clarifying and precipitation-unit filters, filter cloths (covers) shall be washed with water until cyanides are fully removed.
1365. Filter cloth shall be washed with acid in an isolated room equipped with general ventilation. Filter cloth regeneration work (acid treatment, washing, drying) shall be mechanised.
1366. Premises for drying, grinding, sampling and packaging zinc precipitates shall be isolated from the cyanidation section and equipped with general ventilation and sanitary purification of emissions.
1367. Drying and cooling of zinc precipitates are carried out in sealed drying cabinets (furnaces) under vacuum. Drying zinc precipitates on open hotplates shall be prohibited.
1368. Premises for the neutralisation of cyanide-containing industrial effluents shall be isolated from other plant premises and equipped with general and emergency ventilation with remote control.
1369. Approaches to the first-aid stations shall be well lit and not obstructed by equipment or utility lines. A first-aid station shall be provided with a first-aid kit containing a set of antidotes, medicines and dressings, as well as the necessary equipment and instructions for the use of antidotes. Cold and warm water shall be supplied to the first-aid station through a mixer to a delivery nozzle installed at a height of 2 m from the floor. Installing sprinklers on delivery nozzles shall be prohibited.
1370. To prevent highly toxic substances from entering the air of working premises, the section's equipment (pachucas, columns, screens) shall be fully sealed, and gas extraction shall be carried out directly from under the enclosures. Control and management of desorption and regeneration processes shall be automated.
1371. Sorption, desorption, regeneration, and reagent storage and preparation premises shall be equipped with continuously operating automatic air monitoring instruments interlocked with an alarm system (audible, visual) warning of the hydrocyanic acid vapour content at workplaces exceeding the maximum permissible concentration.
1372. In the desorption, regeneration and electrolysis premises, a general and emergency ventilation system fitted with instruments signalling acid and hydrogen vapour content in the air at concentrations exceeding the maximum permissible concentration shall operate continuously. If the ventilation systems fail, the operating personnel shall immediately leave the premises. The premises may be entered only after the general ventilation has resumed operation and the content of harmful impurities in the premises' atmosphere has been reduced to the maximum permissible concentration.
1373. When resin is being moved through the columns, the inspection windows and column lids shall be tightly closed.
1374. When transporting resin into a column with a different medium composition (from alkaline to acidic or vice versa), the solutions shall be completely separated. Transporting solutions together with the resin shall be prohibited.
1375. The return of acidic washing solutions from desorption and regeneration to the cyanide process shall be carried out after their prior neutralisation with alkalis (lime, caustic soda).
1376. The premises for the electrolysis of marketable regenerate shall be equipped with general and emergency ventilation systems and fitted with instruments signalling acid and hydrogen vapour content in the air at concentrations exceeding the maximum permissible concentration.
1377. When replacing cathode blocks in an electrolyser, workers shall wear rubber protective clothing, rubber boots, an apron and gloves, and shall use safety goggles.
1378. When operating conveyor-scrubber washing plants, communication between the operating personnel (operator, bunker attendant and pumping station operator) shall be two-way and duplicated.
1379. Special chutes shall be provided for discharging boulders from the conveyor belt of the washing plant. The boulder storage site shall be fenced.
1380. Boulders are removed from the bunker using special devices after the feeder and conveyor have stopped, and bridged material is removed by washing.
1381. Organisations using reagents shall have instructions approved by the organisation's technical manager on their safe storage and the reagent handling regime, taking into account the hazard class of the reagents (their process mixtures), sanitary requirements and these Rules.
1382. When working with reagents, measures shall be taken to prevent splashing, spraying and spillage onto the ground, floor, equipment, containers and clothing. Reagents that have got onto the floor or apparatus shall be removed, neutralised and washed off with water in accordance with the established procedure.
1383. Sufficient means for neutralising spilled or scattered reagents shall be available at reagent storage, loading and unloading sites.
1384. Repair work, cleaning of ventilation systems and reagent pipelines, and inspection, cleaning and neutralisation of tanks in reagent sections and warehouses shall be carried out under a permit to work.
1385. The storage, solution preparation, transportation and use of flotation reagents shall be carried out in accordance with process regulations developed and approved by the organisation's technical manager.
1386. Combining effluents whose interaction produces poisonous substances or insoluble sediments clogging the pipelines shall be prohibited.
1387. Reagents shall be stored in closed storage premises or under canopies. The storage of aerofloats, oils, hydrochloric acid, sodium hydrosulphide, kerosene and oxal (T-80) within the fenced reagent warehouse area shall be carried out in metal tanks and cisterns under a canopy protecting them from direct sunlight and precipitation.
1388. Where hydrochloric acid in carboys and silicate blocks is stored at open storage sites, a canopy protecting against direct sunlight and precipitation shall be provided.
1389. The joint storage in a single warehouse of reagents that react with one another, and of reagents in damaged containers, shall be prohibited. Repackaging, receipt and issue of reagents shall be carried out in specially designated areas.
1390. Tanks for storing liquid reagents and their associated pipework shall be equipped with devices for the complete removal of reagents. Pipelines for transporting corrosive (acids, alkalis) and toxic reagents shall not be located above walkways and workplaces.
1391. The processes of opening barrels of xanthate and cans of cyanides, as well as work involving highly toxic substances, including solution preparation, shall be mechanised.
1392. A temperature not exceeding 25 °C shall be maintained in warehouse premises for xanthates, sodium sulphide and cyanides. Highly toxic substances shall be stored in special premises. Storing poisonous reagents and quicklime together with other reagents shall be prohibited. A non-combustible room precluding contact between the lime and water shall be designated for the storage of quicklime.
1393. In premises for storing reagents releasing explosive vapours and toxic gases, extraction shall be carried out from both the lower and upper zones of the room to prevent the formation of stagnant zones.
1394. Floors, walls and load-bearing structures of reagent warehouses and all premises of the reagent facility shall have chemical protection. Walls and ceilings shall be finished so that dust and vapours do not accumulate or become absorbed, and their surface shall be cleaned and washed. Floors shall have channels and a slope for draining and discharging water to a drainage sump, with neutralising solutions supplied to it.
1395. Aerofloats, sodium hydrosulphide, ammonia and other reagents with a sharp odour shall be transported and stored in sound cisterns or metal barrels with tightly closing metal plugs.
1396. Liquid, corrosive and highly toxic reagents shall be transported within the enterprise's premises on specially equipped vehicles and in containers precluding the loss of chemicals.
1397. Entry into a reagent warehouse may be made only after the exhaust ventilation has operated without interruption for 10 minutes beforehand. Working in enclosed reagent warehouses while the fan is stopped shall be prohibited. The fan control panel shall be located at the warehouse's outer door. If the fan is faulty, its repair shall be carried out under a permit to work.
1398. The storage location for each reagent shall be identified by a sign bearing the name of the reagent stored. Storing reagents unsorted shall be prohibited.
1399. After liquid reagents have been discharged from cisterns, their residues shall be removed from the disconnected hose by flushing with water. When discharging combustible reagents from cisterns, the pipelines and cisterns shall be earthed. Before pumping liquid flotation reagents and chemicals, the serviceability of the tank filling-level monitoring system shall be checked.
1400. Welding work in a warehouse, as well as in the vicinity of an explosive reagent warehouse and in pump-house premises, shall be carried out under a permit to work.
1401. In doing so, all highly volatile chemicals shall be removed from the warehouse in advance. Reagent warehouses shall have: audible and visual alarm signals warning of the cessation of general and local exhaust ventilation; telephone communication with the operator (dispatcher) and the plant management, the fire service and the first-aid station; level gauges on stationary tanks for storing liquid reagents.
1402. Reagent sections where liquid and solid chemical products are dissolved in water or other solvents, settled, and the prepared solutions are fed to day tanks, shall be isolated from other production premises.
1403. In reagent sections where sudden releases of harmful gases are possible, automatic emergency exhaust ventilation shall be provided. The stock of gas masks shall exceed the maximum number of workers on the shift roster by 50% and shall be kept in a location designated by the facility's technical manager, with the facility's personnel briefed accordingly.
1404. Dissolving vats and settling tanks, together with their associated pipework, shall be installed in such a way that the reagents contained in them can be completely discharged into spare process or emergency tanks provided for in the design documentation. Reagent sections shall be provided with automatic monitoring of the filling level of dissolving vats, with audible or visual alarm.
1405. For dissolving organic and other explosion- and fire-hazardous substances, equipment of spark-proof design shall be used.
1406. Vats and settling tanks for each reagent shall be fitted with overflow pipes and level gauges, and shall be marked with a clear sign bearing the name of the reagent.
1407. All pipelines and tanks shall be painted in conventional colours with symbolic markings and explanatory labels.
1408. Storing containers in the working premises of the reagent section shall be prohibited. The procedure for neutralising and returning containers to the warehouse is established by the organisation's technical manager. Containers previously holding cyanide compounds shall be neutralised after unloading and returned to the warehouse separately from other containers.
1409. Process regulations (process charts) setting out the established process parameters shall be developed and approved by the organisation's technical manager for conducting sintering, roasting and drying processes.
1410. Bunkers for raw material, charge, return material and bedding, as well as bunker loading points, shall be equipped with aspiration installations preventing the release of dust, vapour and gas.
1411. The method of discharging dust from dust-collecting devices into the hydraulic or pneumatic conveying system shall preclude the possibility of the dust escaping and spreading into the surrounding space.
1412. The supply of gas and steam to the burners of drying drums, roasting and sintering machines shall be carried out in accordance with the safety rules in force for gas facilities and the rules for the design and safe operation of steam and hot-water pipelines. Automatic monitoring of burner operating parameters, remote ignition and cut-off of fuel supply to the burners when the draught equipment stops shall be provided.
1413. The start-up and shutdown of sintering and roasting conveyor machines, roasting furnaces and drying installations are carried out in accordance with the requirements of the process regulations approved by the organisation's technical manager.
1414. Control of main dampers and gate valves is carried out remotely, with the possibility of manual control.
1415. The walls and arches of roasting and ignition hearths of sintering machines and the shells of rotary roasting furnaces shall be thermally insulated. Aeration lanterns shall be provided in the roofs of buildings housing sintering or roasting machines. Canopies with exhaust pipes extending 1 - 2 m above the highest part of the building and fitted with deflectors shall be provided above hearths with an external surface temperature exceeding 45 °C. Along the sintering conveyor machine, beyond the ignition hearth, screens shall be installed to shield the incandescent surface of the charge.
1416. Persons servicing the gas facility shall be certified for the right to carry out the work. Workplaces shall be provided with the necessary gas-protection equipment, which shall be kept in specially designated locations near the workplaces, and its presence and serviceability shall be checked.
1417. The operation of installations running on liquid fuel shall be carried out in accordance with the requirements of the rules in force for the design and safe operation of steam and hot-water boilers.
1418. The working platform area of sintering and roasting conveyor machines and rotary furnaces at the points where bedding and charge are loaded onto pallet cars, as well as the drives of the roller table rollers and the end section of the conveyor machines, shall have guards interlocked with the drive, precluding access by operating personnel to the area where the pallet cars enter the working run while the conveyor machine is running. Replacement of grate bars shall be carried out only after the conveyor machine has been stopped.
1419. Light and sound signalling and telephone communication shall be provided at the workplaces.
1420. The sintering technology of the agglomerate shall ensure the production of return material that precludes bridging in the return bunker. If hot return material bridges in the bunker, it shall be broken down using special devices. Cooling the return material in the bunker with water shall be prohibited. The bunker and screen structures shall be cooled with water only when the bunker is free of return material. Hot return material bunkers shall be thermally insulated.
1421. To reduce vapour formation, galleries for transporting hot return material shall be equipped with supply and exhaust ventilation, and the air supplied during the cold period of the year shall be pre-heated.
1422. To preclude vapour formation when cooling return material in a cooling drum, the latter shall be equipped with aspiration systems at the points where material is loaded and unloaded.
1423. When transporting hot return material by belt conveyor, low-flammability belts shall be used. Hot return material shall be fed onto a layer of charge previously placed on the conveyor belt, with an automatic monitoring system provided for the presence of cold charge on the conveyor belt.
1424. Railway tracks for loading pellets (agglomerate) into wagons shall be covered by a canopy (hood), from under which dusty air shall be extracted by a fan, with the air purified of harmful impurities to the maximum permissible concentration. Railway tracks at pellet (agglomerate) loading points and weighing platforms shall be constructed so as to ensure mechanised cleaning of spillage.
1425. Control of loading shall be carried out from a special isolated room fitted with supply ventilation delivering clean air, in which conditions for visual observation of the loading, or observation using television cameras and other automatic devices, shall be provided.
1426. The cooling process for pellets (agglomerate) shall ensure that their temperature, determined by the calorimetric method, is reduced to 140 °C or below.
1427. Screening premises for finished pellets shall be separated from the roasting building by a wall extending the full height of the building. Doors and transport openings of the screening section shall close tightly.
1428. In the production of pellets (agglomerate) from sulphide ores, the gas-air ducts shall be equipped with sulphur-capture installations before spent gases are discharged into the atmosphere.
1429. Gas-air headers for waste gases and for recirculation and recovery systems located within premises shall be thermally insulated.
1430. In newly designed roasting (sintering) buildings, draught installations shall be located in a separate building (bay) or in a room isolated by solid walls. Draught installations shall be sealed to preclude the penetration of gases into the working premises.
1431. The draught installation room shall be connected to the roasting section by light and sound signalling and telephone communication installed in a soundproof cabin.
1432. Roasting machines shall be provided with longitudinal and transverse sealing of the vacuum chambers and side sealing of the roasting pallet cars, and a vacuum shall be maintained in the hearth to preclude gases and heat-transfer medium from escaping into the premises during operation.
1433. The transportation of lime shall be carried out under conditions precluding dust generation. Work in limestone roasting sections with inadequate or faulty ventilation shall be prohibited.
1434. The operation of furnace devices with a faulty or overfilled emergency tank for discharging fuel oil shall be prohibited.
1435. The stock of fuel oil in production premises shall not exceed the daily requirement.
1436. When forming stockpiles at ridge-type storage yards using stacker-reclaimers, the rail tracks and drainage channels, working platforms, gangways and stairs shall be cleaned in a timely manner. The stacker-reclaimer's operating area shall be illuminated during hours of darkness.
1437. When bulk materials are pneumatically conveyed through pipelines, the tightness of their joints and units shall be ensured, transfer points shall be enclosed and aspirated, and the spent air shall be purified to the maximum permissible concentration before discharge into the atmosphere.
1438. Storing marketable raw kaolin and talc ore near coal, cement and lime storage areas shall be prohibited.
1439. In storage yards loaded by means of belt conveyors, self-propelled hoppers or rotor excavators, the longitudinal slots of the upper gallery through which material is discharged into the storage yard shall be fenced with permanent railings or covered with grilles with openings not exceeding 0.2 x 0.2 m in size.
1440. The internal inspection and repair of an electrostatic precipitator or its section shall be carried out under a permit to work after the voltage has been removed, the monitoring system earthed, the casing ventilated until fully cleared of residual gas, and an analysis performed confirming the absence of toxic gases in the electrostatic precipitator, in accordance with the established procedure.
1441. The operation of electrical installations (electrical equipment, power supply networks) installed at facilities engaged in mining operations and the processing of solid minerals shall be carried out in accordance with the requirements for the safe operation of electrical installations, to the extent that they do not conflict with these Rules. The design and operation of electrical installations (electrical equipment, power supply networks) installed at facilities engaged in mining operations and the processing of solid minerals shall be carried out in accordance with the requirements in force. Organisations shall develop operating instructions, work execution projects and process flow charts that take into account the experience of operating electrical installations and local conditions, in accordance with the requirements of industrial safety rules and norms, manufacturers' instructions and design documentation.
1442. Each organisation shall have available, prepared in accordance with the established procedure: a power supply diagram superimposed on the mining operations plan and approved by the technical manager; a schematic single-line diagram of the electrical installations showing the power networks, current type, cross-section of wires and cables, their length, grade, voltage and capacity of each installation, all earthing points, the location of protective and switching apparatus, the current settings of maximum relays and the rated currents of fuse links, the current settings and operating time of protection against single-phase earth faults, and the short-circuit currents at the most remote point of the protected line. Any changes made to the power supply diagram superimposed on the mining operations plan in the course of operation shall be reflected in it no later than the day following completion of the work, signed by the person responsible for the electrical equipment of the facility. Electrical diagrams shall provide for the protection of consumers against overloads and short circuits. Electrical installations with an earthed neutral shall have protective disconnection devices in accordance with the design norms, technical regulations and rules for the design of electrical installations in force.
1443. Diagrams of primary and secondary switching, overhead and cable networks, instructions for operating personnel, rules for providing first aid to persons injured by electric current, and warning signs and posters shall be displayed in the premises of stationary electrical substations and switchgear. Each starting apparatus shall bear a clear label indicating the installation it switches on.
1444. To organise the safe maintenance of electrical installations and networks, the boundaries of maintenance by electrical personnel shall be defined and formalised by orders of the organisation's technical manager, and persons responsible for the electrical facilities of the organisation and its structural subdivisions shall be appointed by order of the head of the organisation. It shall be prohibited to use non-series-produced electrical equipment and electric heating appliances that do not comply with the safety rules and norms in force. The operation of electrical installations shall be carried out by specially trained electrical and electrical-process personnel who have undergone training in safe working methods and a knowledge check by a qualification commission with the assignment of the corresponding electrical safety admission group. Electrical and electrical-process personnel servicing electrical installations shall: know, to the extent necessary for the position held, and comply with the design, operation and safe work rules in force for the operation of electrical installations, these Rules, manufacturers' instructions and operating job instructions; know and be able to apply the techniques and methods of first aid to persons injured by electric current and other accidents; use personal protective equipment; be able to use electrical protective equipment and fire-extinguishing equipment in electrical installations; know and comply with the labour protection requirements relating to the equipment serviced and the organisation of labour at the workplace.
1445. Bare current-carrying parts of electrical devices, bare wires and busbars, the contacts of switches and fuses, and the terminals of current-carrying parts of electrical machines and apparatus that are accessible to accidental contact shall be protected by guards. The terminal boxes of electrical machines and starting and control apparatus shall be sealed and closed with a cover. Removal of covers while the machines are running shall be prohibited. In electrical equipment of type RO, RV and RP (specially flameproof, flameproof and increased safety against explosion), the compartments for the terminals of power cables and control cables shall be sealed with a special sealing ring or closed with a special plug. The flameproof surfaces of covers and compartment doors shall be coated with special grease and shall fit tightly against the opposing surface, with the maximum gap complying with the parameters specified in the equipment's data sheet. The operation of flameproof electrical equipment with impaired explosion-protection elements shall not be permitted.
