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Article 11 - Mine Rescue

 
    (225 ILCS 705/Art. 11 heading)ARTICLE 11. MINE RESCUE.

    (225 ILCS 705/11.01)(from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 1101)
    Sec. 11.01. Mine rescue stations. For the purpose of providing prompt and efficient means of fighting fires and of saving lives and property jeopardized by fires, explosions or other accidents in coal mines in Illinois, there shall be constructed, equipped and maintained at public expense 4 mine rescue stations, certified by the Mine Safety and Health Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor, to serve the coal fields of the State. Notwithstanding any other law of this State, the primary responsibility for the control and maintenance of the mine rescue stations shall be vested with the Department. Each station shall be equipped with a mobile mine rescue unit. The Department may establish, equip and maintain three additional substations for preservation of health and safety if the conditions warrant. Temporary certification may be issued by the Mining Board for a maximum of 6 months after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly.
(Source: P.A. 94‑1041, eff. 7‑24‑06.)

(225 ILCS 705/11.02) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 1102)     Sec. 11.02.     The Department shall provide or purchase or accept as a gift, suitably located sites for the stations, temporary and permanent quarters and suitable equipment and materials for the work. The Department shall further arrange for cooperation in the work with mine owners, miners and State and Federal organizations so as to render the service of the utmost efficiency. (Source: Laws 1953, p. 701.)

(225 ILCS 705/11.03) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 1103)     Sec. 11.03. Mine rescue station operation. The Department shall employ a superintendent for each station. The Department is authorized to pay for such assistants as may be needed in giving instruction in first aid to the injured and such other assistants as may be needed from time to time to properly carry on the work of the rescue stations. Not more than 2 assistants shall be employed for each mobile mine rescue unit. (Source: P.A. 88‑472.)

(225 ILCS 705/11.04) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 1104)     Sec. 11.04. The Department shall supervise the work at each of the stations, shall purchase necessary supplies, and shall keep a complete record of all operations and expenditures and an invoice of all supplies on hand. The Department shall provide that at each station some representative shall be on duty or within call at all hours of day and night for each day of the year. (Source: Laws 1953, p. 701.)

(225 ILCS 705/11.05) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 1105)     Sec. 11.05. Whenever the superintendent of any station shall be notified by any responsible person that an explosion or accident requiring his services has occurred at any mine in the State, he shall proceed immediately with suitable equipment and on arrival at the said mine shall superintend the work of the rescue corps in saving life and property; and he shall co‑operate with the State Mine Inspector and the management of the mine in rescue work to such extent as is necessary, for the protection of human life in the mine, during such time as members of the rescue corps are underground and while there is a reasonable expectation that men in the mine may be alive. (Source: Laws 1953, p. 701.)

(225 ILCS 705/11.06) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 1106)     Sec. 11.06. Should an explosion occur, or a fire that is not promptly extinguished, at any mine in the State, the operator of said mine or his representative shall immediately notify the Department. (Source: Laws 1957, p. 2413.)

    (225 ILCS 705/11.07)
    Sec. 11.07. Rescue teams. Rescue teams shall be based out of each mine rescue station to serve the Illinois coal industry as either a primary or secondary responder. Every operator in the State must provide employees to serve on a rescue team and must compensate these employees who are serving as rescue team members at their regular rate of pay.
(Source: P.A. 94‑1041, eff. 7‑24‑06.)

    (225 ILCS 705/11.08)
    Sec. 11.08. Self‑contained self‑rescuer (SCSR) devices; caches; strobe lights; luminescent signs.
    (a) An operator must require each person underground to carry a SCSR device on his or her person or, alternatively, a SCSR device must be kept within 25 feet of the person underground or may be kept more than 25 feet from the person underground if done according to a plan approved by the Mining Board.
    (b) An operator must provide for each person who is underground at least one SCSR device, in addition to the device required under subsection (a), that provides protection for a period of one hour or longer, to cover all persons in the mine. This additional SCSR device must be kept within 25 feet of the person underground or may be kept more than 25 feet from the person underground if done according to a plan approved by the Mining Board.
    (c) If a mantrip or mobile equipment is used to enter or exit the mine, additional SCSR devices, each of which must provide protection for a period of one hour or longer, must be available for all persons who use such transportation from portal to portal.
    (c‑5) Beginning July 31, 2007, in addition to the SCSR devices required under subsections (a), (b), and (c) of this Section, an operator must provide a minimum of 30 SCSR devices in each cache located within a mine. All SCSR devices required under this subsection (c‑5) shall be stored in caches that are conspicuous and readily accessible by each person in the mine. If the average seam height of a mine is:
        (1) less than 40 inches, caches must be located no

more than 2,200 feet apart throughout a mine;

(2) 40 inches or more, but less than 51 inches,

caches must be located no more than 3,300 feet apart throughout a mine;

(3) 51 inches or more, but less than 66 inches,

caches must be located no more than 4,400 feet apart throughout a mine; and

(4) 66 inches or more, caches must be located no more

than 5,700 feet apart throughout a mine.

