[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 130 (Friday, July 8, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-16575]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: July 8, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Mine Safety and Health Administration
Petitions for Modification
The following parties have filed petitions to modify the
application of mandatory safety standards under section 101(c) of the
Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977.
1. Chestnut Coal Company
[Docket No. M-94-72-C]
Chestnut Coal Company, R.D. #3, Box 142, Sunbury, Pennsylvania
17801 has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 75.360
(preshift examination) to its No. 10 Slope (I.D. No. 36-07059) located
in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. The petitioner proposes to
examine each seal for physical damage from the slope gunboat during the
preshift examination after an air quantity reading is taken in by the
intake portal and to test for the quantity and quality of air at the
intake air split locations off the slope in the gangway portion of the
working section. The petitioner proposes to physically examine the
entire length of the slope once a month. The petitioner asserts that
the proposed alternate method would provide at least the same measure
of protection as would the mandatory standard.
2. Chestnut Coal Company
[Docket No. M-94-73-C]
Chestnut Coal Company, R.D. #3, Box 142, Sunbury, Pennsylvania
17801 has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 75.335
(construction of seals) to its No. 10 Slope (I.D. No. 36-07059) located
in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. The petitioner requests a
modification of the standard to permit alternative methods of seal
construction using wooden materials of moderate size and weight due to
the difficulty in accessing previously driven headings and breasts
containing inaccessible abandoned workings; to accept a design
criterion in the 10 psi range; and to permit the water trap to be
installed in the gangway seal and sampling tube in the monkey seal for
seals installed in pairs. The petitioner asserts that the proposed
alternate method would provide at least the same measure of protection
as would the mandatory standard.
3. Chestnut Coal Company
[Docket No. M-94-74-C]
Chestnut Coal Company, R.D. #3, Box 142, Sunbury, Pennsylvania
17801 has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR
75.364(b)(1), (4), and (5) (weekly examination) to its No. 10 Slope
(I.D. No. 36-07059) located in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. Due
to hazardous conditions and roof falls, certain areas of the intake
haulage slope and primary escapeway cannot be traveled safely. The
petitioner proposes to examine these areas from the gunboat/slope car
with an alternative air quality evaluation at the section's intake
level, and to travel and thoroughly examine these areas for hazardous
conditions once a month. The petitioner asserts that the proposed
alternate method would provide at least the same measure of protection
as would the mandatory standard.
4. Chestnut Coal Company
[Docket No. M-94-75-C]
Chestnut Coal Company, R.D. #3, Box 142, Sunbury, Pennsylvania
17801 has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 75.1100-
2(a)(2) (quantity and location of firefighting equipment) to its No. 10
Slope (I.D. No. 36-07059) located in Northumberland County,
Pennsylvania. The petitioner proposes to use only portable fire
extinguishers to replace existing requirements where rock dust, water
cars, and other water storage are not practical. The petitioner asserts
that the proposed alternative method would provide at least the same
measure of protection as would the mandatory standard.
5. Chestnut Coal Company
[Docket No. M-94-76-C]
Chestnut Coal Company, R.D. #3, Box 142, Sunbury, Pennsylvania
17801 has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 75.1202-
1(a) (temporary notations, revisions, and supplements) to its No. 10
Slope (I.D. No. 36-07059) located in Northumberland County,
Pennsylvania. The petitioner proposes to revise and supplement mine
maps on an annual basis instead of the required 6 month interval and to
update maps daily by hand notations. The petitioner asserts that the
proposed alternative method would provide at least the same measure of
protection as would the mandatory standard.
6. Costain Coal Inc.
[Docket No. M-94-77-C]
Costain Coal Inc., P.O. Box 289, Sturgis, Kentucky 42459-0289 has
filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 75.380(f)(2)
(escapeways; bituminous and lignite mines) to its Wheatcroft Mine (I.D.