1446. All electrical machines, apparatus, transformers and other electrical equipment, their explosion-proof enclosures, cables and earthing shall be periodically inspected: by the persons working on the machines and mechanisms, and by the duty electrical fitters - every shift; by the persons responsible for the safe operation of electrical installations - weekly; by the chief power engineer of the facility (or deputy) responsible for the safe operation of electrical installations - not less than once every 3 months.
1447. To protect persons against electric shock, protective earthing and high-speed protection against earth (frame) current leakage with automatic disconnection of the electrical installation shall be used (except for circuits with a voltage of up to 60 V), the total disconnection time not exceeding 200 ms at voltages up to 1000 V and 120 ms above 1000 V. The correct functioning (tripping) of the leakage-current relay shall be checked every shift before the start of work. The leakage-current relay, together with the circuit breaker, shall be checked for tripping time upon installation, but not less than once every six months.
1448. The earthing of open-pit excavators operating on the loading of rock mass in faces served by contact networks of electrified transport shall be carried out: where the face contact network is equipped with protection that disconnects the contact network voltage when the excavator bucket touches the contact wire, - to the common earthing device; where there is no protection responding to contact of the bucket with the contact wire, - to a separate earth electrode not metallically connected to the common earthing network; admission of personnel to the rails of the railway tracks of the mining section and repair work on excavators shall be carried out with the mandatory connection of the earthing core of the cable to the coupling point and disconnection of the earthing conductor from the rail. In all cases, monitoring of the integrity of the earthing core of the cable shall be ensured.
1449. Personnel working on electrical installations shall carry out an external inspection of protective earthing every shift. The locations of earthing devices shall be cleaned of dust, snow and ice. In the event of a fault in the earthing, the installation shall be disconnected until the earthing has been restored to a serviceable condition.
1450. Electric arc welding in underground workings and headframe buildings shall be carried out under a permit, in accordance with the work execution project.
1451. Apparatus, electrical machines, transformers and instruments of mine-normal design shall be used in underground workings. In mines hazardous by gas and dust, equipment of flameproof design bearing the corresponding explosion-protection marking on the casing of the electrical equipment shall be used. In permanent dry workings of mines not hazardous by gas and dust, general-industrial-design electrical equipment shall be used with a degree of protection against external effects of not less than IP54, in accordance with the project.
1452. All face machines in underground workings shall be connected to the network by means of magnetic starters or special magnetic stations (control stations). The use of circuits that permit the supply of voltage to machines and mechanisms and their control (except for local ventilation fans) simultaneously from two or more points shall be prohibited. Machines with a multi-motor drive, on which magnetic stations or manual switches are installed for controlling individual electric motors, shall also be connected to the network by means of remotely controlled starters. Starters and magnetic stations shall be controlled remotely from control panels located on the machines themselves or close to them. The use of single-button posts for controlling magnetic starters shall be prohibited, except where these posts are used only for disconnection. Electric motors shall be fitted with no-volt protection and protection against overload currents. Electrical apparatus shall have interlocks against the supply of voltage to lines and electrical installations in the event of damage to their insulation relative to earth and in the event of a short circuit. The short-circuit capacity in the underground network of the mine shall be limited in accordance with the characteristics of the disconnecting apparatus installed and the cross-section of the cables, and shall not exceed half of the maximum breaking capacity of any of the disconnecting apparatus.
1453. Transformer oil used in apparatus installed in underground workings shall be tested for dielectric strength not less than once every 6 months for transformers and circuit breakers, and not less than once every 3 months for other apparatus. The physico-chemical properties of the oils shall be checked not less than once a year. Test records shall be kept by the chief mechanic (power engineer) of the mine.
1454. In addition to solid fire doors, the chambers of central underground and district substations shall have lattice doors with a locking device. The doors of chambers without permanent operating personnel shall be kept closed. Signs reading "Access by unauthorised persons prohibited" shall be posted at the entrance to the chamber, and the corresponding warning posters shall be posted in the chamber in accordance with the project.
1455. The current-carrying parts of electrical apparatus in central pump chambers and central underground substation chambers shall be at a height of not less than 1 m above the rail head level of the shaft bottom yard.
1456. Substation chambers exceeding 10 m in length shall have two exits located in the parts of the chamber furthest from each other. Passages shall be provided between the machines and apparatus in the chambers for transporting machines and apparatus during their repair or replacement, of not less than 0.8 m. Installation passages of not less than 0.5 m in width shall be left along the walls of the chambers. The distance from the top of the apparatus to the roof shall be not less than 0.5 m.
1457. Mobile transformer substations and packaged switchgear shall be placed in designated locations convenient for maintenance, shall be protected from dripping water and mechanical damage, and shall not obstruct the movement of transport or persons. The distance from electrical equipment to rolling stock or a conveyor shall be not less than 0.8 m. Where electrical equipment is placed in bays, a barrier shall be installed preventing rolling stock from entering the area where it is installed.
1458. The construction of oil-collection pits in underground chambers equipped with apparatus and transformers containing oil shall be prohibited. In chambers where oil-filled electrical equipment is installed, a sill of not less than 0.1 m in height shall be provided. Chambers shall be dry, and the walls and ceiling of machine and transformer chambers shall be painted.
1459. All protective apparatus installed at facilities where underground mining operations are conducted shall have interlocks against the supply of voltage to lines and electrical installations with reduced insulation resistance relative to earth, and after the operation of maximum-current protection.
1460. To supply general internal and external lighting fixtures, a voltage of not more than 380/220 V AC with an earthed neutral, and not more than 220 V AC with an isolated neutral and for direct current, shall be used. In premises without increased hazard, a voltage of 220 V may be used for all permanently installed lighting fixtures irrespective of their mounting height. In premises with increased hazard, where luminaires with incandescent lamps are installed less than 2.5 m above the floor, luminaires of special design shall be used, or a voltage of not more than 50 V with earthing of the metal fittings shall be used. At a voltage of 380 V for supplying general internal and external lighting fixtures, the connection to the lighting fixture and the starting and control apparatus shall be made with wires or cable insulated for a voltage of not less than 660 V. The connection of two or three wires of different phases of a 660/380 V system to a lighting fixture shall be prohibited. For lighting networks at open-pit mining facilities, and for the lighting of mobile machines, mechanisms and units, a voltage of not more than 220 V with an isolated neutral shall be used, except that, for the lighting of spoil heaps and roads outside the open pit supplied from separate transformer substations, the use of a 380/220 V voltage in a network with an earthed neutral shall be permitted. Where a voltage above 220 V is used, lighting masts or special types of lighting shall be used.
1461. At surface complex facilities, each workplace shall have emergency lighting from an independent power source. Emergency lighting from an independent power source shall be provided in the buildings of the hoisting machine, the main ventilation installation, the compressor room, the machine rooms of refrigeration units, the headframe buildings of shafts, the buildings of waste-rock dump and ropeway hoists, degassing installation buildings, boiler houses, and administrative and welfare complexes. In all of the buildings listed, except for hoisting machine buildings, the use of individual luminaires for emergency lighting shall be permitted. When conducting open-pit mining operations, a line voltage of not more than 36 V AC and up to 50 V DC, and, where diesel-locomotive traction is used, up to 75 V DC, shall be used to supply hand-held portable lamps. Luminaires supplied from the electrical network shall provide lighting, under underground conditions, for: shaft-bottom yard chambers; shaft loading and man-riding platforms; waiting chambers; vehicle turning areas; service and special-purpose chambers and tool workshops; drive stations, take-up stations and transfer points on belt conveyor transport; assembly points for persons when the accident response and rescue plan is activated; all areas where stationary equipment is located; electric machine, hoist and dispatcher chambers, central underground substations, locomotive garages, first-aid stations, explosive materials issue chambers, underground repair workshops; passing points in shaft-bottom and district workings; points for boarding vehicles and the approaches to them; the face area of shafts, junctions and chambers during sinking, and sinking suspended platforms; the face area of tunnelling complexes or roadheaders, which shall be lit by luminaires built into the complex or roadheader; permanently serviced electric machine installations, mobile substations and distribution points outside special chambers; mine workings equipped with belt conveyors and suspended chair lifts intended for the carriage of persons; man-travelling roadways equipped with mechanised means of transporting persons.
1462. On stationary and mobile supports of a DC contact network with a voltage of up to and including 1650 V, when conducting open-pit mining operations, electric lighting wires and luminaires installed above the contact wire shall be suspended on the side of the support opposite to it. The vertical distance from the contact wire to the lighting wires shall be not less than 1.5 m. Insulators of the lighting network shall be rated for a voltage of 1650 V. The distance from the contact wire to the support with side suspension shall be not less than 1 m. The joint suspension of the contact wire and communication line wires on supports shall be prohibited. The replacement of lamps and luminaires located below the lighting wires on wooden supports shall be carried out with the voltage removed from the contact wire. Repair of the lighting network (replacement of hooks, pins and insulators, retensioning of wires and other elements) shall be carried out with the voltage removed from both the contact network and the lighting network.
1463. All work areas, service-purpose chambers and locations provided for in the action plan for the localisation and elimination of the consequences of accidents at hazardous production facilities shall be equipped with duplex telephone communication having a direct connection to the mine-wide telephone exchange on the surface. Interconnecting telephone lines and transit subscriber lines on the side of the mine-wide switchboard and the dispatcher's point shall be provided with maximum current protection.
1464. Underground telephone communication apparatus shall be supplied at a line voltage of not more than 220 V from the lighting network, storage batteries or rectifier units. For the supply of signalling apparatus, the voltage shall be not more than 220 V, with leakage-current protection provided. The supply of transport signalling devices from a contact network with a voltage of not more than 275 V shall be carried out with fuse protection provided. The supply of underground public-address and warning-signalling circuits shall be carried out from a power source of not more than 60 V.
1465. The dispatch (command) point of a mine shall be equipped with apparatus for recording and reproducing commands, assignments and messages, as well as an information display (panel, video wall). Information on the functioning of life-support systems and facilities (including power supply, mine drainage and ventilation) shall be transmitted remotely (in real time) to the dispatch (command) points of mines, and, at facilities (mines, pits) hazardous by gas outbursts and rock bursts, data obtained from the monitoring of gas-dynamic and geodynamic phenomena shall likewise be transmitted. Information received shall be displayed on the information display (panel, video wall) and retained at the facility for not less than one month. Responsibility for the safekeeping of the information shall rest with the head of the facility (organisation).
1466. Persons visiting the mine shall have serviceable battery-powered cap lamps. Movement through the workings, as well as the performance of work, shall be carried out with an individual battery-powered cap lamp switched on. The number of serviceable cap lamps at each mine shall exceed by 10 per cent the payroll number of persons engaged in underground work. All mine cap lamps shall bear seals on the headpiece preventing unauthorised opening, shall be numbered, and shall be assigned to each individual worker. Opening the headpiece and the cover of the battery cap lamp in the mine shall be prohibited. Battery cap lamps issued to workers shall provide a normal continuous lighting duration of not less than 10 hours. The procedure for checking the condition of cap lamps and charging stations shall be determined by the technical manager of the facility (checks shall be carried out not less than once a month). The results of the checks shall be recorded in a report.
1467. Mines shall be equipped with premises for the storage, checking and issue of cap lamps, self-rescuers and respirators, as well as premises for the servicing and charging of storage batteries.
1468. At open-pit mining facilities, communication and signalling devices, except for special transport devices, shall be supplied at a line voltage of not more than 220 V from the lighting network, storage batteries or rectifier units.
1469. Work on electrical installations shall be carried out under a permit to work, an instruction, or in the course of routine operation. The list of work performed under a permit, an instruction and in the course of routine operation, as well as the list of persons appointed as responsible supervisors, work performers under permits to work and instructions, persons monitoring the performance of work, and persons granting admission, shall be approved by the technical manager of the organisation. The preparation of the workplace and work permitted to be performed in the course of routine operation by operational or operational-repair personnel shall apply only to electrical installations with a voltage of up to 1000 V and shall be performed only on the equipment (section) assigned to that personnel. When drawing up the list of work in the course of routine operation, the conditions for ensuring safety and the feasibility of performing specific work alone, the qualification of personnel, and the degree of importance of the electrical installation as a whole or its individual elements in the process shall be taken into account. The list of work in the course of routine operation shall contain instructions defining the types of work permitted to be performed alone and by a work team. The list of work in the course of routine operation shall specify the procedure for recording work performed in the course of routine operation (notification of superior operational personnel of the location and nature of the work, its commencement and completion, and the recording of the work by an entry in the operational log). The list of work shall be supplemented by decision of the head of the organisation. The list shall specify which work may be performed alone.
1470. Under a permit to work, in electrical installations with a voltage above 1000 V, operational-repair and repair personnel perform work: on operating overhead power transmission lines, involving climbing above 1.8 m from the ground level of the installation onto a support, a coupling point, a packaged transformer substation (hereinafter - PTS) and the like; repair work performed in electrical installations, with or without voltage removal, on current-carrying parts and in their vicinity; the commissioning of relay protection and high-voltage testing of the electrical equipment of substations, switchgear, coupling points and PTS; on operating stationary cable lines made of armoured and flexible cables (repair, relaying) at the locations where they are laid. The relaying of supply flexible cables (for excavators, drill rigs, lighting installations and the like) shall be performed in the course of routine operation.
1471. Responsible supervisors of work under a permit to work in electrical installations with a voltage above 1000 V shall be appointed from among administrative and technical personnel holding electrical safety group V, and group IV in electrical installations with a voltage of up to 1000 V. Work performers, persons granting admission, and persons monitoring the work shall hold an electrical safety group of not less than III.
1472. Operational and operational-repair personnel shall perform the following work in electrical installations with a voltage above 1000 V under an instruction, with an entry in the operational log: work performed without removing voltage on current-carrying parts and in their vicinity and not requiring the installation of earthing, of a duration of up to one hour: in free-standing stationary electrical installations and in switchgear, minor repair and cleaning of casing fittings and oil-gauge glasses on transformer conservators; measurements with clamp meters; the replacement of fuses; checking the heating of contacts with a rod; topping up and taking samples of oil, where the design of the equipment allows this work to be performed safely; work performed without the application of earthing within one shift, away from live current-carrying parts, in premises where the current-carrying parts are behind permanent solid or mesh guards; work with voltage removed, performed with the application of earthing, of a duration of up to one hour: connecting and disconnecting cables at a coupling point; disconnecting and connecting a cable to an individual electric motor; switching tap changers on a power transformer; tightening and cleaning individual contacts on busbars and equipment, topping up oil in oil-filled bushings and individual apparatus; work in a packaged transformer substation on the high-voltage and low-voltage side; the replacement, sealing, connection and disconnection of excavator supply cables; the replacement of insulators on terminal boxes and slip-ring current collectors, the elimination of faults in current collectors, and the repair of a circuit breaker and a disconnector. The work indicated shall be performed by not less than two persons, one of whom shall hold an electrical safety group of not less than IV, the others not less than III. With the permission of the person responsible for the electrical facilities, the section power engineer shall carry out switching operations independently, with notification of the power dispatcher (shift supervisor) and an entry in the operational log. A portable earth may be dispensed with in electrical installations if the supply cable is disconnected from the coupling point and withdrawn from it. In that case, the supply and earthing cores of the cable shall be bolted together, and a poster reading "Do not switch on, work in progress on the line" shall be attached to them.
1473. In the course of routine operation of electrical installations with a voltage above 1000 V, the following work shall be performed without removing voltage: at a coupling point - an external inspection of structures and equipment without entering beyond the guard, and an inspection of the earthing network; checking mechanical interlocking devices of doors and locks (by external inspection of the structural parts of the interlocking devices, based on the position of the rods, springs, sectors and catches, with the disconnector and circuit breaker in the disconnected position) and other work within the scope of the shift inspection; at packaged transformer substations - an inspection of structures and equipment without entering beyond the guard; an inspection of the earthing network; checking the serviceability of the mechanical interlocking devices of the locks and other work within the scope of the shift inspection; at electrified installations - an external inspection of the supply cable, electrical machines, the converter unit and the power transformer, including an inspection of the switchgear; checking the oil level in the transformer (visually, using the oil gauge); an inspection of the panels, units and control stations; at stationary switchgear - cleaning of the territory and premises; repair of lighting apparatus and replacement of lamps located outside chambers and cells; repair of telephone communication apparatus and the like. The work indicated shall be performed by two persons, one of whom holds an electrical safety group of not less than IV, and the other not less than III. Adjustment and repair work shall be permitted to be performed only on condition that voltage is removed from the installation's incoming supply. When inspecting electrical installations with a voltage above 1000 V, it shall be prohibited for one person to perform any work whatsoever, or to go beyond the guard, or to enter switchgear chambers and the explosion chambers of oil circuit breakers. Inspection of equipment, apparatus and busbar connections shall be permitted from the threshold of the chamber or while standing in front of the barrier.
1474. The commissioning of electric drives, and the detection and elimination of faults in power control circuits, shall be carried out under an instruction or in the course of routine operation, with an entry in the operational log. In doing so, the following conditions shall be observed: the work shall be performed by not less than two persons, one of whom shall hold an electrical safety group of not less than IV, and the others not less than III; work in power and operational circuits shall be performed after the power installations have been disconnected; the mains motor and other electrical machines, as well as controllers, shall, during commissioning, be switched on and off by electrical-process personnel at the request of the work performer.
1475. If a connection of any current-carrying part of an electrical installation with earth is detected, it shall be prohibited, prior to its disconnection, to approach the location of such a fault at a distance of less than 4-5 m in indoor switchgear and 8-10 m at open substations. Approaching a closer distance shall be permissible only to perform operations with switching apparatus enabling the earth fault to be eliminated, and when providing necessary assistance to injured persons. In such cases, protection against the effect of step voltage shall be ensured without fail: dielectric boots shall be worn, and mats or other means reliably insulating from earth shall be laid down. All operations shall be performed wearing dielectric gloves or using an insulating rod.
1476. Repair work in electrical installations with a voltage above 1000 V shall be carried out after the organisational and technical measures have been completed.