An operator must submit for approval a plan addressing

the requirements of this subsection (c‑5) to the Mining Board on or before May 1, 2007.

(d) The Mining Board must require all operators to provide additional SCSR devices in the primary and alternate escapeways to ensure safe evacuation if the Mining Board determines that the SCSR devices required under subsections (a), (b), (c), and (c‑5) are not adequate to provide enough oxygen for all persons to safely evacuate the mine under mine emergency conditions for all persons underground through both primary and alternate escapeways. The Mining Board must determine the time needed for safe evacuation under emergency conditions from each of those locations at 1,000 foot intervals. If the Mining Board determines that additional SCSR devices are needed under this subsection (d), the mine operator must submit a SCSR storage plan to the Mining Board for approval. The mine operator must include in the SCSR storage plan the location, quantity, and type of additional SCSR devices, including, but not limited to, SCSR devices required under subsections (a), (b), (c), and (c‑5) of this Section, each of which must provide protection for a period of one hour or longer, that are stored in the primary and alternate escapeways. The SCSR storage plan must also show how each storage location in the primary and alternate escapeways was determined. The Mining Board must require the mine operator to demonstrate that the location, quantity, and type of the additional SCSRs provide protection to all persons to safely evacuate the mine. The SCSR storage plan must be kept current by the mine operator and made available for inspection by an authorized representative of the Mining Board and by the miners' representative.     (e) (Blank).     (f) An operator must provide luminescent direction signs leading to each cache and rescue chamber in a mine, and a luminescent sign with the word "SELF‑RESCUER" or "SELF‑RESCUERS" must be conspicuously posted at each cache and rescue chamber.     (g) Intrinsically safe, battery‑powered strobe lights that have been approved by the Department must be affixed to each cache and rescue chamber and must be capable of automatic activation in the event of an emergency; however, until such time as the Department approves intrinsically safe, battery‑powered strobe lights, reflective tape or any other illuminated material approved by the Department must be affixed to each cache and rescue chamber in a mine.     (h) The Mining Board must adopt and impose a plan for the daily inspection of SCSR devices required under subsections (a), (b), and (c) of this Section in order to ensure that the devices perform their designated functions each working day. Additional SCSR devices required under subsections (c‑5) and (d) must be inspected every 90 days to ensure that the devices perform their designated functions, in addition to meeting all federal Mine Safety and Health Administration requirements.     (i) Any person who, without the authorization of the operator or the Mining Board, knowingly removes or attempts to remove any self‑contained self‑rescue device, battery‑powered strobe light, reflective tape, or any other illuminated material approved by the Department from a mine or mine site with the intent to permanently deprive the operator of the device, light, reflective tape, or illuminated material or who knowingly tampers with or attempts to tamper with the device, light, reflective tape, or illuminated material is guilty of a Class 4 felony.     (j) (Blank).     (k) (Blank). (Source: P.A. 94‑1041, eff. 7‑24‑06; 94‑1101, eff. 2‑9‑07.)

    (225 ILCS 705/11.09)
    Sec. 11.09. Rescue chambers.
    (a) Rescue chambers must be provided and located within 3,000 feet of each working section of a mine, in accordance with a plan submitted by an operator and approved by the Mining Board.
    (b) An operator must submit a plan for approval concerning the construction and maintenance of rescue chambers required under this Section to the Mining Board on or before May 1, 2007.
(Source: P.A. 94‑1041, eff. 7‑24‑06; 94‑1101, eff. 2‑9‑07.)

    (225 ILCS 705/11.10)
    Sec. 11.10. Materials for barricade. Each working section of a mine must have an emergency sled or wagon located no more than 1,000 feet from the working faces of the mine with the following materials and amounts in constant supply:
        (1) 8 timbers of suitable length or roof jacks of

equal capability;

(2) 200 linear feet of brattice cloth of adequate

height to the coal seam;

(3) 2 hand saws;         (4) 20 1 x 6 brattice boards at least 12 feet long

each;

(5) 10 pounds of 10d nails;         (6) 10 pounds of 16d nails;         (7) 10 pounds of spads;         (8) 25 cap boards;         (9) 20 header boards;         (10) 2 axes;         (11) 2 claw hammers;         (12) one sledge hammer;         (13) one shovel;         (14) 10 bags of wood fiber plaster or 5 bags of

cement or the equivalent;

(15) 4 sets of rubber gloves; and         (16) 5 gallons of sealed, distilled drinking water. (Source: P.A. 94‑1041, eff. 7‑24‑06.)

    (225 ILCS 705/11.11)
    Sec. 11.11. Rulemaking. The Mining Board shall adopt all rules necessary for the administration of this Article.
(Source: P.A. 94‑1041, eff. 7‑24‑06.)