No. 15-13920); its Baker Mine (I.D. No. 15-14492); and its Smith
Underground No. 1 Mine (I.D. No. 15-16020) all located in Webster
County, Kentucky. The petitioner requests to be excluded from the
requirement that equipment used to transport persons in the primary
escapeway be equipped with a multi-purpose dry powder fire suppression
system, as it may apply to electric, nonpermissible golf carts. The
petitioner states that the golf cart operators are experienced
supervisory or maintenance personnel; that the golf carts are equipped
with a 10-pound, dry chemical fire extinguisher; that the golf carts
have virtually no flammable materials incorporated in their structure;
and that a golf cart fire would have minimal effect on the mine
environment because of the nominal size of the golf cart and the
relatively large size of the entries being traveled. The petitioner
asserts that the proposed alternative method would provide at least the
same measure of protection as would the mandatory standard.
7. K & S Coal Company
[Docket No. M-94-78-C]
K & S Coal Company, R.D. #2, Box 145, Hegins, Pennsylvania 17938
has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 75.335
(construction of seals) to its First Chance Slope (I.D. No. 36-07629)
located in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. The petitioner requests a
modification of the standard to permit alternative methods of seal
construction using wooden materials of moderate size and weight due to
the difficulty in accessing previously driven headings and breasts
containing inaccessible abandoned workings; to accept a design
criterion in the 10 psi range; and to permit the water trap to be
installed in the gangway seal and sampling tube in the monkey seal for
seals installed in pairs. The petitioner asserts that the proposed
alternate method would provide at least the same measure of protection
as would the mandatory standard.
8. K & S Coal Company
[Docket No. M-94-79-C]
K & S Coal Company, R.D. #2, Box 145, Hegins, Pennsylvania 17938
has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 75.340
(underground electrical installations) to its First Chance Slope (I.D.
No. 36-07629) located in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. As an
alternative to removing the batteries and transporting them in the
gunboat to the surface for charging, the petitioner proposes to charge
batteries on the mine's locomotive when all miners are out of the mine
and to have the intake air which is used to ventilate the charging
station continue through its normal route to the last open crosscut and
into the monkey airway (return). The petitioner asserts that the
proposed alternate method would provide at least the same measure of
protection as would the mandatory standard.
9. K & S Coal Company
[Docket No. M-94-80-C]
K & S Coal Company, R.D. #2, Box 145, Hegins, Pennsylvania 17938
has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 75.360
(preshift examination) to its First Chance Slope (I.D. No. 36-07629)
located in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. The petitioner proposes to
examine each seal for physical damage from the slope gunboat during the
preshift examination after an air quantity reading is taken in by the
intake portal and to test for the quantity and quality of air at the
intake air split locations off the slope in the gangway portion of the
working section. The petitioner proposes to physically examine the
entire length of the slope once a month. The petitioner asserts that
the proposed alternate method would provide at least the same measure
of protection as would the mandatory standard.
10. K & S Coal Company
[Docket No. M-94-81-C]
K & S Coal Company, R.D. #2, Box 145, Hegins, Pennsylvania 17938
has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 75.364(b) (1),
(4), and (5) (weekly examination) to its First Chance Slope (I.D. No.
36-07629) located in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. Due to hazardous
conditions and roof falls, certain areas of the intake haulage slope
and primary escapeway cannot be traveled safely. The petitioner
proposes to examine these areas from the gunboat/slope car with an
alternative air quality evaluation at the section's intake level, and
to travel and thoroughly examine these areas for hazardous conditions
once a month. The petitioner asserts that the proposed alternate method
would provide at least the same measure of protection as would the
mandatory standard.
11. K & S Coal Company
[Docket No. M-94-82-C]
K & S Coal Company, R.D. #2, Box 145, Hegins, Pennsylvania 17938
has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 75.1100-
2(a)(2) (quantity and location of firefighting equipment) to its First
Chance Slope (I.D. No. 36-07629) located in Schuylkill County,
Pennsylvania. The petitioner proposes to use only portable fire
extinguishers to replace existing requirements where rock dust, water
cars, and other water storage are not practical. The petitioner asserts
that the proposed alternate method would provide at least the same
measure of protection as would the mandatory standard.