1477. The work performer, while exercising supervision, shall remain at the worksite at all times. It shall not be permitted for a single person from the repair team, including the work performer (person monitoring the work), to remain alone in the premises of installations with a voltage above 1000 V or at an open substation. When leaving the workplace, the work performer, if the responsible supervisor cannot replace him for that period, shall, for the duration of his absence, remove the work team from the premises and close the door.
1478. During a break in work, the work team shall be removed from the workplace, and the doors of the electrical installation locked. Posters, guards and earthing shall remain in place. Workers shall not be entitled, after a break, to enter the premises of an installation with a voltage above 1000 V or an open substation in the absence of the work performer. Admission to work after a break shall be carried out by the work performer. After the work has been fully completed, the work team shall clear up the workplace, after which it shall be inspected by the responsible supervisor of the work.
1479. Mobile guards (a cage or a screen) shall be of a design that precludes the possibility of workers accidentally or mistakenly touching current-carrying parts that remain live, and precludes the guard itself from bridging current-carrying parts. Provision shall also be made for the safe installation and stability of the guard. Posters reading "Stop! Voltage!" shall be posted on temporary guards.
1480. Work on power lines to clear the route of oversized obstructions, post signs, number and check supports for decay, verify the installation and ballast supports, and inspect lines without climbing a support may be performed by one person holding electrical safety group not lower than III.
1481. In electrical installations with voltage up to 1000 V, work under a permit to work is performed by operating, operating-and-maintenance and maintenance personnel: on overhead lines and lighting networks with climbing a support; in switchgear, on panels and assemblies; on cable networks.
1482. Persons in charge of the work under a permit to work in electrical installations with voltage up to 1000 V may be appointed from among technical supervisory personnel who are electrotechnical personnel holding electrical safety group IV. The performing authority, the person granting admission and the person supervising shall hold a qualification group not lower than III.
1483. In electrical installations with voltage up to 1000 V, operating and operating-and-maintenance personnel may, under an instruction, perform with the voltage switched off: repair of magnetic starters, start buttons, automatic circuit breakers, knife switches, rheostats, contactors and similar starting and switching apparatus, provided they are installed outside panels and assemblies; repair of individual electrical receivers (electric motors, brake coils), separately located magnetic stations and control units, replacement of fuse links, blowing out magnetic stations with compressed air, repair of lighting wiring with replacement of luminaires and lamps.
1484. In electrical installations up to 1000 V, in the course of routine operation, operating and operating-and-maintenance personnel may perform with the voltage switched off: replacement of brushes and brush holders on the low-voltage ring current collector; maintenance of the commutators of generators and electric motors and of their brush gear; monitoring of the heating of electrical machines and their bearings; filling (packing) of grease into the bearings of electrical machines; checking the condition of apparatus installed on the magnetic station and the control unit; tightening, cleaning and replacing the contacts of rectifiers and transformers supplying magnetic amplifiers, adjustment of the magnetic system of contactors and starters; cleaning dust from apparatus and insulators; checking lighting and replacing lamps; repair of lighting wiring; replacement of the replaceable elements of coupling sleeves (pins, jaws, etc.); checking the condition of the insulation of main and auxiliary drives and control circuits; repair of electric heating appliances.
1485. In electrical installations with voltage up to 1000 V, operating, operating-and-maintenance and process personnel may, in the course of routine operation, perform without switching off the voltage, at a distance from live parts under voltage: checking the tripping of insulation monitoring relays; external inspection of the supply cable and cable coupling; inspection of the apparatus of magnetic stations and the control unit, checking the operation of electrical measuring instruments; cleaning of the premises, cleaning and wiping of covers and housings of electrical equipment under voltage; replacement of plug fuses.
1486. The following shall be prohibited: servicing electrical installations with voltage above 1000 V without protective equipment: dielectric gloves and boots; dielectric mats and insulating stands; insulating caps and covers; potential-equalising and carrying rods; portable ladders and insulating fibreglass stepladders. Devices and fittings for ensuring the safety of work during measurements and tests in electrical installations (voltage indicators for checking phase coincidence, electrical measuring clamps, cable-piercing devices, etc.); special protective equipment, devices and fittings for live working in electrical installations with voltage of 110 kV and above (except potential-equalising and carrying rods); repairing, connecting and disconnecting electrical equipment and cables under voltage above 50 V; operating electrical equipment with faulty explosion-protection means, interlocks, earthing, protective apparatus, disrupted control and protection circuits, or damaged cables; keeping unused electrical networks energised, except for standby networks; altering the factory design and circuit of electrical equipment, the circuits of control, protection and monitoring apparatus, or the calibration of protective devices at the mine, except where such alterations have been agreed with the manufacturer; removing signs, markings or seals from apparatus by persons not authorised to do so.
1487. Where faults are detected in electrical equipment or on overhead or cable lines that could lead to an accident or a threat to human life, this shall be reported to the immediate supervisor or the dispatcher. Work to prevent accidents and eliminate their consequences shall be performed in accordance with the action plan for the localisation and elimination of accidents approved by the technical manager of the organisation.
1488. Maintenance and repair of the contact network and of the supply and return lines are performed by operating personnel (duty personnel at traction and combined traction step-down substations), operating-and-maintenance personnel (contact network electricians) and maintenance electrotechnical personnel.
1489. During repair work on the contact network and the supply and return lines, the duties of the person granting admission are performed by a member of the operating-and-maintenance personnel holding electrical safety group not lower than V.
1490. The electrical safety group of the performing authority for work to prevent accidents and eliminate their consequences shall be not lower than V, and that of the other electricians participating in the said work shall be not lower than III. One person holding electrical safety group II may also be included in the work team without the right to perform work independently. Where there are no employees entitled to issue permits and instructions, permits and instructions for work to prevent accidents or eliminate their consequences may be issued by employees from among the operating personnel holding electrical safety group IV who are directly present on the territory of the electric power facility or the power receiving installation of the electricity consumer.
1491. Work under a permit to work is performed on the contact network and the supply and return lines: work performed by maintenance personnel, except for work related to the construction of new sections of the contact network and work located at a distance from operating power lines and contact networks not less than the protection zone; work performed by operating-and-maintenance personnel on operating sections of the contact network and the supply and return lines with the voltage switched off, as well as without the voltage switched off and involving climbing to a height above 1.8 m; work to prevent accidents and eliminate their consequences, the duration of which exceeds one hour.
1492. Under an instruction or an order, work is performed on the contact network and the supply and return lines by: operating-and-maintenance personnel on line devices of the contact network with the voltage switched off; maintenance personnel to prevent accidents and eliminate their consequences, the duration of which does not exceed one hour.
1493. Work on relocating mining equipment (movement involving any crossing of power lines, crossing of railway tracks and haul roads, and moving from one horizon to another) and its transportation by vehicles shall be performed in accordance with an approved work execution project, under a written instruction from the technical manager of the facility. The instruction specifies the persons responsible for the safe and accident-free organisation of the relocation or transportation, and the responsible personnel from technical supervision.
1494. To ensure safety during a thunderstorm, the performance of the following work shall be prohibited: on overhead and cable power lines, and the unreeling and carrying of cables; on contact networks and the rail tracks of railway transport; on the service connections and switching apparatus of indoor switchgear directly connected to overhead lines; on earthing devices and at a distance closer than 100 m from them; on excavator booms and drilling rig masts and at a distance closer than 100 m from them; repair work on electrical equipment; electric welding work.
1495. When servicing electrical installations, electrical protective equipment shall be used: dielectric gloves, boots and mats; voltage indicators; insulating rods; portable earthing devices; and personal protective equipment: safety goggles; safety harnesses and climbing spurs.
1496. Protective equipment used in electrical installations shall meet the requirements of the applicable rules and shall undergo electrical tests within the established time limits. Before each use of protective equipment, its serviceability, the absence of external damage or contamination, and its expiry date as shown on the stamp shall be checked. Only protective equipment bearing markings indicating the manufacturer, the name or type of the item and the year of manufacture, as well as a test stamp, shall be used for work. In localities with low temperatures, dielectric gloves may be used together with warm (woollen or other) gloves.
1497. When working in electrical installations and on power lines, organisational and technical actions to ensure the safe performance of work shall be carried out, and electrical protective equipment and personal protective equipment shall be used. Personal protective equipment used by employees shall comply with the requirements of the rules for the use and testing of protective equipment used in electrical installations and shall undergo mandatory electrical tests. Personnel admitted to work with electrotechnical devices or electrified tools, or who, by the nature of their work, come into contact with the electric drive of machines and mechanisms, shall hold an electrical safety group. In addition to training in first aid to a person injured at work, electrotechnical personnel shall be trained in methods of freeing a person from the effect of electric current, taking into account the specifics of the electrical installations serviced (operated). All employees of the organisation shall be trained in methods of freeing persons from the effect of electric current and in providing first aid to a person injured by electric current and other injurious factors.
1498. Process personnel servicing electrical installations with voltage above 1000 V (drivers of electric locomotives and excavators) shall hold qualification electrical safety group IV, and their assistants shall hold a group not lower than III and the rights of operating-and-maintenance personnel. Drivers of diesel locomotives and their assistants working on electrified tracks shall hold electrical safety group III. Drivers (operators) of mining, transport, drilling and lifting equipment, crane operators and slingers working in the protection zone of an overhead line shall hold a group not lower than II. In the protection zone of an overhead line, work using the above-mentioned technical devices shall be carried out under a permit (instruction) under the continuous direction and supervision of the employee who issued the permit or of the person in charge of the work, holding a group not lower than IV.
1499. Persons servicing electrical installations shall, when performing work, hold a certificate of knowledge verification for the rules of work in electrical installations.
1500. Employees entitled to perform special work shall have a corresponding entry in their certificate of knowledge verification for the rules of work in electrical installations. The list of special work shall be approved by the technical manager of the organisation. Special work includes: work performed at a height of more than 5 m above the surface of the ground, a floor or a working deck, above which work is performed directly on structures or equipment during their installation or repair, with the mandatory use of fall-arrest equipment; work performed without switching off the voltage of the electrical installation, involving contact with primary live parts under working voltage, or at a distance from those live parts less than the permissible distance; testing of equipment with increased voltage (except for work with a megohmmeter); work performed with the working voltage of the electrical installation or part of it switched off, involving contact with live parts under an induced voltage of more than 25 V, at the workplace or at a distance from those live parts less than the permissible distance.
1501. Operational switching, maintenance and repair of the electrical installations of open pits shall be carried out by electrotechnical personnel: operating personnel and operating-and-maintenance personnel. Operating personnel include the duty personnel of substations and switchgear. Operating-and-maintenance personnel include employees from among maintenance personnel with the right to directly act on the control elements of equipment and relay protection and automation devices, who carry out the operational servicing of the electrical installations assigned to them. Maintenance personnel include electrotechnical personnel who perform the maintenance and repair, installation, commissioning and testing of electrical equipment and electrical networks.
1502. The office of the person responsible for the electrical facilities of the organisation or subdivision (the chief power engineer, the assistant for power equipment) shall have the following technical documentation: single-line power supply diagrams; diagrams of the facility's overhead lines showing all crossings; diagrams of the traction network; diagrams of the underground cable network; a set of as-built diagrams for the control of equipment; drawings of electrical equipment, installations and structures, and of spare parts; a complete set of instructions for the installation and operation of electrical installations; job descriptions for electrotechnical and non-electrotechnical personnel under an approved list; labour protection instructions setting out in detail the requirements for preparing the workplace and organising the safe performance of work; logs with an inventory of electrical equipment and protective equipment showing technical characteristics and assigned inventory numbers (the logs shall be accompanied by test, repair and commissioning reports and certificates for the equipment); relay protection setting charts; standard designs for the supports of mobile overhead lines, and data sheets for central (remote) earthing devices; a log of knowledge verification of the applicable rules of operation, the safe performance of work during the operation of electrical installations, and instructions for personnel; lists of persons entitled to issue permits to work for the performance of work in electrical installations; lists of persons appointed by instruction as persons in charge of the work, performing authorities under permits to work, and supervising persons; lists of persons entitled to inspect electrical installations alone. Schedules approved by the technical manager for: the diagnostics, maintenance and repair of process and auxiliary equipment; the maintenance and repair of package transformer substations, complete switchgear units, transformers, single connection points and sectionalising points; the repair of overhead and cable power lines; the repair of electrical machines; and the scheduled inspection of relay protection, residual current protective devices, lightning protection equipment and earthing devices.
1503. The engineer of the section or shift (the power dispatcher) of the organisation (subdivision) shall have the following technical documentation: a power supply diagram of the facility, on which the power and electric traction networks are shown, together with the locations of electrical installations (transformer substations, switchgear, connection points, etc.). Separate representation of alternating-current and direct-current networks is permitted; as-built, schematic and installation diagrams and diagrams of external connections for the control, protection and signalling of equipment in operation at the section; a schematic single-line power supply diagram showing changes. Changes shall be entered on the single-line diagrams no later than the following day, with an entry in a special log; a complete set of operating instructions and job descriptions, approved in accordance with the established procedure, for personnel under the direct and operational direction of the engineer of the section or shift (the power dispatcher); a log of briefings on the safe conduct of work for personnel directly subordinate to the engineer of the section or shift (the power dispatcher); the applicable rules for the operation and safe performance of work during the operation of electrical installations; lists of persons entitled to issue permits to work for the performance of work in electrical installations. Lists of persons entitled to inspect electrical installations alone. Lists of persons appointed as persons in charge of the work, supervising persons and performing authorities in electrical installations; an operational log; a log of telephone messages, requests and changes to diagrams; a log of instructions of the management personnel; a log with an inventory of the electrical equipment and repair equipment assigned to the section; a log of checks of the earthing of stationary electrical installations (under a list approved by the chief power engineer of the organisation's structural subdivision); a log of inspection and measurement of the transition resistance of the earthing of mobile electrical installations; logs of the repair and testing of flexible cables with rubber insulation; a log of the results of testing of electrical equipment and apparatus after repairs; permits to work for the performance of work in electrical installations; a list of work performed in the course of routine operation. Schedules approved by the technical manager for: the diagnostics, maintenance and repair of electrical machines and of process and auxiliary equipment; the maintenance and repair of package transformer substations, complete switchgear units, transformers, single connection points and sectionalising points; the repair of overhead and cable power lines. The logs shall be bound with cord, sealed, and their pages numbered. Instructions and completion samples shall be inserted into the logs.
1504. When designing power supply diagrams for the organisation's facilities, the following shall be taken into account: the reliability of the power supply diagram being designed for consumers; the possibility of visual monitoring of the condition of distribution networks throughout the territory; the possibility of mechanising work on the construction and repair of distribution networks; the uniformity of the equipment of distribution networks; the possibility of carrying out work taking into account the construction and operation of electrical networks in their zone.
1505. Each organisation shall have available, drawn up in accordance with the established procedure: a power supply diagram for the facilities for the beneficiation (processing) of minerals, mines and pits (open pits), for normal and emergency operating modes, approved by the chief power engineer of the organisation; a power supply diagram for mines and pits, plotted on the mine working plan, showing the power and electric traction networks and the locations of electrical installations (transformer substations, switchgear), approved by the technical manager; a schematic single-line diagram showing the power networks, electrical installations (transformer substations, switchgear, etc.), as well as the type of current, the cross-section of wires and cables, their length, grade, voltage and capacity of each installation, all earthing points, the location of protective and switching apparatus, the current settings of maximum relays and the rated currents of fuse links, the current settings and operating times of protection against single-phase earth faults, and short-circuit currents at the most remote point of the protected line; a separate power supply diagram for seasonal electrical installations before they are put into operation.
1506. Changes made to electrical installations in the course of operation shall be reflected in the diagrams and drawings in a timely manner, signed by the person responsible for the electrical facilities, indicating his position and the date the change was made. The designations and numbers on the diagrams shall correspond to the designations and numbers made in the field. The conformity of the electrical (process) diagrams (drawings) with the actual operating conditions shall be checked not less than once every 2 years, with a note on them recording the check. Information on changes to the diagrams shall be brought to the attention of all employees for whom knowledge of these diagrams is mandatory, with an entry in the log of work under permits to work and instructions for work in electrical installations.
1507. In mines (underground mines) having an extensively branched network of mine workings and a large amount of electrical equipment, the schematic diagram may be drawn up from separate parts: diagrams showing the cable network with voltage above 1 000 V and stationary installations with voltage up to 1140 V and above, including section transformer substations; diagrams showing the cable network with voltage up to 1140 V and the electrical installations of each section (horizon, block), including section transformer substations.
1508. Power supply diagrams for electrical installations under the jurisdiction of contracting organisations shall be agreed and approved by the technical manager in accordance with the established procedure.
1509. For power supply, the following voltage levels shall be used: 35 kV - for the distribution of electric power and the supply of electrical installations; 10 kV and 6 kV - for the distribution of electric power and the supply of electric motors and electrical receivers; up to 1 kV - for the supply of the remaining electrical receivers.
1510. For power supply in underground workings, the following voltage levels are used: for the supply of stationary electric power receivers and mobile substations, and when sinking shafts, a voltage not exceeding 10000 V shall be used; for the supply of mobile electric power receivers (except mobile substations) - not exceeding 3300 V; for the supply of mobile electric power receivers (except mobile substations), the use of a voltage not exceeding 1140 V is permitted; for the supply of hand-held electric machines and tools (drills, pick hammers, soldering irons, electric saws, etc.), a voltage not exceeding 220 V shall be used; for the supply of the control circuits of stationary mechanisms, a voltage of up to 60 V shall be used, and for mobile mechanisms with cable wiring - not exceeding 50 V.
1511. The connection of mobile machines to supply power lines at open pits shall be effected by means of mobile connection points (mobile package transformer substations). For the supply of mobile and self-propelled electrical installations, networks with a voltage not exceeding 35 kV, with an isolated neutral of the transformers or earthed through high-resistance resistors or transformers, shall be used.
1512. Joint power supply of consumers of mines and open pits with consumers of other purposes from a common 6-35 kV busbar system is permitted, provided that all outgoing connections, including those supplying third-party consumers, are equipped with selective protection (primary and backup) against single-phase earth faults, acting to trip.
1513. Consumers - pumping drainage stations, railway transport electrical centralisation posts and open-pit dispatch points - shall have a standby supply connection or an autonomous power source. The power supply of central underground substations (hereinafter - CUS), man-riding and man-and-material mine hoisting installations, main ventilation fans, main drainage installations, and network and feed pumps of boiler houses shall be provided at the first category of power supply reliability from surface substations, and that of the main drainage installations - from the CUS.
