Section 690-249 - Hoisting equipment and operations(a) General duties of operator or superintendent.--(1) The operator or superintendent of a bituminous coal mine worked by shaft shall provide and maintain: (i) A telephone or other means of communication from the top to the bottom and intermediate landings of the shaft.(ii) A standard means of signaling.(iii) An effective safety catch, bridle chains, automatic stopping device and automatic overwind.(iv) A sufficient cover on every cage used for lowering or hoisting individuals.(v) An effective safety gate at the top of the cage shaft and intermediate landings controlled by the cage.(vi) An adequate brake on the drum of every machine used to lower or hoist individuals in the shaft.(2) The operator shall have the machinery used for lowering and hoisting individuals into or out of the mine kept in safe condition and equipped with a reliable indicator. Cages and elevators shall be inspected once in each 24 hours by a competent individual of the company or by a manufacturer's representative and a safety catch test made every two months, a record kept thereof and a copy sent to the department.(3)(i) Where a hoisting engineer is required, he shall be readily available at all times when individuals are in the mine. The hoisting engineer shall operate the empty cage up and down the shaft at least one round trip at the beginning of each shift, after material has been lowered or hoisted and after the hoist has been idle for one hour or more before hoisting or lowering individuals.(ii) Subparagraph (i) shall not apply to elevators used exclusively for hoisting and lowering individuals.(4) There shall be cut out around the side of the hoisting shaft, or driven through the solid strata at the bottom thereof, a travelingway not less than five feet high and three feet wide to enable an individual to pass the shaft in going from one side to the other without passing over or under the cage or other hoisting apparatus.(5) Positive stop blocks or derails shall be placed near the top and bottom, at all intermediate landings of slopes and surface inclines and at approaches to all shaft landings.(6) A waiting station with sufficient room, ample clearance from moving equipment and adequate seating facilities shall be provided where individuals are required to wait for man-trips or cages. The individuals shall remain in the station until the man-trip or cage is available.(7) No hoisting engineer shall be required for automatically operated cages or elevators.(b) Duties of mine foreman.--(1) When hoisting or lowering of individuals occurs during darkness at any mine operated by shaft, the mine foreman shall provide and maintain at the shaft mouth a light of stationary character sufficient to show the landing and all surrounding objects distinctly and sufficient light of a stationary character shall be located at the bottom of the shaft so that individuals going to the bottom may clearly discern the cages, elevators and other objects contiguous thereto.(2) The mine foreman shall see that: (i) No cages or elevators on which individuals ride are lifted or lowered at a rate of speed greater than 900 feet per minute.(ii) No mine cars, either empty or loaded, are hoisted or lowered on cages while individuals are being lowered or hoisted.(iii) No cage having an unstable self-dump platform shall be used for carrying individuals unless the cage is provided with some device by which it may be securely locked when individuals are being hoisted or lowered into the mine.(c) Ropes, links and chains.--(1) In shafts where coal is hoisted and individuals lowered into or hoisted from the mine, the ropes, links and chains shall be of ample strength, with a factor of safety of not less than five to one of the maximum load.(2) In shafts used exclusively for lowering or hoisting individuals and material, the factor of safety of ropes, links and chains shall not be less than ten to one of the maximum load.(3) All ropes, links and chains shall be carefully examined at least once every 24 hours by a competent individual delegated for that purpose by the superintendent.(4) Any defect found from the examination, by which life and limb may be endangered, shall be reported at once in writing to the superintendent, who shall immediately proceed to remedy the defect. Until that is accomplished, the superintendent shall prohibit any individual from being lowered into or hoisted from the mine by the defective apparatus.(5) The individual making the examination shall keep a daily record of each inspection, in ink, in a book kept at the mine office for that purpose.(d) Cage requirements.--(1)(i) The operator or superintendent shall provide every cage used for lowering or hoisting individuals with handrails at sides or overhead or additional suitable devices and with a bar or gate at ends.(ii) Subparagraph (i) shall not apply to elevators used exclusively for lowering and hoisting individuals.(2) The ropes shall be securely attached to the sides of the drum of every machine that is used for lowering and hoisting individuals or material into and out of the mine, and the flanges shall have a clearance of not less than four inches when the whole of the rope is wound on the drum.(e) Signaling system.--(1) In all shafts and slopes where individuals, coal and other materials are hoisted by machinery, a system of signaling approved by the department shall be in effect. The following code of signals shall be used:(i) One signal to hoist the car or cage.(ii) One signal to stop the car or cage when in motion.(iii) Two signals to lower the car or cage.(iv) Three signals to hoist individuals.(2) The hoist operator shall signal back when ready, after which the individual shall get on the car or cage, and then one signal shall be given to hoist.2008, July 7, P.L. 654, No. 55, §249, effective in 180 days [ 1/5/2009].