R 408.41464 Communication system; location; signals

Rule 1464. (1) In a tunnel that is more than 225 feet long, the employer shall provide a communication system at all of the following locations: (a) The working face. (b) The top of the shaft. (c) The bottom of the shaft. (d) The hoisting station, if provided. (e) Each 1,000 feet of tunnel. (f) The office, if provided. A public telephone or other communication system shall be provided or available to each tunnel project to secure outside emergency help. (g) Hoist operators shall be provided with a closed-circuit voice communication system to each landing station. The system shall have speaker microphones located so that the operator can communicate with individual landing stations during hoist use. (2) An employer shall establish and maintain direct communications for coordination of activities with other employers whose operations at the jobsite affect or may affect the safety of employees who are underground. (3) If a tunnel is pressurized, then an employer shall provide all of the following additional locations with a communication system: (a) The working chamber side of the manlock near the door. (b) The interior of all locks. (c) The lock attendant’s station. (d) The compressor plant. (e) The first aid station. (4) Communication systems shall be tested upon initial entry of each shift to the underground, and as often as necessary thereafter, to ensure that they are in working order. (5) An employee who works alone underground in a hazardous location and who is both out of the range of natural unassisted voice communication and not under observation by other persons shall be provided with an effective means of obtaining assistance in an emergency. (6) If a gassy condition exists, then all phones that are located within the tunnel shall conform to the United States Bureau of Mines Schedule 9b, Part 23 of the provisions of 30 C.F.R., Mineral Resources, Parts 1-199 “Mine Safety and Health Administration, Department of Labor,” as adopted in R 408.41410. The telephone or other signal communication systems shall be independent of the tunnel power supply and shall be installed so that the use or disruption of any one phone or signal location will not disrupt the operation of the system from any other location.