1514. When designing power lines for the power supply of open pits, deep entries shall be used.
1515. The use of networks with a solidly earthed transformer neutral in mines shall be prohibited, except for special transformers used solely for supplying the converter devices of the contact networks of electric locomotive haulage. The use of networks with voltage up to 1 kV with a solidly earthed neutral is permitted for the supply of stationary consumers located outside underground and open-pit mining operations, and also for those supplied from separate transformers of the lighting installations of stationary transfer points and spoil tips; entrance (exit) trenches, special lighting installations and signalling, centralisation and blocking networks. In this case, the earthing device of these installations shall not have galvanic connection with the isolated neutral.
1516. Consumers - mines, main fan installations, pumping drainage stations, railway transport electrical centralisation posts and open-pit dispatch points - shall have a standby supply connection or an autonomous power source.
1517. In the premises of stationary electrical substations and switchgear, diagrams of the primary and secondary switching, of the overhead and cable networks, instructions for operating personnel, and rules for providing first aid to persons injured by electric current shall be posted, and warning signs and stands with safety posters shall be installed. Electrical protective equipment, fire-fighting and auxiliary equipment (sand, fire extinguishers), personal protective equipment against electric shock, and equipment for providing first aid to accident victims shall be kept available.
1518. Work on the disconnection, transportation, installation, erection and connection of an MPTS, a complete switchgear unit, a connection point or a distribution point shall be performed in accordance with an approved work execution project, under a permit to work, with the mandatory appointment of a person in charge of the work. In doing so, the person in charge of the work shall monitor the stages of work involving the use of mechanisms and machines intended for the transportation and installation of the above-mentioned electrical equipment. Bringing long items (pipes, ladders, etc.) into the premises of switchgear and working with them near electrical installations where not all live parts are enclosed by guards precluding the possibility of accidental contact is permitted only under the supervision of the performing authority or a designated observer.
1519. For the connection of stationary and mobile machines to power supply lines, only factory-manufactured equipment shall be used: mobile package transformer substations (hereinafter - MPTS); complete switchgear units; single connection points; distribution points.
1520. The housings of mobile transformer substations and distribution points shall be made of non-combustible materials with sufficient structural rigidity corresponding to the operating conditions, and shall be equipped with a rigid coupling for their transportation.
1521. A complete switchgear unit shall have: a three-pole circuit breaker (oil, vacuum, electromagnetic, etc.) with a local and remote control drive permitting switching on and off manually or remotely by means of an electromagnetic drive; a three-pole air disconnector complete with earthing blades; relay protection devices against short-circuit currents and earth faults, and protection against breakage of the earthing core, acting to trip the circuit breaker; the earth-fault protection device shall be fitted with a means of checking the serviceability of the circuit; switching and atmospheric overvoltage limiters; a high-voltage indicator with visual monitoring of the presence of voltage on the outgoing live parts of the complete switchgear unit after the circuit breaker has been tripped.
1522. For MPTS and switchgear intended for operation outdoors, the following requirements shall be met: enclosure of live parts normally under voltage; locking of the drives of the disconnector and the circuit breaker in the on and off positions (precluding spontaneous switching on and off); the presence of mechanical drive position indicators ("On", "Off") clearly visible to personnel, and inscriptions indicating the position of the disconnector drive; the presence of marks on the live parts indicating the points for the application of portable earthing devices.
1523. Doors of mobile substations, switchgear and connection points shall have: a reliable locking device; a mechanical interlock between the high-voltage circuit breakers, disconnectors and the doors of high-voltage compartments, precluding the possibility of opening the doors while the disconnector is switched on, and of switching on the disconnector while the doors are open. The keys to the locking devices of connection points shall not fit the locking devices of the MPTS and of sectionalising devices. The keys to the locking devices on the high-voltage side of the MPTS shall not fit the locking devices on the low-voltage side, and safety signs warning of the danger of electric shock, the inventory number of the installation and the electrical connection diagram of the cubicle shall be applied to the outer side of the housings and to the doors of the switchgear and the MPTS. All switching apparatus shall be fitted with inscriptions indicating the object being switched.
1524. Single (group) connection points of any type and mobile MPTS shall be equipped with skids or other devices for movement and special structures for connection to the wires of power lines.
1525. Overhead entries of connection points having a distance from the upper edge of the insulator to the surface of the ground of less than 2.9 m shall be equipped with mesh guards. The distance from unguarded 6-10 kV line outlets of connection points and MPTS to the ground (in the absence of a vehicle passage beneath the outlets) shall be not less than 4.5 m; from overhead entries (outlets) with voltage of 0.4 kV - not less than 3.5 m, and with voltage of 35 kV - not less than 4.75 m.
1526. On the high-voltage side, the MPTS shall have fuses or circuit breakers with protective apparatus for protecting the transformers, and on the low-voltage side, they shall be equipped with automatic circuit breakers and earth-fault protection apparatus (leakage current protection). When the earth-fault protection apparatus operates, tripping of the automatic circuit breaker via an intermediate relay is permitted, provided the total tripping time does not exceed 0.2 s.
1527. Complete switchgear units with a voltage above 1000 V shall be assembled from outdoor cubicles, shall have earth fault protection and maximum current protection, and shall ensure thermal and dynamic resistance to short-circuit currents.
1528. The housings of switchgear and PKTP units shall have a reliable connection to the earthing conductor of the overhead line, made of bare conductor (busbar, strip or rod). The points of connection of cubicle housings to the earthing conductor shall be clearly marked.
1529. The PKTP and the switching point shall be installed at a distance not exceeding 10 m from the pole to which the overhead lead-in is connected. Not more than two switching points or two PKTP units may be connected to one terminal pole. Connecting two consumers to one individual switching point shall not be permitted.
1530. Switching points fitted with a circuit breaker may be used both as an operating device for connecting individual electrical receivers (excavators, etc.) and as a protective device for a group of electrical receivers. Switching points without a circuit breaker (fitted with an air disconnector) may be used only as an operating device.
1531. The frequency and scope of inspection, maintenance and repair of the PKTP, complete switchgear, switching point and switchgear are determined by the chief power engineer of the organisation and are carried out in accordance with the approved schedule.
1532. Laboratory testing of electric current leakage protection apparatus shall be carried out once every six months.
1533. Switching on the PKTP, complete switchgear, switching point or switchgear where faults are present shall not be permitted. Where a breach of safety requirements is detected, the worker shall, without commencing work, report this to the shift technical supervisor or the dispatcher.
1534. Inspection of a PKTP with a voltage above 1000 V without disconnection from the network is carried out every shift by the process personnel operating the electrical installation. Where several consumers are fed from the PKTP, inspection is carried out by persons appointed as responsible for the electrical facilities of the site under whose jurisdiction the PKTP is located. During inspection the following are checked: the integrity of the housing structure and the strength of its fastening on the skids; the serviceability of the guarding of the lead-in structure and the integrity of the support and bushing insulators (visually); the serviceability of the mechanical interlocking and locking devices; the presence of a seal on the leakage protection relay; the tripping of the input circuit breaker on the low-voltage side when testing the operation of the leakage protection relay; the serviceability of the closing mechanisms of the automatic circuit breakers on the low-voltage side; the reliability of the earthing contacts and the absence of breaks in the earthing conductor; the reliability of fastening of the outgoing cables. Inspection is carried out to the same extent after each relocation of the PKTP. The results of the inspection are recorded in the operational log.
1535. Work on switching over switching points shall be carried out under a permit to work.
1536. Switching points shall, as a rule, be installed at the same level (bench) as the operating mining machines. The installation of switching points at transfer points and where ramps are made at different levels (benches) may be permitted provided safe conditions are ensured for personnel movement and inspection of the cables feeding the mining machines. More than one connection to one individual switching point shall not be permitted. The connection of switching points with an overhead lead-in to the overhead line by cable shall be prohibited.
1537. Maintenance and repair of switching points shall include: a shift external inspection (without disconnection from the network) carried out by the process personnel; a monthly inspection of the switching point carried out by electrical personnel; scheduled repair of the switching point carried out in accordance with the approved schedule.
1538. During the shift external inspection of individual switching points the following are checked: the integrity of the housing structure and the strength of its fastening on the skids; the serviceability and fastening of the guarding of the overhead lead-in structure; the serviceability of the door locking devices; the reliability of the sealing and fastening of the cable in the lead-in device; the reliability of the installation and the deviation of the housing from the vertical position; the reliability of the housing earthing contacts and the absence of damage to the earthing conductor. Inspection is carried out to the same extent after each relocation of switching points and after blasting operations. The results of the inspection are recorded in the operational (unit) log.
1539. The scope of the monthly inspection of the switching point, carried out by the electrical personnel of the site, includes: checking the contact connections of electrical circuits; checking the fastening of apparatus, current transformers and voltage transformers; an external inspection of the condition and fastening of the support and bushing insulators; checking the circuit breaker and voltage transformer; checking the value of the earthing resistance.
1540. The scope of the scheduled repair of the switching point shall include: an external inspection of the cable termination, measurement of the insulation resistance between the cable cores and, where necessary, re-termination of the cable; testing of the insulation of the windings of the voltage transformer and current transformers; repair and replacement of signalling apparatus, secondary switching circuits, instruments, current transformers and voltage transformers; checking the operability of the maximum current protection and the protection against single-phase earth faults; checking the busbars with cleaning of the contacts; checking for the absence of traces of heating of live parts, contacts and transformer core, and of leakage of insulating compound in current transformers; checking the technical condition and adjusting the drive mechanisms of the circuit breaker and the disconnector, lubricating the rubbing parts of the circuit breaker drive and the articulated joints of the disconnector drive; checking the light signalling; inspecting and adjusting the mechanical interlocks; commissioning of the protection, signalling and interlocking devices; repair and painting of the current-carrying and earthing busbars, the high-voltage disconnector, the guarding, the overhead lead-in stand and the housing of the switching point.
1541. Sectionalising devices of overhead power lines are inspected by the persons responsible for the electrical facilities of the sites not less than once every two months and after each relocation. After relocation, the transition earthing resistance is measured.
1542. Inspection of switchgear without permanent attendance is carried out not less than once a month by electrical personnel holding an electrical safety group not lower than III, as part of routine operation, with an entry in the operational log. During inspection of the switchgear the following are checked: the condition of the support and bushing insulators; the level of oil in oil circuit breakers and the absence of leaks; the serviceability of the mechanical interlocking devices (visually); the presence of the measuring instruments and apparatus included in the cubicle set; the absence of water ingress inside the cubicle; the reliability of the contact at the point of connection of the earthing conductors; the presence and condition of personal protective equipment and fire-fighting equipment.
1543. The scope of the scheduled repair of switchgear shall include: adjustment of the drives of oil circuit breakers and disconnectors; checking the technical condition of oil circuit breakers; checking the contact connections of electrical circuits; cleaning insulators of dust and dirt.
1544. The results of maintenance and repairs are recorded in data sheets or logs. The same documents record the data of inspections carried out by the chief power engineer of the organisation (subdivision).
1545. Newly installed or reconstructed electrical installations, as well as process equipment and starting complexes fed from electrical installations, shall be commissioned in accordance with the procedure established by the applicable norms and rules for the safe operation of electrical equipment. All electrical machines, apparatus, transformers and other electrical equipment, their explosion-proof enclosures, cables and earthing shall be periodically inspected: by process personnel and by the shift electricians on duty at the site - every shift; by the technical supervision of the sites - weekly; by the chief power engineer (chief mechanic) of the mine or persons appointed by them - not less than once every 3 months. Where faults are detected during inspection of electrical installations, the work to eliminate them shall be carried out by the operational-repair or process personnel of that installation in accordance with the list of works carried out as part of routine operation. All other work shall be carried out by persons authorised to do so in accordance with the established procedure.
1546. Starting and switching apparatus shall bear a clear inscription indicating the installation or site switched by it, and the value of the tripping current parameters of the maximum current relay or the rated current of the fuse link. Electric motors and the mechanisms driven by them shall be marked with arrows indicating the direction of rotation of the mechanism and the electric motor. Starting and regulating devices shall have the "start" and "Stop" positions marked.
1547. Protection of electrical machines shall be provided in accordance with the requirements of the applicable rules for the design of electrical installations. On the ammeter scale, a red line shall mark the current value exceeding by 5 per cent the rated current of the electric motor indicated on the manufacturer's plate.
1548. Synchronous motors shall, as a rule, be operated in the reactive power generation mode at the optimum value of the leading power factor.
1549. Before starting electrical machines after a prolonged shutdown, the entire scope of work specified in the installation and operating instructions shall be performed.
1550. The terminals of the stator and rotor windings shall be enclosed or guarded. The terminal boxes of electrical machines and starting and regulating apparatus shall be closed with a cover and reliably sealed. Removing the covers while the machines are running shall be prohibited.
1551. Rotating parts of machines - pulleys, couplings, fans, exposed shaft sections - shall be enclosed with guards, the removal of which while the machines are running shall be prohibited. The terminals of the stator, armature and pole windings shall be marked. Starting and regulating devices shall have the "Start" and "Stop" positions marked.
1552. All electric drives of process equipment shall be fitted with an electrical interlock preventing the self-starting of mechanisms after the supply voltage is applied.
1553. After an electric motor has been stopped for repair, the voltage shall be removed from the supply cable at the panel or assembly, and a sign reading "Do not switch on! People are working!" shall be posted on the circuit breaker drive. The sign "Do not switch on! People are working!" may be removed and the machine switched on only after the person who performed the work has made an entry in the log on completion of the work in the log of work performed under permits to work and instructions, and the person accepting the work has made a note authorising the switching on of the electric motor.
1554. Measurement of the insulation resistance of individual electrical installations and cables shall be carried out before switching on after installation and relocation, after emergency tripping of protection, and after a prolonged period of inactivity, but not less than once every 3 months.
1555. Measurement of the insulation resistance of direct current machines and induction motors with a voltage up to 1000 V is carried out using a megohmmeter with a voltage of 1000 V, and above 1000 V, using a megohmmeter with a voltage of 2500 V. Electrical installations and cables whose insulation resistance does not conform to the norms shall be disconnected from the network for actions to increase the insulation resistance or for repair. The minimum values of the insulation resistance of machines at a temperature of 10 - 30 °C are given in Table No. 17.
1556. The insulation resistance to earth of mine electrical installations and alternating current cables shall not be lower than the following norms: electric motors of mining and heading machines - 0.5 MΩ; electric motors of other machines, lighting transformers, starting units, hand-held electric drills - 1 MΩ; starting and distribution apparatus, cables of any length - 1 MΩ per phase. Measurement of the insulation resistance shall be carried out before switching on after installation and relocation, after emergency tripping of protection, and after a prolonged shutdown, but not less than once every 3 months. The use of flexible cables with a damaged outer sheath shall be prohibited. Repair of flexible cables shall be carried out by the vulcanising method or using special certified repair or connecting couplings (repair kits). Automatic protection in all apparatus shall be subject to testing before commissioning. Subsequent tests shall be carried out in accordance with the manufacturer's operating manual, and where no regulated intervals are specified, not less than once a year. The overall transition resistance of the earthing network shall not exceed 2 Ω. Subsequent tests shall be carried out in accordance with the manufacturer's operating manual, and where no regulated intervals are specified, not less than once a year. The overall transition resistance of the earthing network shall not exceed 2 Ω.
1557. Where the insulation resistance is below 0.1 MΩ, drying is carried out by external heating or by blowing dry hot air (70 - 80 °C). Incandescent lamps, electric heating elements and air heater units may be used as heaters. Where the insulation resistance is above 0.1 MΩ, drying is carried out by electric current, for which purpose the armature winding with the interpole coils is connected to a reduced voltage of 3 - 5 per cent of the rated value. In this case the current shall be equal to 50 - 60 per cent of the rated value. The series field winding of direct current machines shall in all cases be disconnected.
1558. The condition of the bearings of electrical machines shall be checked during operation when inspections and repairs are carried out. Bearings shall not be heated above the temperature determined by the manufacturer. The bearing shields of electrical machines shall not have cracks.
1559. Electric motors shall be disconnected from the network in the event of: accidents involving persons; the appearance of smoke or fire from the electric motor housing, or from its starting and regulating apparatus or excitation device; failure of the drive mechanism; a sharp increase in vibration of the unit bearings; heating of the bearings above the permissible temperature established in the manufacturer's instructions. The operating instructions may specify other cases in which electric motors shall be immediately disconnected, and may also establish the procedure for eliminating the emergency condition and starting the electric motors.
1560. The installation of brushes of different grades on one electrical machine shall not be permitted.
1561. Resistance boxes, rheostats, magnetic starters and other apparatus shall be reliably secured. Operation of equipment with the doors of control cabinets open shall be prohibited.
1562. Maintenance and repair of electrical machines and starting and regulating apparatus shall include: a shift inspection carried out by the operating personnel; a periodic inspection carried out by the operational-repair personnel under the guidance of the site power engineer not less than once every two months; scheduled repair carried out in accordance with the approved schedule, in conformity with the adopted system of maintenance and repairs.
1563. The choice of the form of organisation of the system of maintenance and repair of electrical equipment depends on the nature of production and the availability of diagnostic services and non-destructive testing laboratories.
1564. During the shift inspection, the serviceability of guards and earthing, the degree of heating of the housing and bearings, the condition of the brush gear and commutator surface, and the absence of sparking or fusing marks shall be checked, and individual components shall be cleaned and adjusted.
1565. The rescheduling of scheduled repairs may be carried out with the written permission of the official who approved the schedule.
1566. Transformer oil used in apparatus shall be tested for dielectric strength and its physico-chemical properties shall be checked at the intervals given in Table No. 18. Where it is necessary to add oil to apparatus, it shall first be tested for dielectric strength and an analysis of its physico-chemical properties shall be carried out. The oil shall be replaced if the analysis establishes that it is unfit for use.
1567. The use of switching and starting apparatus containing oil or another combustible liquid in underground workings shall be prohibited. Electrical machine chambers and substation chambers in which oil-filled electrical equipment is installed shall be lined with non-combustible material.
1568. To ensure safety, the metal parts of electrical installations and the housings of electrical equipment which are not normally live but which may become live in the event of insulation damage shall be reliably connected to specially constructed earthing devices in accordance with the applicable rules for the design of electrical installations.
