R 408.41462 Safety generally.

Rule 1462. (1) The employer shall inform oncoming shifts of any hazardous occurrences or conditions that have affected or might affect employee safety, including liberation of gas, equipment failures, earth or rock slides, cave-ins, floodings, fires, or explosions. (2) A safe means of egress and access to all work areas shall be provided and maintained free of hazards. (3) When work is not being performed, access to an underground opening shall be covered, bulkheaded, fenced off, or restricted by gates or doors and appropriately posted. (4) Any section of tunnel that is not in use shall be barricaded to prevent ingress by an unauthorized employee. (5) Construction of a trench, manhole, or other opening for use in a tunnel or shaft operation shall be as prescribed in construction safety standard Part 9. Excavation, Trenching, and Shoring and construction safety standard Part 45. Fall Protection, which is referenced in R 408.41410. (6) An area subject to subsidence that is hazardous to an employee shall be fenced and appropriately posted. (7) Each operation shall have a check-in and check-out system that will provide positive identification of an employee by number or name and will identify the location of each employee who is underground. An accurate record shall be kept on the surface. However, a check-in and check-out system is not required when the construction of underground facilities that are designed for human occupancy has been completed so that the permanent environmental controls are effective and the remaining construction activity will not cause any environmental hazard or structural failure within the facilities. (8) All employees shall be instructed in the recognition and avoidance of hazards that are associated with all of the following underground construction activities: (a) Air monitoring. (b) Ventilation. (c) Illumination. (d) Communications. (e) Flood control. (f) Mechanical equipment. (g) Personal protective equipment. (h) Explosives. (i) Fire prevention and protection. (j) Emergency procedures, including evacuation plans and check-in and check-out systems. (9) The employer shall issue each employee a copy of the project’s general safety rules before the employee commences work at the project. (10) Each employer shall designate a qualified person who is responsible for administering the safety program. A written record shall be maintained of the safety training program. (11) Before an employee enters a tunnel where the atmosphere may be hazardous due to a condition such as a deficiency of oxygen, or may be toxic in excess of the maximum allowable limits, the tunnel shall be tested and the results shall be recorded as prescribed in occupational health standard Part 665. Underground Construction, Caissons, Cofferdams, and Compressed Air, which is referenced in R 408.41410. The records shall be maintained at the jobsite. If the atmosphere is hazardous, either sufficient ventilation to eliminate the hazard shall be provided or respiratory equipment as prescribed by the department of licensing and regulatory affairs shall be worn. (12) If an atmosphere is found to be explosive, then sparks, flame, and other sources of ignition shall be prohibited and ventilation shall be provided until the hazard has been reduced and maintained at or below the maximum allowable limits as prescribed by the department of licensing and regulatory affairs.