1569. The following shall be subject to earthing: the housings of electric excavators, drilling rigs, pumps, conveyors, crushers and other electrical installations, the frames and casings of electrical equipment and apparatus (electrical machines, transformers, circuit breakers); the drives of electrical apparatus; the frames of control panels and distribution panels; the metal and reinforced-concrete structures and casings of stationary and mobile transformer substations, switchgear and switching points; the metal housings of cable couplings, the metal sheaths of cables and wires, the steel pipes of wiring; the metal and reinforced-concrete supports and structures of power lines; the housings of floodlights and lighting fixtures; barriers, metal lattice and solid guards of live parts, metal forms, beams, platforms and other metal parts which may become live; the secondary windings of instrument transformers, except in cases provided for by the applicable rules for the design of electrical installations; pipelines, signal cables, metal scraper shelves located in underground workings where electrical installations and wiring are present. Operation of electrical installations with faulty earthing shall be prohibited. These requirements do not apply to metal support located in underground workings, non-current-carrying rails, the sheaths of the suction cables of trolley locomotive contact haulage, or to metal devices for suspending cable.
1570. Junction boxes, couplings and cable connectors installed on flexible cables shall be earthed by connecting the earthing cores of the cable to special earthing clamps on their housings.
1571. On electrical installations subject to earthing, the points of connection of the earthing conductor shall be indicated.
1572. The following shall not be subject to earthing: the fittings of suspension insulators and the pins of support insulators, brackets and lighting fixtures where installed on wooden supports of power lines and on wooden structures of open substations, unless required for protection against atmospheric overvoltages; equipment installed on earthed metal structures, provided that cleaned and unpainted areas are provided on the supporting surfaces to ensure electrical contact; the housings of electrical measuring instruments and relays installed on panels, cabinets, and on the walls of switchgear chambers; cable structures carrying cables of any voltage with metal sheaths earthed at both ends of the line; rail tracks in sections extending beyond the territory of substations and switchgear.
1573. The earthing of stationary and mobile electrical installations with a voltage up to and above 1000 V is carried out by the common method, except for electric traction installations.
1574. The requirements for the construction of earth electrodes and for carrying out the earthing of electrical equipment shall be determined by the design.
1575. The earthing of installations shall be carried out by means of special earthing devices consisting of an earth electrode and earthing conductors. Earth electrodes are divided into main, local and additional electrodes.
1576. The resistance of the overall earthing device shall not exceed 4 Ω. The earth electrodes of substations with a voltage of 35/10 - 6 kV, or complete distribution points with a voltage of 6 - 10 kV, and natural earth electrodes shall be used as the main earth electrodes. The use of the earth electrodes of substations with a voltage of 110 kV and above, as well as of traction and combined traction step-down substations, as the main earth electrode of electrical installations at open-pit mining operations fed from a power supply system with an isolated neutral, shall be prohibited. There shall be not less than two main earth electrodes (a primary and a standby one) at the mine, connected to the earthing loop of the near-shaft electrical machine chambers and the central underground substation. The earthing loop is made of steel strip with a cross-section of not less than 100 mm2. Local earth electrodes shall be installed: at a distribution or transformer substation; at a stationary or mobile distribution point; at an individually installed circuit breaker or switchgear; at a cable coupling whose factory design provides for its earthing. For stationary lighting networks, local earthing shall be installed every 100 m of cable network; at separately installed machines, except in cases of earthing to the busbar of the main earth electrode. The earth electrode shall be connected by a strip or cable to the assembly of earthing conductors (busbars) made of steel or copper with a minimum cross-section of 50 or 25 mm2 respectively. Steel armour and the lead sheath of armoured cables, or other conductors, shall be used as the conductors linking the local and main earth electrodes. The installation of local earth electrodes is not required for deposits with a high specific rock resistance (potassium-magnesium salts, rock salts).
1577. Earthing devices for electrical installations with isolated and solidly earthed neutrals, whose housings may have an electrical connection through metal structures, utility networks and cable sheaths, shall be constructed separately.
1578. On acceptance for operation of central stationary earthing devices, the following documentation shall be prepared: as-built drawings and diagrams of the earthing device indicating the location of underground utilities; certificates for underground work on laying the elements of the earthing device; acceptance test reports of the earthing device.
1579. In distribution networks up to 35 kV made with flexible cables, the earthing core of the cable may be used as the trunk earthing conductor. The earthing of the metal supports of mobile overhead lines and of metal structures, guy wires, lighting fixture housings and outdoor lighting devices installed on supports and subject to earthing shall be carried out by connecting them to the earthing conductor (wire, cable) on the supports.
1580. At points of crossing with railway tracks and roads, the earthing conductor shall be suspended in such a way as to preclude its being severed by moving transport. Where this cannot be achieved, underground laying of the earthing conductor may be used. In this case the trunk earthing conductor (round or strip steel, steel rope) shall be protected against damage.
1581. Protective devices of mobile electrical installations against atmospheric overvoltages shall be earthed by connecting them to the overall earthing device.
1582. The cross-section of trunk earthing conductors and earthing down-leads of overvoltage protection is adopted by calculation, but not less than: for single-wire steel conductors - a diameter of not less than 6 mm; for multi-wire steel conductors - a cross-section of not less than 35 mm2; for steel-aluminium conductors - a cross-section of 35 mm2; for aluminium conductors - a cross-section of 35 mm2.
1583. Steel strips, round or angle steel may be used as the conductors connecting trunk earthing conductors or the earthed parts of electrical installations to the earth electrode when laid in the ground (or on the surface of the ground). The following may be used as earthing conductors connecting electrical installations to the earthing trunk: for stationary and semi-stationary installations - steel, copper, aluminium and steel-aluminium wires, steel strips, round or angle steel; for mobile electrical installations - the earthing core of the supply cable.
1584. The connection of elements of earthing devices is made: where two steel elements are joined - by bolting or welding; where two aluminium surfaces are joined: flat surfaces - by bolted connection; round, single-wire and multi-wire conductors - by means of connecting clamps or twisting. The connection of copper conductors with aluminium ones, and of aluminium with steel, shall be carried out by means of special transition clamps.
1585. All connections of earthing conductors to the housings of machines, electrical equipment and apparatus, and to earth electrodes, shall be made by welding or a reliable bolted connection.
1586. The connection of the housings of excavators loading mined rock into electrified transport with a voltage up to 10 kV alternating current to the rails of railway tracks may be permitted, with their simultaneous disconnection from the general earthing network of the open pit. In this case, all work related to repair shall be carried out in accordance with the work organisation project, with mandatory disconnection of the earthing cable from the rail and connection of the cable core to the switching point.
1587. Contact networks of electrified railway transport constructed in excavator faces shall be fitted with high-speed protection that removes the voltage from the contact wire when the excavator bucket touches it. In all cases, monitoring of the integrity of the earthing core of the cable shall be ensured.
1588. Measurement of the resistance of the overall earthing device of mobile and stationary electrical installations shall be carried out not less than once a month, at each switchover, and after the installation, reconstruction (re-arrangement) and repair of earthing devices. Measurement of the resistance of earthing devices of electrical installations during operation is carried out by specially assigned personnel. Where it is not possible to measure the resistance of the earthing device by instrumental means, an instrumental check of the integrity of the earthing trunk may be carried out at the specified intervals. The results of the inspection and measurement of the earthing devices of mobile and stationary electrical installations shall be entered in a special log. Measurement of the resistance of the earthing devices of stationary electrical installations shall be carried out during the periods of greatest drying (summer) and greatest freezing (winter) of the ground. The measurement results shall be entered in a special log.
1589. An external inspection of the entire earthing network shall be carried out within the following intervals: by site technical supervision personnel - every shift (selectively); by the persons responsible for the electrical facilities within the boundaries of the sites - 2 times a month; by the person responsible for the electrical facilities of the organisation (selectively) - monthly.
1590. Where a break or a violation of the integrity of the earthing conductor is detected, the operation of electricity consumers shall be stopped and this shall be reported to the immediate supervisor and the dispatcher.
1591. After blasting operations have been carried out, an inspection of the earthing network in the blast zone shall be carried out.
1592. A common earthing network shall be provided in the underground workings of mines, to which all objects subject to earthing, as well as the main and local earth electrodes, shall be connected.
1593. The common earthing network shall be provided by the continuous electrical interconnection of all metal sheaths and earthing cores by cable, regardless of the voltage value, with their connection to the main and local earth electrodes. The series connection of several earthed parts of an installation into the earthing conductor shall be prohibited.
1594. Not less than two main earth electrodes, backing up each other during the repair or cleaning of one of them, shall be installed at the mine.
1595. For the construction of main earthing systems in mines, artificial earth electrodes shall be constructed in sumps and water collection basins. For the construction of local earthing systems, artificial earth electrodes shall be constructed in roadway drainage ditches or in other places suitable for this purpose. Current-carrying rails used as the return conductor of the contact network shall be connected to the common earthing network at the traction substation of the locomotive haulage.
1596. The earthing of direct current electrical installations located in the immediate vicinity of rails shall be carried out by reliably connecting the earthed structure to the rails used as the return conductor for haulage by trolley locomotives.
1597. Where a mine has several levels, the earthing device of each level shall be connected to the earth electrode in the sump or the water collection basin.
1598. In the mines of salt and potassium mines, the earthing device is connected to the main earth electrode on the surface, and the tubbing lining of the shaft may be used as the standby main earth electrode.
1599. Where deposits are opened up by adits and deposits without water inflows are worked, and also for mines under construction during shaft sinking, artificial earth electrodes may be constructed on the surface in accordance with the applicable rules for the design of electrical installations. In this case the overall transition resistance of the earthing device, measured both at the earth electrodes furthest from the sump and at any other earth electrodes, shall not exceed 2 Ω.
1600. Where cables are laid through boreholes, main earth electrodes may be provided on the surface or in one of the mine's water collection basins. The metal casing pipes lining the boreholes may be used as main earth electrodes.
1601. Each cable coupling for armoured power cables shall have local earthing and a connection to the mine's common earthing network.
1602. For the stationary lighting network, local earthing may be installed not for each coupling, but at intervals of every 100 metres of cable network. For equipment and cable couplings of telephone communication in sections of the telephone network made with unarmoured cables, only local earthing without connection to the common earthing network may be installed.
1603. Earthing of the housings of mobile machines, face conveyors, apparatus installed in the face area, and luminaires connected to the network by flexible cables, as well as electrical equipment installed on platforms moving on rails (except mobile substations), shall be carried out by connecting them to the common earthing network by means of the earthing cores of the supply cables. The earthing core shall be connected on both sides to the internal earthing terminals in cable couplings and inlet devices.
1604. The total transition resistance of the earthing device, measured both at the earth electrodes furthest from the sump and at any others, shall not exceed 2 ohms.
1605. Personnel working on electrical installations shall carry out an external inspection of protective earthing every shift. In the event of a fault in the earthing, the installation shall be disconnected immediately until the earthing is brought into a serviceable condition. The resistance of earthing shall also be measured before a newly installed or relocated installation is switched on.
1606. Inspection of all earthing devices at the mine shall be carried out not less than once every three months, and measurement of the total resistance of the earthing network not less than once a year. External inspection of the entire earthing network in the open pit shall be carried out not less than once a month and after blasting operations in a zone where earthing devices may be damaged, and measurement of the resistance of earthing devices of stationary electrical installations shall be carried out during periods of maximum soil drying (summer) and maximum soil freezing (winter), while that of the common earthing device of mobile electrical installations shall be carried out not less than once a month. The resistance of earthing shall also be measured before a newly installed or relocated installation is switched on. The results of the inspection and measurement of earthing are entered in the "Earthing Inspection and Measurement Log".
1607. All lines with a voltage of 6-35 kV supplying electrical installations shall be equipped with devices, properly functioning to trip, for protection against multi-phase faults and devices against single-phase earth faults.
1608. Relay protection shall satisfy the following requirements: it shall protect all electrically connected consumer networks; it shall ensure reliability, selectivity, speed of operation and high sensitivity. The sensitivity coefficient for the minimum operating mode in the event of single-phase earth faults, determined as the ratio of the fault current to the protection operating current, shall be not less than 1.5 on the primary section and not less than 1.2 on the adjacent section.
1609. At substations from which, along with other consumers, mobile open-pit electrical installations receive power supply, all power transmission lines leaving the substations shall be equipped with devices, properly functioning to trip, for protection against multi-phase faults and devices against single-phase earth faults. Depending on the layout, switching points shall be equipped with the following types of protection: selective protection against earth faults, maximum current protection and protection against breakage of the earthing core, operating on "signal" or "trip".
1610. Protection against single-phase earth faults, operating to trip, shall as a rule be two-stage. The first stage shall be implemented without a time delay. The time delay of the protection devices of series-connected switchgear shall increase as the distance from the switchgear of the first stage increases. The time delay between protection stages shall be not more than 0.5 s. The total time for disconnecting the faulty section by the first stage of protection against single-phase earth faults shall be not more than 0.2 s, and by the second stage of protection, taking into account the time delay, not more than 0.7 s.
1611. For single non-branching power transmission lines (transformer - line - consumer), protection against single-phase earth faults, operating to trip without a time delay, may be implemented as single-stage, using a zero-sequence current transformer.
1612. In branched electrical networks, the installation of selective protection shall be ensured, fitted: in the switching point or packaged distribution point - without a time delay; on the outgoing connections of the packaged distribution point - with a time delay of not more than 0.5 s; on the outgoing connections of the packaged distribution point or packaged transformer substation - with a time delay of not more than 0.7 s. Non-selective back-up protection shall operate with a time delay of not more than 1 s to disconnect the busbar section or the supply transformer, with subsequent inhibition of automatic reserve switch-on or automatic reclosing. The devices of the main and back-up protection shall be permanently switched into operation. Verification and control adjustment (testing) of the main selective earth fault protection shall be carried out not less than once every six months, and of the back-up protection not less than once a year.
1613. The switching-in of lines after they have been disconnected by protection against single-phase earth faults or by maximum current protection shall be carried out after notification of the reason for the disconnection and the elimination of the fault, in the manner specified by instructions approved by the technical manager. The following may be applied: single-shot reclosing upon operation of maximum current protection, after the causes of protection operation have been established; automatic reclosing upon operation of protection against single-phase earth faults, provided that the circuit-breakers are equipped with devices for advance insulation monitoring.
1614. Protection of lines of electrical networks with a voltage of 6-35 kV of the surface complex, having no electrical connection with open-pit distribution networks, is carried out in accordance with the requirements of the rules for the construction of electrical installations in force.
1615. Where protection against single-phase faults operates on signal, the network with a single-phase earth fault may be operated for the time necessary to carry out the relevant switching operations ensuring back-up power supply, a safe shutdown, etc., but for not more than two hours, provided that the potentials on the earthing network (the housings of electrical equipment) do not exceed the values permissible for continuous duration.
1616. In underground networks with a voltage above 1140 V, protection of lines, transformers and electric motors against short-circuit currents and earth leakage (faults) shall be provided. On the outgoing lines from the central underground substation to electrical equipment located in workings hazardous in respect of gas or dust, protection against short-circuit currents and earth leakage (faults) shall be of instantaneous action (without a time delay). On lines supplying the central underground substation, distribution and transformer substations installed in workings not hazardous in respect of gas or dust, maximum current protection with a limited-dependent time delay and an instantaneous cut-off are used where its zone of operation also covers the busbars of the central underground substation, together with protection against earth faults with a time delay of up to 0.7 s.
1617. The control circuit for face machines and mechanisms shall ensure: zero-voltage protection; continuous monitoring of the earthing of the machine housing; protection against spontaneous switching-on of the apparatus in the event of a fault in external control circuits. Protection against overload currents shall also be provided for electric motors.
1618. In all cases of network disconnection by protection devices, single-shot automatic reclosing may be used, as well as automatic reserve switch-on devices, provided that apparatus is used with interlocks against the application of voltage to lines and electrical installations in the event of damage to their insulation relative to earth and in the event of a short circuit.
1619. Networks with an isolated neutral with a voltage up to 1000 V shall be equipped with maximum current protection and protection against earth leakage currents (leakage relay). Protection against leakage currents may be omitted in networks with a voltage up to and including 60 V of effective value, supplied from a separate transformer winding.
1620. Protection against leakage currents on the 220 V side of transformers for the own needs of substations and of mobile complex switchgear units assembled from cabinets of factory-made complex switchgear for general industrial application of 6-10 kV may be omitted, if only control, protection and signalling circuits, including heating circuits for drives, instruments and lighting of the cabinets, are supplied from those transformers.
1621. All mobile electrical installations up to 1000 V, receiving power from transformers with an isolated neutral, shall have fast-acting protection against leakage currents to earth (housing), with automatic disconnection of the electrical installation in the event of a risk of electric shock arising in it; in this case, the total disconnection time shall not exceed 200 ms at a voltage up to 1000 V and 120 ms above 1000 V.
1622. Protection devices against leakage currents in electrical networks with a voltage up to 1000 V of electrical installations are arranged as follows: with separate protection against leakage currents, the leakage relay protecting 380 V circuits is installed in the packaged transformer substation, and the leakage relay protecting circuits of 220 V and below is installed directly on the electrical installation; with common protection against leakage currents in 380 V and 220 V circuits, the leakage relay is installed only in the packaged transformer substation and connected to the 380 V circuits.
1623. Excavators and rotary complexes shall be provided with leakage protection devices operating to trip without a time delay, or devices limiting the touch current to a safe value (release values), with subsequent automatic disconnection after completion of the working cycle or unloading of the drives, in alternating current networks with a voltage of 127-380 V. Where both separate and common protection of electrical circuits with a voltage up to 1000 V is provided on an excavator, leakage relays intended to protect 380 V and 220 V circuits are installed directly on the excavator.
1624. At a voltage up to 1140 V, protection shall be provided for: transformers and each connection leaving them, against short-circuit currents - by automatic circuit-breakers with maximum current protection; electric motors and the cables supplying them: against short-circuit currents - instantaneous or selective; against overload, overheating, stalling and failed starting of electric motors operating in a mode of extreme overloads; against the application of voltage where the insulation resistance to earth is reduced; zero-voltage protection; spark-hazardous circuits leaving the secondary windings of the step-down transformer built into the apparatus; against short-circuit currents; the electrical network - against hazardous leakage currents to earth, by automatic circuit-breakers or a single disconnecting apparatus in combination with a single leakage-current protection apparatus for the entire electrically connected network, connected to one transformer or a group of transformers operating in parallel. When the leakage-current protection apparatus operates, the entire network connected to that transformer is disconnected, with the exception of a length of cable not exceeding 10 metres connecting the transformer to the network-wide automatic circuit-breaker. To protect transformers and each connection leaving them against short-circuit currents, automatic circuit-breakers with maximum current protection are used, together with instantaneous protection with a disconnection limit of up to 0.2 s. The total length of cables connected to one transformer or to transformers operating in parallel shall be limited by a capacitance to earth of not more than 1 µF per phase.
1625. Where underground electricity consumers are supplied from the surface through boreholes, an automatic circuit-breaker with a leakage-current protection apparatus may be installed under the borehole, at a distance of not more than 10 metres from it. In this case, when the leakage-current protection apparatus operates, the electricity consumers on the surface and the cable in the borehole need not be disconnected, if there is an insulation monitoring device for the network on the surface that does not affect the operation of the protection apparatus, and the electricity consumers are directly related to the operation of the mine (fans, winches) and are connected by means of cables.
1626. Leakage protection devices may be provided according to two variants: separate protection - a leakage relay is installed in each isolated circuit of 660 V, 380 V and 220 V; common protection - a leakage relay is installed in only one circuit, and the others are electrically connected to it by special jumpers.
1627. Protection against leakage currents need not be applied for circuits with a voltage of not more than 50 V, remote control and interlocking circuits of packaged switchgear units (KRU), and also local lighting circuits of mobile substations supplied from built-in lighting transformers, provided that they have a rigid or flexible metallic external connection with the substation housing, that there is a switch in the lighting circuit, and that there is an inscription on the luminaires: "Open only after disconnecting from the network".
1628. The requirements for protection against leakage currents do not apply to intrinsically safe circuits.
1629. In all cases of protective disconnection, single-shot automatic reclosing may be applied, provided that apparatus is used having interlocks against the application of voltage to lines and to electrical installations with reduced insulation resistance to earth (BRU), and after the operation of maximum current protection.
1630. The use of fuses without cartridges and of uncalibrated fusible elements shall be prohibited.
1631. Protection of electrical equipment and electrical networks against atmospheric overvoltages is carried out in accordance with the design, taking into account the specific features of open pits.
1632. To protect electrical installations with a voltage of 6-35 kV against atmospheric overvoltages, non-linear surge arresters, valve-type surge arresters and tube-type surge arresters and other protective means shall be used.
1633. Protection against atmospheric overvoltages of mobile substations of 35/6-10 kV, connected to both existing and newly constructed 35 kV overhead lines, shall be carried out using simplified schemes. In this case, the installation of cable lightning conductors on the approach of the 35 kV overhead line to the substation is not required.
1634. Substations with a voltage of 6-35 kV and packaged distribution points with a voltage of 6-10 kV shall be protected by non-linear surge arresters or valve-type surge arresters on the busbars and by two sets of tube-type surge arresters or RVO-type surge arresters. One set of tube-type surge arresters is installed directly at the overhead line inlet to the substation or packaged distribution points and at the line cable end couplings or overhead lines with cable inlets. The second set of tube-type surge arresters is installed on the overhead line at a distance of three to four spans from the first.
1635. Protection of packaged transformer substations of 6-10/0.23-0.4 kV against atmospheric overvoltages shall be carried out using valve-type surge arresters installed on the high-voltage side of the substation. Protection of packaged transformer substations connected to a 6-10 kV overhead line through a switching point or packaged distribution points with valve-type surge arresters or surge limiters is not required. The installation of valve-type surge arresters or surge limiters on the low-voltage side of a packaged transformer substation shall be carried out if the length of the outgoing 0.23-0.4 kV overhead line exceeds 500 metres.
1636. On the approach of a 6-10 kV overhead line to a packaged transformer substation with reduced impulse strength of transformer insulation, a set of tube-type surge arresters shall be installed.
1637. Protection of stationary and mobile overhead lines with a voltage up to 35 kV against direct lightning strikes is not required. Protection of stationary overhead lines against atmospheric overvoltages shall be carried out: in areas with weak and moderate thunderstorm activity: at overhead line-to-cable transitions; at crossings with another electrical line or with communication lines; in areas with strong thunderstorm activity, in addition to the above-mentioned places of weakened insulation: at the locations where line disconnectors are installed; at transitions from supports of one type (wooden) to supports of another type (metal, reinforced concrete).
1638. Where mobile overhead lines with a voltage up to 10 kV cross one another, the installation of tube-type surge arresters on wooden supports limiting the crossing spans is not required, provided the vertical distance between the conductors of the mobile overhead lines is not less than 2 metres.
1639. Protection against atmospheric overvoltages of electricity consumers of mining-transport machines shall be carried out: for single-bucket excavators with a bucket capacity of 13 m³ or more, rotary complexes, multi-bucket excavators, spreaders and transport-and-dump bridges - by two sets of valve-type surge arresters or non-linear surge arresters, installed one in the switching point and one in the packaged switchgear unit of the machine; for single-bucket excavators with a bucket capacity of less than 13 m³ - by a set of valve-type surge arresters or non-linear surge arresters, installed in the switching point. Protection against atmospheric overvoltages of electricity consumers of mining-transport machines is not required if they are disconnected during a thunderstorm.
1640. In 6-10 kV switchgear with vacuum circuit-breakers, protection against switching overvoltages shall be provided where necessary.
1641. The selection, installation, erection and operation of protective means against atmospheric overvoltages of electrical installations are carried out in accordance with the requirements of the manufacturers and the standards for protecting electrical installations against atmospheric overvoltages.
1642. The principal document determining the locations for the installation of surge arresters on the territory of the organisation is the layout plan for protective means against atmospheric overvoltages, drawn up annually before the thunderstorm season. The layout plan for protective means may be combined with the schematic diagram of the electricity supply, but it may also be prepared separately. Appendices to the plan shall include a register of installed tube-type surge arresters, the certificates of valve-type surge arresters and other protective means, and of their earthing devices.
1643. Verification of the operability (partial verification) of the devices of the first stage of protection against single-phase earth faults shall be carried out not less than once every 6 months, of the second stage of protection - not less than once a year, and of protection against multi-phase faults - not less than once a year. Where the protection has operated correctly within the specified periods, this may be regarded as a verification of operability. Full scheduled verifications shall be carried out not less than once every three years. Verifications of protection devices shall, as a rule, be combined with equipment repair. In cases of incorrect operation or failure of those protection devices, unscheduled post-incident verifications are carried out to establish the causes of failure.
1644. The scope of partial verifications of protection devices shall include: an inspection of the condition of the apparatus and switching; testing of operation.
1645. The scope of full verifications of protection shall include: testing of the insulation of secondary circuits; an external inspection of the condition of the protection apparatus; verification of the settings and their operating times; testing of operation.
1646. After any work has been carried out on circuits or on protection apparatus, a direct or indirect test of the operation of the protection device shall be carried out. When direct verifications of the operability of protection devices against single-phase earth faults are carried out, artificial phase-to-earth faults are made through a reference resistance of 0.5-1.0 kΩ. When protection devices are verified, alternating current is fed into the additional winding. The sensitivity of the protection by current is assessed taking into account the number of turns of the additional winding.
1647. The results of verifications of protection devices are recorded in the operations log.
1648. Switching operations, including the disconnection of circuit-breakers, disconnectors and other apparatus, necessary for the adjustment or verification of protection devices against earth faults, are carried out only by operational personnel.
1649. The correct functioning (operation) of the leakage-current relay shall be verified by process personnel each shift before work begins. The design of leakage relays shall provide devices for the artificial connection of a network phase to an additional earth electrode through a test resistance equal to the protection setting.
1650. In underground mine workings, leakage-current relays shall be verified for operation before the start of each shift by a person of the technical supervision of the section, or an electrician acting on that person's instructions. A protection apparatus with self-monitoring of serviceability may be verified once a day during the repair shift. The serviceability of protection is not verified in apparatus with self-monitoring of protection and no device in its design for verifying the operation of the leakage-current protection. Remote verification of leakage-current protection apparatus may be carried out, provided that the disconnecting apparatus has a preliminary insulation monitoring device and is capable of reproducing automatic reclosing of the protected line after verification. The total network disconnection time under the action of the leakage-current protection apparatus shall be verified not less than once every 6 months. The results of verification of the apparatus shall be recorded in a report or entered in a log. Automatic protection in all apparatus (both new and those returned from repair) shall be tested before the apparatus is lowered into the mine. Subsequent verifications shall be carried out not less than once a year.
1651. Verification of the leakage-current relay together with the circuit-breaker for their operating time shall be carried out when it is repositioned, and also once every six months, by not less than two persons, one of whom shall hold an electrical safety group of not lower than IV. The results of verification of the leakage-current relay together with the circuit-breaker for operating time shall be entered in the operations log.
1652. The switching-in of an electrical network and its operation with faulty protection apparatus shall be prohibited.
1653. The smallest vertical distance from the lowest phase conductor of an overhead power transmission line on a bench to the surface of the ground, at the maximum sag of the conductors, shall be not less than the values indicated in Table No. 19.
1654. Distances at crossings and approaches of overhead lines with motor roads, electrified and non-electrified railways, to the nearest parts of buildings and mining-transport machines shall be not less than those given in Table No. 20.
1655. The cross-section of conductors for mobile power transmission lines with a voltage up to 1000 V and above is adopted by calculation, but not more than 120 mm² for aluminium conductors and 95 mm² for aluminium-steel conductors. The minimum cross-section of overhead line conductors, in terms of mechanical strength, is given in Table No. 21.
1656. When erecting stationary and mobile power transmission overhead lines, supports of standard designs shall be used. Posts for mobile supports may be manufactured from logs and metal. The diameter of the log at the upper end for the main elements of supports shall be not less than 140 mm. The manufacture of "candle" posts of a mobile support from more than one log shall not be permitted. Posts of mobile supports may be extended by means of reinforced-concrete stub piles installed in footings. In this case, the supports shall additionally be calculated for stability. To ensure the stability of mobile supports, reinforced-concrete footings shall, as a rule, be used.
1657. On stationary supports of overhead lines, the joint suspension of conductors of 6-10 kV overhead lines, conductors of the lighting network and the main earthing conductor may be provided. In this case, the following conditions shall be met: conductors of overhead lines of higher voltage shall be located above conductors of overhead lines of lower voltage; the distance between conductors of overhead lines of different voltages shall be adopted in accordance with the design, in compliance with the requirements for overhead lines of the higher voltage; the fastening of conductors of overhead lines of the higher voltage on pin insulators shall be double.
1658. On mobile supports, the joint suspension of conductors of power transmission lines with a voltage up to 1000 V and above shall be prohibited. Distances between conductors of overhead lines with pin insulators are selected in accordance with the design and Table No. 22. The earthing conductor is installed at a distance of not less than 0.8 metres from the lowest phase conductor.
1659. Work on the maintenance, repair and reconstruction of operating mobile in-pit power transmission lines, as well as the tensioning and connection of new power transmission lines to a power source, is carried out under a permit to work.
1660. The erection, dismantling and transportation of mobile supports shall be carried out in accordance with a works execution design, using specially equipped machinery ensuring the reliable securing of supports in the transport position.
1661. Supports of mobile power transmission lines are installed on graded sites, and a stable position of the support shall be ensured.
1662. Transportation of supports in a vertical position by a tractor (bulldozer) equipped with a safety device preventing the support from falling, over a graded and cleared surface, may be carried out.
1663. Climbing onto a support and installing a conductor may be carried out after the support has been installed in place and its stability ensured.
1664. The tensioning of a conductor is carried out manually. Tensioning a conductor on mobile supports by means of machinery shall not be permitted.
1665. The connection of multi-wire conductors of homogeneous metal of mobile overhead power transmission lines with a voltage above 1000 V may be carried out by means of special clamps, welding or twisting, made using the "herringbone" method or by a combined method.
1666. In each span, not more than three connections per conductor or cable may be made. Where welding is used, the number of connections is not regulated.
1667. Double fastening of conductors shall be provided at crossings of overhead lines with a contact network, overhead lines with overhead lines, and overhead lines with permanent haul roads, while single fastening shall be provided at crossings of overhead lines with motor roads laid over benches and dumps.
1668. All overhead and cable power transmission lines within the boundaries of hazardous zones shall be disconnected for the duration of a blast. After a blast, before the lines are switched in, they shall be inspected, and any damage found shall be eliminated.
1669. When conductors are installed (dismantled) across a railway or a contact network, train movement shall be stopped, and the power, lighting and contact networks disconnected. The section shall be closed, and the duty officer of the railway station or post shall make an appropriate entry regarding the closure of sections.
1670. When conductors are installed across a motor road, the road shall be closed to vehicle traffic.
1671. Inspection of the condition of mobile power transmission lines is carried out in accordance with an approved schedule: by supervisory personnel - every shift (on a sampling basis); by persons responsible for the electrical facilities of sections, within the assigned territories - twice a month; by persons responsible for the electrical facilities of subdivisions, within the assigned territories - once a month.
1672. The results of the every-shift inspection of power transmission lines are recorded in the log for the issue of permits to work (to process personnel), and, in the event of an emergency condition, are reported to the shift power engineer (dispatcher) in the form of a telephone message stating the surname and position of the person making the report. The results of the weekly and monthly inspection of power transmission lines are recorded in the permit book or a special log.
1673. The scope of inspections of mobile power transmission lines includes verification of: the clearance parameters of the lines (visually); the absence of chipping, burns, cracks in insulators, and the condition of the fastening of conductors on insulators (visually); the absence of broken strands, traces of melting on conductors, and foreign objects caught on phase and earthing conductors (visually); the condition of supports, the integrity of the fastenings of base elements, weights and guy wires, by testing without climbing onto the support; the absence of conductors "clashing" in the wind; the deviation of the support from vertical; the presence and condition of warning signs and other permanent markings on supports.
1674. Unscheduled inspections are carried out after a line has been disconnected by the operation of protection and after a thunderstorm.
1675. Work on switching operations of operating mobile in-pit power transmission lines, as well as the installation of conductors (tensioning) and the connection of new power transmission lines to a power source, is carried out under permits to work, in the manner approved by the technical manager of the organisation.
1676. In accordance with the route plan, before the start of work on the switching of 6-10 kV power transmission lines, grading of the route shall be carried out. The positioning of supports, switching points and packaged transformer substations is carried out by the power engineering service in the presence of a person of technical supervision.
1677. Climbing onto a support and making connections on supports of mobile 6-10 kV power transmission lines shall not be permitted without verifying the condition of the supports and their stability, as well as the technical condition of the switching points and packaged transformer substations. The stability of supports is verified visually (checking the deviation of the support from vertical). Verification of the condition of mobile supports for decay is carried out by the method of instrumental (instrument-based) inspection or by tapping, not less than once every six months.
1678. The person performing the work may commence work after the responsible person in charge of the work has drawn up a permit to work, after obtaining permission to begin the work from a person of the operational personnel, and after the technical measures ensuring safety have been carried out at the place of work.
1679. The work team carrying out work on mobile 6-10 kV power transmission lines shall consist of not less than two persons: the person performing the work, holding an electrical safety group of not lower than IV, and a member of the work team holding an electrical safety group of not lower than III. Operational-repair personnel of a structural subdivision may carry out operational switching in switchgear without permanent attendant personnel, within the area of responsibility.
1680. An application for line disconnection and receipt of permission to commence work may be submitted by radio, telephone or courier.
1681. Messages and instructions sent by courier are transmitted in writing, signed by the sender.
1682. Radio and telephone communications relating to switching operations (submission of applications, receipt of notifications and the retention periods for records of official communications) are carried out in accordance with the procedure established in the organisation. Communications concerning switching operations shall be recorded on a communications recorder and shall be entered in the operational log of the power dispatcher.
1683. Cables and insulated wires shall be used to supply stationary and mobile installations in accordance with the design and the requirements of the applicable rules for the installation of electrical equipment. For open-pit mines located in a cold-climate zone (where the winter temperature is below minus 40°C), cold-resistant cables shall be used.
1684. Flexible cables supplying mobile machines shall be laid in such a way as to exclude the possibility of their damage, freezing to the ground, burial by rock, or being run over by vehicles and machinery. In waterlogged areas, the cable shall be laid on supports (trestles) or on dry rock fill. At the start of a shift and during operation, flexible cables shall be inspected by the personnel servicing the installation concerned. A flexible cable may be kept live on a special drum (device) where this is provided for by the design of the machine. Carrying (dragging) of a flexible cable shall be carried out using machinery with special devices ensuring a limited bending radius of the cable, or by hand. Flexible and armoured cables laid in underground mine workings and intended to supply underground equipment, including cables supplying self-propelled equipment with electric drive, shall be laid in such a way as to exclude the possibility of their damage, freezing to the ground, burial by rock, or being run over by vehicles and machinery.
1685. When carrying (moving) a live excavator cable, the servicing personnel shall use dielectric gloves or special devices with insulated handles. Excavators, loaders, drilling rigs, cranes and other mining transport equipment shall be operated in the vicinity of live overhead lines at an air distance from the lifting or extending part to the nearest live conductor of not less than 2 m for voltages up to 20 kV and not less than 4 m for a voltage of 35 kV. At crossings (points of proximity) between overhead lines and roads, the distance from the lowest phase conductor of the line to the highest point of machines or a load shall be not less than 2 m for a voltage up to 20 kV and not less than 2.5 m for a voltage of 35 kV.
1686. To ensure the reliable operation of a flexible cable, mobile machinery with electric drive shall be fitted with mounted cable take-up devices with a drum diameter of not less than 20 cable diameters and a capacity of not less than 200 m.
1687. Dragging a cable along the ground using machinery shall be prohibited. The cable may be moved using an excavator bucket or machinery fitted with devices preventing damage to and dragging of the cable.
1688. Loading of rock mass by an excavator "over the cable" shall be prohibited without reliable protection of the cable against mechanical damage caused by spilled material.
1689. At crossings with railway tracks and roads, the cable shall be protected against damage by laying it underground in pipes, ducts or troughs. The dimensions of the protective devices shall exceed the width of the railway tracks or roads by not less than 2 m on each side.
1690. For machinery not fitted with a cable take-up drum, surplus cable shall be laid out in loops on a levelled area outside the working zone of the machinery, with a clear distance between adjacent runs of not less than 0.2 m.
1691. To prevent a flexible cable from being pulled out of the inlet device of electrical consumers, it shall be secured with a device ensuring a bending radius at the outlet of not less than five cable diameters.
1692. Inclined conveyor shafts, galleries and other structures may be used for laying power supply cables. In areas where mechanical damage is possible, cables shall be laid in protective ducts.
1693. The joining of cable sections shall be carried out by vulcanising the cable sheath or by means of cable plug connectors. Cables may be joined by means of special connecting couplings (junction boxes) or switch points with cable inlets and outlets.
1694. Plug-type connecting and terminal couplings for flexible cables shall have not less than five contacts: three power contacts, one for the earthing core and one for the auxiliary core of the cable. When disconnecting couplings, the contact for the auxiliary core shall be opened first, then the contacts of the power cores, and last of all the contact for the earthing core.
1695. Non-flame-propagating cables shall be used for the transmission and distribution of electrical energy and information in underground workings: for stationary laying, armoured paper-oil and screened cables with copper cores insulated with cross-linked polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride compound or rubber are used, and, along horizontal and inclined workings (up to and including 45 degrees), armoured cables with tape armour; for stationary laying along capital main vertical and inclined workings (more than 45 degrees) and boreholes - armoured cables with wire armour in a lead or polyvinyl chloride sheath; for connecting mobile district substations - armoured cables with wire or tape armour, or flexible screened cables; for supplying mobile machines and mechanisms, electrical installations in stoping blocks, in networks with a voltage of 127-1140 V, and lighting networks - flexible screened cables; for stationary lighting networks - armoured cables in a lead or polyvinyl chloride sheath, and flexible screened cables. In mines hazardous for gas and dust, the use of armoured cables in an aluminium sheath shall be prohibited. Where armoured cables with an outer jute (combustible) covering are used at operating mines and levels, the covering shall be removed from the sections of cable laid in chambers, and the armour shall be coated with a special varnish protecting it against corrosion. The use of cables with aluminium cores or in an aluminium sheath in mines hazardous for gas or dust shall be prohibited.
1696. The laying of power cables along inclined shafts and inclines supplying fresh air and equipped with rail transport, and along vertical shafts with timber support, shall be prohibited.
1697. Armoured control cables shall be used for control circuits and control-system circuits laid along vertical and inclined workings with an angle of inclination exceeding 45 degrees; in horizontal and inclined workings up to 45 degrees, flexible or armoured control cables shall be used.
1698. Flexible hose-type cables with at least five cores - three power cores, an earthing core and an auxiliary (control) core - shall be used for the construction of mobile cable distribution networks and for supplying self-propelled and mobile electrical consumers at open-pit mining facilities (excavators, conveyor-spreader systems, drilling rigs). In the event of a break in the earthing core, flexible cables shall be provided with protection devices acting to disconnect the switching apparatus on the supply side of the cable.
1699. Signalling and communication lines may be constructed using field wires in mines not hazardous for gas and dust, for signalling and communication devices supplied at a voltage not exceeding 24 V. For local communication lines at working faces, flexible control cables, and auxiliary or flexible screened power cables, may be used.
1700. For supply cable lines with a voltage up to 1140 V carrying the total load current of consumers, cables of a single cross-section shall, as a rule, be used. Cables with cores of different cross-sections may be used for these lines provided that protection against short-circuit currents is ensured for all sections of the line.
1701. At points of branching from a main supply line where the cross-section of the cable cores is reduced, a device protecting the branch against short-circuit currents shall be installed. Branches of up to 20 m in length may be taken from the supply line if protection against short-circuit currents is provided by the apparatus of the main line.
1702. The use of distribution boxes without protective devices installed on the branches to electric motors shall be permitted only for multi-motor drives, provided that the cable of each branch is protected against short-circuit currents by a group protective apparatus.
1703. Cables shall be laid on cable structures and positioned at a height inaccessible to damage by vehicles, and the possibility of the cable being dislodged from the structure shall be excluded. The laying of power and control cables along pressure pipelines shall be prohibited.
1704. When laying single cables, they may be suspended on brackets, wooden pegs, canvas straps, or metal support elements.
1705. The distance between cable suspension points shall be not more than 3 m, and the distance between cables shall be not less than 5 cm.
1706. In individual sections of workings where a cable is laid along the ground, the cable shall be protected against mechanical damage by strong enclosures made of non-combustible materials. The laying of a cable through the stoppings of ventilation and fire doors, and the inlets of cables into electrical machine chambers and substations and their outlets, shall be carried out by means of pipes (metal, concrete, etc.). The openings of pipes containing cables shall be sealed. The laying of two or more cables in one pipe shall be prohibited.
1707. Communication and signalling cables in mines shall be laid on the side of the working free of power cables, or, where this requirement cannot be met, at a distance of not less than 0.2 m from power cables.
1708. Cables shall be suspended using devices that relieve the cable of the effect of its own weight. The distance between cable fastening points in inclined workings shall not exceed 5 m, and in vertical workings 7 m. The distance between cables shall be not less than 5 cm. Devices for fastening the cable shall exclude the risk of damage to the cable and its armour.
1709. When a cable is laid along a borehole, it shall be firmly secured to a steel cable. A borehole drilled through unstable rock shall be cased with casing pipes.
1710. When installing a cable with tape armour, prior to its permanent fastening it shall be attached to a steel cable to prevent stretching of the cable under the effect of its own weight.
1711. Live flexible cables shall be stretched out and not rigidly suspended. Keeping live flexible cables in the form of "coils" or "figures of eight" shall be prohibited. This requirement shall not apply to cases where the conditions of mining operations and the design of the machine (cable-powered locomotives, suspended pumps) provide for a reserve of live flexible cable on a special drum or trolley.
1712. The joint laying of cables and rubber ventilation ducting shall be prohibited. The latter shall be laid on the opposite side of the working.
1713. In the stoping chambers of salt and potash mines, flexible cables supplying electric drills may be laid along the slope of the mineral for a length of up to 60 m.
1714. The part of a flexible cable supplying mobile machinery closest to the machine may be laid along the ground for a length of not more than 30 m, and the cable shall be laid in such a way that the risk of damage by the moving machine is excluded. For self-propelled machines fitted with special cable drums (cable-laying devices) operating on a shuttle system, the flexible cable may be laid along the ground.
1715. On completion of the operation of mobile machinery, the flexible cable shall be disconnected at the nearest distribution point.
1716. A damaged cable shall be disconnected immediately. Inspection of power and lighting flexible cables during a shift is carried out by persons servicing electrical installations.
1717. Cables are connected to machines and apparatus only by means of couplings. Cable inlets in couplings shall be sealed. Unused cable inlets shall have plugs.
1718. The connection of cable cores to the terminals of transformers, electric motors and apparatus without the use of lugs or other equivalent devices preventing the strands of the cable cores from splaying shall be prohibited.
1719. The connection of several cable cores to one terminal (of a starter, transformer) shall not be permitted unless such connection is provided for by the design of the terminal.
1720. The use of flexible cables with damaged insulation or other damage shall be prohibited. Hanging lamps, tools or other objects on a cable shall not be permitted.
1721. Flexible cables for mobile machinery may have not more than four vulcanised joints for every 100 m of cable length.
1722. Flexible cables requiring disconnection during operation may be joined together by plug couplings. Cables shall be joined using factory-made couplings in such a way that tensile forces are transmitted only to the outer sheath of the cable and not to the live parts. The weight of the coupling shall not be transmitted to the cable.
1723. Plug couplings shall have an electrical interlock preventing the connection or disconnection of a live cable.
1724. The contact pins of plug couplings shall remain de-energised when the circuit is opened, for which purpose they shall be mounted on the cable on the side of the current receiver (electric motor).
1725. The connection of an armoured cable to a flexible cable in power circuits is made through the terminals of the apparatus (starter, circuit breaker). Connections by means of busbar boxes or factory-made connecting couplings shall be permitted.
1726. Distribution boxes, connecting couplings and tee couplings may be used for lighting, signalling and control wiring.
1727. All work with cables (repair, jointing, high-voltage testing, connection, disconnection) shall be carried out by specially trained electrical personnel in accordance with the requirements of the manufacturer and these Rules.
1728. Work on cable terminations, repair and jointing at open-pit mines shall be permitted only after the cable has been disconnected from the switch point and discharged of residual charges by applying a portable earthing device.
1729. Inspection of cables supplying electrical installations of mobile electrical consumers is carried out: by process personnel - every shift; by electrical personnel - monthly. Main cable lines shall be inspected by electrical personnel not less than once a month.
1730. During the shift inspection of the cable, the following are checked: the correctness of its routing, the absence of tears and cracks to the depth of the sheath, punctures and cuts in the manoeuvring section (20 m from the inlet device), crushing from vehicles running over the cable or falling rock, and other mechanical damage to the outer hose sheath. The results of the shift inspection are entered in the operational log.
1731. The scope of the monthly inspection includes: the work provided for by the shift inspection, and inspection of the cable terminations, during which the presence of ozone cracks on the surface of the insulation of the conductive cores and the degree of contamination of the insulation gaps of the terminations are checked. The results of the monthly inspection are entered in the operational log.
1732. Before a cable is put into service, terminations shall be made at its ends, including sealing of the hose, sealing of the insulation of the main cores, crimping (soldering) of lugs, or preparation of the core ends for special terminals.
1733. The termination of the main cores shall prevent: flashover at voltages not less than the rated line voltage, and in the event of possible internal overvoltages; a significant reduction in the level of insulation; corona discharges on each core and between cores at a voltage not less than the rated line voltage; and the possibility of moisture and dust penetrating into the cable. Where the termination is made using elastomeric end couplings, sealing of the end of the sheath may be omitted if the inlet device prevents water from entering the cable.
1734. The length of the cores in a cable termination is determined by the design and dimensions of the inlet device of the electrical equipment and the arrangement of the connecting studs therein, and shall be not less than 350 mm. The bending radius of insulated cores in inlet devices shall, where possible, be at its maximum, especially at the boundary between the conductive screen and the insulation.
1735. The fastening of a cable in an inlet device shall exclude contact between the insulated parts of the live cores, with each other and with live and earthed parts.
1736. Vulcanising apparatus shall be factory-made and shall meet the requirements for the safe performance of work by servicing personnel.
1737. Before being put into service, both new and repaired cables with completed terminations shall be tested with elevated voltage. The insulation of new and repaired cables with terminations for a voltage up to 1000 V shall withstand a test voltage of not less than 2500 V for 1 minute. The insulation of new cables for a voltage of 6 kV with terminations, of cables in service, and of repaired cables, shall withstand a test voltage of not less than 12 kV of rectified current for 5 minutes.
1738. Periodic testing of cables is carried out not less than once a year. During periodic testing, the integrity of the cores and screening braid of the cable is checked. Where breaks are present, the cable shall not be permitted for service. The results of insulation tests and the condition of the structural elements of the cable shall be recorded in a log.
1739. Every cable in service shall have a securely fastened tag bearing a number at one of the terminated ends. Data on the condition of a new cable and the results of its subsequent repairs and tests are entered in the log, and the same log records the withdrawal of the cable from service (write-off). The form of the log for recording, repairing and testing cables is determined by the person responsible for the organisation's electrical facilities.
1740. When preparing a 6-10 kV high-voltage cable for testing, the following shall be done: disconnect the cable from the mains, disconnect the cable from the switch point and discharge it; put up warning signs: "Stop!", "Voltage!" and post control posts along the cable route; inspect the hose sheath to identify external damage for subsequent repair; carefully inspect the terminations to check the cleanliness of the surface of the power cores, and carry out repairs if cracks are found; check the integrity of the power and earthing cores and the screening braids, after which connect the earthing core to the screening braids at both ends of the cable; measure the insulation resistance of the power cores with a 2500 V megohmmeter, discharging the core to "earth" after each measurement.
1741. The test voltage is applied in turn to each core of the cable. At the moment of testing, the two other cores, the screens and the earthing core are connected together and earthed, and the rectified voltage is increased smoothly at a rate not exceeding 0.5 kV/sec. On reaching the test voltage, the leakage current value shall be continuously monitored. Where the leakage current increases or pulse surges appear, the test voltage may be increased by 0.5-2.0 kV/sec with a view to breaking down the defective section of insulation.
1742. If the insulation does not break down during the cable test, the tested cable is considered fit for service. The microammeter readings are taken during the last minute of the test.
1743. The test voltage is removed smoothly. After the test apparatus has been disconnected from the mains, the tested core is discharged by means of an earthing rod.
1744. Testing of flexible high-voltage cables at 6-10 kV with elevated voltage is carried out by specially trained persons, one of whom shall hold a qualification group not lower than IV. For periodic testing of cables for a voltage up to 1000 V using a megohmmeter, the work may be performed by one trained person holding qualification group III.
1745. Locating the point of damage in a cable by any of the methods (induction, acoustic, capacitance or loop method) shall be permitted only after the cable has been disconnected from the supply mains and residual electrical charges have been discharged to earth.
1746. Where special lighting installations are used to light spoil dumps and roads outside the open-pit mine, and stationary transhipment points, a voltage exceeding 220 V may be used where supplied from separate transformer substations in a network with an earthed neutral.
1747. Networks with a solidly earthed neutral with a voltage up to 1 kV may be used for supplying, from separate transformers, lighting installations at stationary transhipment points and spoil dumps, entry (exit) trenches, special lighting installations, and centralisation and interlocking networks. In this case, the earthing device of these installations shall not have a galvanic connection with the isolated neutral.
1748. Maintenance of lighting installations shall be carried out with the voltage switched off. Replacement of lamps and luminaires and repair of the lighting network (replacement of hooks, pins and insulators, retensioning of wires) located on contact-line supports shall be carried out under a permit to work. Technical inspections and repairs of lighting installations shall, as a rule, be carried out within the periods established for package transformer substations (KTP).
1749. Maintenance of lighting installations with starting devices is carried out under a permit by not less than two persons, one of whom shall hold a qualification group not lower than IV and the other not lower than III.
1750. Starting devices of lighting installations shall have, on the front of the door, markings indicating the voltage value, the danger of electric shock, and an inventory number, and, on the inside of the door, a schematic diagram.
1751. Lighting of the work areas of mobile installations shall be provided by floodlights and luminaires mounted on the machines themselves.
1752. For supplying luminaires of local stationary lighting with incandescent lamps, the following voltage shall be used: in premises without increased hazard - not exceeding 220 V; in premises with increased hazard and particularly hazardous premises - not exceeding 50 V.
1753. A voltage of up to and including 220 V may be used for luminaires of special design: forming part of emergency lighting supplied from an independent power source; installed in premises with increased hazard (but not particularly hazardous premises). The metal fittings of luminaires with a voltage above 50 V shall be reliably earthed.
1754. When luminaires are serviced by qualified personnel using cranes, the work shall be performed in the presence of a second person.
1755. Where luminaires with fluorescent lamps for a voltage of 127-220 V are used for local lighting, their live parts shall be inaccessible to accidental contact, and, in damp, particularly damp, hot premises and premises with a chemically active environment, they shall be housed in fittings of special design.
1756. For supplying hand-held luminaires in premises with increased hazard, a voltage not exceeding 50 V shall be used. Luminaires for a voltage of 50 V and below shall be supplied from transformers with electrically separate primary and secondary voltage windings.
1757. In particularly hazardous premises, and under particularly unfavourable conditions where the risk of electric shock is aggravated by confined space and the awkward position of a worker in contact with large, well-earthed metal surfaces (work in boilers, tanks, cisterns and other vessels), a voltage not exceeding 12 V shall be used for supplying hand-held and portable luminaires.
1758. In the premises for preparing flotation reagent solutions, a voltage not exceeding 12 V shall be used for local lighting.
1759. The voltage of portable electric tools shall be not more than 220 V in premises without increased hazard and not more than 50 V in premises with increased hazard and outdoors.
1760. Plug connections intended for connecting electric tools shall have live parts inaccessible to touch and an additional earthing contact.
1761. Plug connections (sockets, plugs) used for a voltage of 12 and 50 V shall, in their design, differ from ordinary plug connections intended for voltages of 127 and 220 V, and shall exclude the possibility of plugs for 12 and 50 V being inserted into sockets for 127 and 220 V.
1762. A voltage (line) not exceeding 127 V shall be used for supplying underground lighting installations. A line voltage of 220 V may be used for stationary fluorescent lighting.
1763. A voltage of up to 275 V from the contact wire may be used for lighting warning signs.
1764. At mines, workplaces, stairways and passages for persons shall be lit. All operating stationary workplaces, and all mine workings used for transporting loads and the movement of persons (except workings intended solely for the delivery of loads), shall be lit by mains-powered luminaires. The list of places to be lit by mains-powered luminaires shall be approved by the facility's technical manager. Where rock breaking is carried out by mechanised means, the lighting of the working face may be provided by lighting devices mounted on mining equipment.
1765. Emergency lighting from an independent power source shall be provided in hoisting machine buildings, main ventilation installations, compressor buildings, headframe buildings of shafts, boiler houses, and administrative and welfare complexes. In all of the buildings listed, except hoisting machine buildings, individual battery-powered luminaires may be used for emergency lighting.
1766. Mine-type luminaires shall be used in mines. Lighting lamps with a voltage above 24 V shall have protective fittings. A voltage (line) not exceeding 220 V shall be used for supplying underground lighting installations. The use of general industrial-design transformers for supplying luminaires in underground workings shall be prohibited.
1767. The design of the contact (traction) network shall comply with the applicable requirements of the regulatory and technical documentation on the safe operation of electrical installations for open-pit mining.
1768. Traction network devices shall ensure: uninterrupted power supply and reliable current collection at the specified travel speeds under the climatic conditions determined by the design standards for the area in which the organisation is located; ease of servicing and control of the contact network; and reliable operation of the devices and the safety of servicing personnel during the performance of work.
1769. The requirements of this Section apply to contact network devices for direct current at a voltage of 1650 V and 3300 V and alternating current at a voltage of 10.5 kV on the busbars of traction substations, mounted on both stationary and mobile supports. The contact network service shall maintain and update the following technical documentation: an as-built plan of the contact network showing the location of traction substations, sectioning posts, section disconnectors and control panels of remote drives, and crossings with other power transmission lines, overhead communication lines, roads and other utilities; a power supply and sectioning diagram of the contact network indicating the points of crossing with other lines and utilities; documentation of the established form; all governing instructions, regulations and orders; a log for recording information on the condition of protective equipment, linemen's belts, climbing spikes, blocks, poles and other devices; an album of standard specifications for contact network structures and mounting parts; and a log for checking the knowledge of contact network personnel of the applicable safety rules for the operation of electrical installations and the contact network of electrified railways, automatic block signalling power supply devices, and these Rules.
1770. The values of the highest and lowest voltages at the current collectors of locomotives and on the busbars of traction substations at maximum load shall correspond to the values specified in Table No. 23.
1771. A system with earthing of one phase or the midpoint of the traction transformer may be used for supplying the contact networks of electrified railways. In this case, the earth electrode shall be constructed outside the protective earthing loop of the substation.
1772. The selection of the cross-section and type of conductors of the traction network, and the checking of conductors for short-circuit currents and heating, are carried out in accordance with the applicable rules for the design of industrial transport.
1773. The type of contact suspension on running sections, stations and dead ends shall be selected depending on the adopted train speed, the wire suspension arrangement and the technological conditions of transport operation on the sections of track concerned at the enterprise. Depending on the highest travel speed, the following wire suspension systems are adopted: simple suspension - on mobile tracks of open pits and spoil dumps and on special sections of permanent track (under bunkers, loading hatches, inside workshops, etc.) at travel speeds not exceeding 15 km/h; simple compensated suspension - on all permanent tracks at a travel speed not exceeding 50 km/h; semi-compensated catenary suspension - at travel speeds exceeding 50 km/h. The choice of catenary suspension shall be substantiated by technical and economic calculations.
1774. The use of different types of contact wire suspension (simple and chain suspension) on quarry access tracks shall not be permitted. Where simple tensioned suspension is designed for the block sections of an enterprise's access tracks, the same type of suspension shall be used on all station tracks. Where chain suspension is designed for the block sections, either chain suspension or simple tensioned suspension may be adopted on the main tracks of stations. Simple tensioned suspension shall be used on the remaining station tracks. The junction of simple and chain suspension shall be made on the main tracks of the block section on the approach to a station, within an anchor section, half of which operates as chain suspension and half as simple suspension.
1775. The suspension height of contact system wires is adopted in accordance with Table No. 24.
1776. When installing contact system supports, the distance from the track centreline to the inner face of the support shall correspond to the data in Table No. 25.
1777. For suspension designs of the permanent contact system used in open-pit mining operations, the maximum span lengths are given in Table No. 26, and for the side contact system on movable tracks of quarries and dumps, in Table No. 27.
1778. Metal, reinforced-concrete or wooden supports may be used on contact system lines. Separately standing movable supports on reinforced-concrete, metal or wooden bases shall be used on side current-collection lines. The stability of movable contact system supports is ensured by loading with reinforced-concrete slabs or soil. The distance from the track centreline to the side contact wire, depending on the type of the electric locomotive's side current collector and the type of excavator used, shall be 2.9 - 4.5 m.
1779. Profiled copper wires of standard cross-sections shall be used as the contact wire; the permissible tension values for these wires are given in Table No. 28.
1780. The permissible wear of contact wires and the height of the cross-section of the remaining part of the wires are given in Table No. 29.
1781. Supports of a stationary contact system with a voltage of up to 3 kV DC may be used for suspending the wires of supply and return lines and for lighting of railway tracks, stations and posts, in accordance with the process design standards for electrified railway transport.
1782. The suspension of wires of 6 - 10 kV overhead lines, and of lighting and communication lines, on supports of a movable contact system shall not be permitted.
1783. Crossings of the contact system by overhead lines using contact system supports as supporting structures shall be prohibited.
1784. Live parts of the contact system (registration and tension insulators in registration wires and wire anchorages, suspension and support insulators of the contact system) shall be located at a distance from the nearest surface of the support of not less than: 800 mm for a DC contact system; 1000 mm for an AC contact system. This requirement shall not apply to supports with insulated brackets, or, for AC, to registration insulators and insulators inserted in registration wires.
1785. On movable tracks, when loading a train of dump cars using multi-bucket portal excavators, the clearance between the rolling stock and the wire shall be not less than 800 mm; where this distance is less than 800 mm, protective guarding shall be provided on the side windows of the electric locomotive.
1786. Junctions of anchor sections (non-insulating and insulating) and overhead switches shall ensure the smooth transition of the current collector shoe from the contact wire of one anchor section to the contact wire of another without disrupting current collection and without reducing the established speed. The length of the working part of the transition section of the contact system from a central current-collection line to a side current-collection line (and vice versa), and from a side current-collection line on one side of the track to a side current-collection line on the other side of the track, shall be not less than 40 m. The sign "End of Central Contact System" shall be installed at the end of the transition on the side of the central current-collection line. The sign "End of Contact Suspension" is installed at the end of the contact wire. In places of increased danger, the signs "Red Arrow" or the notice "Caution, Hazardous Location" are installed. Transition supports within insulating junctions are marked with alternating three black and three white stripes. Stopping a locomotive with a raised current collector at this location shall be prohibited.
1787. At locations of transition from central to side suspension, contact wires shall be suspended with a gradient: the central suspension wire at 1/50 degrees (0.02 degrees); the side suspension wire at 1/25 degrees (0.04 degrees).
1788. Overhead switches shall be constructed in such a way that the current collector passes over them smoothly and reliably in all directions. Overhead switches are constructed as fixed switches with crossing of the contact wires. The use of non-fixed overhead switches on secondary tracks may be permitted. The installation of overhead switches without mutual crossing of the contact wires shall not be permitted.
1789. Work on a live contact system is carried out under permits to work from towers mounted on a motor trolley or on a special platform, or from movable ladders with insulated platforms. The performance of any work on the contact system during rain, fog, wet snow or a thunderstorm shall not be permitted.
1790. Each group of workers on the contact system shall have a supervisor responsible for the safety of the work, holding at least electrical safety group IV.
1791. The contact system shall be divided into separate sections by means of air gaps (insulating junctions), neutral sections and section insulators. Neutral sections and section insulators shall be installed on horizontal sections of track. The electrical supply and sectioning scheme of the contact system shall provide uninterrupted power supply to all sections of the system under normal operating conditions and, in the event of repairs and faults in the system, the operation of transport on the organisation's main tracks. The design and location of neutral sections shall ensure the non-stop passage of trains at the signal sign guarding the neutral section.
1792. The sectioning scheme shall provide for the allocation, into sections, of: block section tracks and main station tracks; tracks intended for loading and unloading operations; movable tracks on the working levels of quarries; movable tracks on the benches of overburden dumps; tracks on which the roof equipment of electric locomotives is inspected.
1793. Contact systems on movable tracks of dumps and on overburden and mining benches of quarries shall, as a rule, be supplied from separate feeders. One feeder may supply not more than three loading faces in a quarry or three unloading faces on a dump. The supply of contact systems of movable tracks from an electrical jumper to the central contact system through a disconnector may be permitted.
1794. Distribution posts may be stationary or movable. Stationary and movable distribution posts with more than four outgoing lines shall have two incoming supplies from the traction substation.
1795. The supply of sectioned parts of the contact system of tracks intended for inspecting the roof equipment of electric locomotives, and of servicing and stabling tracks for electric locomotives, shall be provided through a section disconnector with an earthing blade.
1796. The sectioning of the side contact system (in quarries, on dumps, under bunkers) shall be carried out in such a way that, with the disconnector of the supply line or the electrical supply jumper from the central system to the side system switched off, the possibility of voltage reaching the side system is excluded.
1797. Sectioning points of the contact system shall be located on straight sections or large-radius curves, and, in particularly difficult conditions, on gradients not exceeding 10 per cent.
1798. At sectioning points with neutral sections, provision shall be made for the possibility of supplying power to the neutral section from the contact wire of one of the sectioned parts.
1799. When developing the supply and sectioning scheme for AC contact systems, uniform phase loading shall be sought to make full use of the rated capacity of the traction transformer. Sectioning points with neutral sections shall be provided at locations of phase separation of the supply.
1800. De-energised neutral sections, and sectioning points with section insulators having neutral sections, shall be guarded by the signs: "Switch Off Current", "Switch On Current".
1801. Disconnectors with drives at supply and sectioning points of a stationary contact system, and at the outlets of overhead supply lines from traction substations, shall be located at a height of not less than 6 m from the level of the rail head (or from the ground surface). Disconnectors with drives at sectioning and supply points of a movable contact system shall be located not lower than the suspension level of the contact wire. Drives of section disconnectors of the contact system, in the disconnected position, shall be locked with locks having special keys. Each drive shall have an assigned number clearly marked on its cover. Section disconnectors without drives shall be installed not lower than 3.6 m from the ground surface. The connection of disconnectors to the contact system is made using bare flexible copper wires. The number of connecting wires is selected according to the rated current of the supply line (but not less than two for each cross-section).
1802. At a supply point, the disconnector shall be connected to all contact wires of the sectioned part, or all contact wires shall be connected to each other by electrical connectors made of bare flexible copper wire.
1803. On electrified DC lines, and, where automatic block signalling is present, on electrified AC lines, rail joints and cross-track connectors on permanent tracks shall have welded joint electrical connectors made of flexible copper wire with a cross-section of not less than 70 mm2 for DC and 50 mm2 for AC, with a contact surface at the welding point of not less than 250 mm2. Joint rail electrical connections are not installed on movable tracks of quarries and dumps.
1804. On electrified lines equipped with automatic block signalling with double-rail circuits, parallel connections of the rail strings on each track are made by impedance bonds installed at insulated joints. The parallel connection of tracks is ensured by special conductors installed between the mid-points of the track impedance bonds, at every third impedance-bond joint. On electrified tracks where the rail strings are not used for automatic block signalling or electrical interlocking, inter-rail and cross-track connectors shall be installed at intervals of 250 - 300 m and 500 - 600 m, respectively. At stations with single-rail signalling and interlocking circuits, cross-track connections of the traction rail strings are made in the station throats near the entrance signals, at points where return-feeder wires are connected, near substations and at every 400 m of track.
1805. The earthing of contact system supports and of other supports located near structures may be carried out using either individual or group earthing conductors connected to the traction rails or to the mid-points of the track impedance bonds of the automatic block signalling. Group earthing shall be used for contact system supports installed at locations where the laying of individual earthing is difficult or where damage to it is possible. The group earthing of contact system supports shall not exceed a length of 300 m for a steel cable and 400 m for a bimetallic cable, and the joint connections of rails shall be secured with not less than 4 bolts. The suspension height of the group earthing cable shall be not less than 5 m.
1806. Quarry contact systems shall have maximum-current protection against overloads and short circuits, acting to trip the circuit breaker without time delay. For the protection of feeders supplying an AC contact system, a protection operating time delay sufficient to desensitise the protection against magnetising inrush current when switching on the main transformer of a high-unit-capacity traction unit may be permitted.
1807. Traction systems leaving a traction substation and a distribution point shall be protected against atmospheric and switching overvoltages. On in-quarry traction systems located on the third bench and below (counting from the level of the natural day surface), the installation of surge arresters is not required.
1808. The minimum distances from an electric locomotive's current collector, or from live parts of the contact system, to earthed parts of the supporting structures of buildings and engineering structures (bridges, overpasses, bunkers) are given in Table No. 30.
1809. Inspection of overhead switches, with a check of clamp fastenings, shall be carried out not less than once a month. The vertical and horizontal clearances of the contact wire are checked not less than once a year, and on sections with an unstable track condition (in the case of landslides, or a freshly laid embankment) three times a year, and, in every case, at the start of spring (warming, snow melt). Comprehensive seasonal inspections of the contact system shall be carried out annually, during which individual assemblies and parts undergo thorough inspection and checking (Table No. 31). The checking and adjustment of horn-gap arresters is carried out using a gauge; the spark-gap clearance is set by the enterprise's electrical engineering laboratory.
1810. Routine maintenance of the contact system comprises checking the technical condition of equipment, adjustment, cleaning, lubrication and replacement of individual worn parts and assemblies, replacement of posts damaged by blasting, straightening or replacement of deformed brackets and registration arms, and inspection for defects and replacement of insulators. Routine maintenance of a movable contact system is combined with its relocation to a new position as the face is worked out.
1811. All newly installed, relocated or moved contact systems shall be checked before the opening of traffic by a test run on an electric locomotive. If heating of supply wires and clamps is detected, measures shall be taken to eliminate the faults.
1812. Electric locomotive drivers shall be notified of all changes to contact system schemes and of changes to current-collector switching sections. These changes shall be recorded by contact system service personnel in a special warning book at the duty substation and on the operational scheme.
1813. Raising the current collector under brackets and overhead switches of the contact system while the train is moving shall be prohibited. The current collector shall be raised in such a way that the current collector shoe touches the contact wire at the middle of the span. When passing a section insulator with a neutral section, the driver shall switch off the electric locomotive's traction motors; when passing a section insulator that divides supply zones of the same phase of one substation without a neutral section, switching off the traction motors is not obligatory. Warning signals shall be installed on both sides of neutral sections.
1814. The supply and sectioning scheme of the contact system, and all changes to it, shall be approved in accordance with the established procedure. A copy of the scheme shall be included in the station's technical and operating instructions.
1815. All work on the contact system shall be carried out with earths applied at the workplace.
1816. Section disconnectors are switched on the order of the power dispatcher or of a person authorised to do so by an instruction. A person who has received an order approved by the power dispatcher for switching a disconnector shall carry it out personally, having agreed it with the station duty officer or the dispatcher. A disconnector may be switched off without permission only in an emergency. The switching off and on of section disconnectors without drives shall be carried out using insulating rods.
1817. The procedure for the passage of rolling stock carrying out-of-gauge equipment over electrified sections is established by the technical manager of the organisation in accordance with the current rules on the technical operation of railway transport.
1818. Work on electrified tracks performed using a railway crane may be carried out under developed work organisation projects.
1819. The cross-section of the copper contact wire shall be not less than 65 mm2. The operation of a contact wire whose wear has exceeded 30 per cent shall be prohibited for wire with a cross-section of 100 mm2, and, where wear exceeds 20 per cent, for wires with a cross-section of 65 - 85 mm2.
1820. The suspension height of the contact wire shall be not less than 1.8 m from the rail head. At boarding platforms and loading/unloading platforms, and at points where workings used for the movement of persons cross workings in which a contact wire is present, the suspension height shall be not less than 2 m. The distance from the contact wire to the pile of ore or rock in a wagon shall be not less than 200 mm. The contact wire in the pit-bottom area, on the section used for the movement of persons to the boarding point for mine cars, shall be suspended at a height of not less than 2.2 m, and, in the remaining workings of the pit-bottom area, not less than 2 m from the level of the rail head. During the descent and ascent of a shift of workers, the contact wire shall be switched off on the section from the shaft to the boarding point located in the pit-bottom area.
1821. On the industrial site of a mine or adit, a suspension height of the contact wire of not less than 2.2 m from the level of the rail head may be permitted, provided that the haulage tracks do not cross carriageways and footpaths. At points where roads are crossed, the suspension height shall comply with the rules for the construction of surface electrified railways.
1822. The suspension of the contact wire in underground workings shall be resilient (on tensioning wires). The distance between suspension points of the contact wire shall not exceed 5 m on straight sections and 3 m on curved sections of track. At suspension points, the distance from the contact wire to the support cap shall be not less than 0.2 m. The distance from the electric locomotive's current collector to the working support shall also be not less than 0.2 m.
1823. At locations where the suspension height of the contact wire must be maintained (crossings with gradients, passage through ventilation doors), it shall be suspended rigidly.
1824. The tensioning wires of the contact wire on both sides of it shall be insulated from the trolley wire holder, with the distance from the trolley wire holder to each of the insulators being not more than 0.3 m. The trolley wire holder shall have an insulated bolt.
1825. The contact system shall be sectioned by circuit breakers, the distance between which shall not exceed 500 m. Section circuit breakers shall also be installed on all branches of the contact wire. In contact systems of double-track and multi-track sections, the parallel connection of contact wires by means of circuit breakers may be permitted. The use of section disconnectors and automatic circuit breakers may be permitted. Where a contact system is supplied from several substations, the systems shall be insulated from one another.
1826. The contact system shall be equipped with devices or apparatus for protecting persons against electric shock. The bringing into operation of these means of protecting persons against electric shock is established by the technical manager of the organisation (enterprise). Trolley (contact) electric locomotives shall have devices for reducing sparking at the current collector, and, in the contact systems of trolley locomotive haulage, guarding of the contact wire shall also be provided at locations that are particularly hazardous in terms of electric shock.
1827. In workings in which a contact wire is suspended, illuminated signs reading "Beware of the Wire" shall be provided every 200 m and at their intersections with other workings and at curves. Such signs shall also be posted in the area of fire-fighting equipment stores, tool rooms, electrical substations and other machine chambers.
1828. In trolley (contact) haulage, electrical connectors shall be installed to reduce resistance at rail track joints, points and crossing elements. All rail strings of the haulage working shall have a reliable electrical connection between them, not less frequently than every 50 m, by a conductor whose resistance is equivalent to that of a copper wire with a cross-section of not less than 50 mm2.
1829. All rail tracks not intended for haulage by trolley (contact) electric locomotives shall, at points of contact with current-carrying rails, be electrically insulated from the latter at two points spaced apart at a distance equal to the maximum possible length of a train.
1830. Work on the contact system shall be carried out under a permit to work in the presence of a second person located in the immediate vicinity of the workplace.
1831. Special devices that prevent the splashing and spilling of electrolyte shall be used for preparing electrolyte solution and filling accumulators with it. Neutralising solutions or powders shall be kept in the room in case of an electrolyte burn to the body.
1832. During the charging of accumulator batteries, the cover of the battery box shall be removed, and the covers of the accumulator vent openings shall be opened. Accumulators and the battery box may be closed only after gas evolution from the accumulators has ceased, and not earlier than 1 hour after the end of charging. Before an accumulator battery is released from the charging area, its insulation from the body of the battery box shall be checked. The insulation resistance of one battery shall be not less than 10000 ohms. Placing faulty or contaminated accumulator batteries on charge shall be prohibited. The battery box shall be earthed during charging.
1833. The use of open flame in charging chamber rooms during the charging of accumulator batteries shall be prohibited.
1834. In mines (pits) that are gassy or dusty, electrical equipment in the charging chamber shall be of explosion-proof design.
1835. The use of accumulator testers of standard design may be permitted, but voltage measurement using them may be carried out not earlier than 10 minutes after the cover has been removed from the battery box.