12. K & S Coal Company
[Docket No. M-94-83-C]
K & S Coal Company, R.D. #2, Box 145, Hegins, Pennsylvania 17938
has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 75.1200(i)
(mine map) to its First Chance Slope (I.D. No. 36-07629) located in
Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. The petitioner proposes to limit the
mapping of mines above and below mine workings to those present within
100 feet of the vein being mined except when veins are interconnected
to other veins beyond the 100 feet limit through rock tunnels. The
petitioner asserts that the proposed alternate method would provide at
least the same measure of protection as would the mandatory standard.
13. Brookside Coal Company
[Docket No. M-94-84-C]
Brookside Coal Company, Box 64, Spring Glen, Pennsylvania 17978 has
filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 75.1400 (hoisting
equipment; general) to its Diamond Vein Slope (I.D. No. 36-08456)
located in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. Because of the steep,
frequently changing pitch and numerous curves and knuckles in the main
haulage slope, the petitioner proposes to use the gunboat without
safety catches in transporting persons. As an alternative, when using
the gunboat to transport persons, the petitioner proposes to use an
increased rope strength safety factor and secondary safety connections
which are securely fastened around the gunboat and to the hoisting rope
above the main connecting device. The petitioner asserts that the
proposed alternate method would provide at least the same measure of
protection as would the mandatory standard.
14. K & S Coal Company
[Docket No. M-94-85-C]
K & S Coal Company, R.D. #2, Box 145, Hegins, Pennsylvania 17938
has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 75.1202-1(a)
(temporary notations, revisions, and supplements) to its First Chance
Slope (I.D. No. 36-07629) located in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.
The petitioner proposes to revise and supplement mine maps on an annual
basis instead of the required 6 month interval and to update maps daily
by hand notations. The petitioner asserts that the proposed alternate
method would provide at least the same measure of protection as would
the mandatory standard.
15. Shadle Coal Company
[Docket No. M-94-86-C]
Shadle Coal Company, R.D. #4, Box 358-D, Pine Grove, Pennsylvania
17963 has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 75.335
(construction of seals) to its Shadle Slope (I.D. No. 36-06031) located
in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. The petitioner requests a
modification of the standard to permit alternative methods of seal
construction using wooden materials of moderate size and weight due to
the difficulty in accessing previously driven headings and breasts
containing inaccessible abandoned workings; to accept a design
criterion in the 10 psi range; and to permit the water trap to be
installed in the gangway seal and sampling tube in the monkey seal for
seals installed in pairs. The petitioner asserts that the proposed
alternate method would provide at least the same measure of protection
as would the mandatory standard.
16. Shadle Coal Company
[Docket No. M-94-88-C]
Shadle Coal Company, R.D. #4, Box 358-D, Pine Grove, Pennsylvania
17963 has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 75.1202-
1(a) (temporary notations, revisions, and supplements) to its Shadle
Slope (I.D. No. 36-06031) located in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.
The petitioner proposes to revise and supplement mine maps on an annual
basis instead of the required 6 month interval and to update maps daily
by hand notations. The petitioner asserts that the proposed alternate
method would provide at least the same measure of protection as would
the mandatory standard.
17. Shadle Coal Company
[Docket No. M-94-89-C]
Shadle Coal Company, R.D. #4, Box 358-D, Pine Grove, Pennsylvania
17963 has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR
75.1200(i) (mine map) to its Shadle Slope (I.D. No. 36-06031) located
in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. The petitioner proposes to limit
the mapping of mines above and below mine workings to those present
within 100 feet of the vein being mined except when veins are
interconnected to other veins beyond the 100 feet limit through rock
tunnels. The petitioner asserts that the proposed alternate method
would provide at least the same measure of protection as would the
mandatory standard.
18. Shadle Coal Company
[Docket No. M-94-90-C]
Shadle Coal Company, R.D. #4, Box 358-D, Pine Grove, Pennsylvania
17963 has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 75.1100-
2(a)(2) (quantity and location of firefighting equipment) to its Shadle
Slope (I.D. No. 36-06031) located in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.
The petitioner proposes to use only portable fire extinguishers to
replace existing requirements where rock dust, water cars, and other
water storage are not practical. The petitioner asserts that the
proposed alternate method would provide at least the same measure of
protection as would the mandatory standard.
19. Shadle Coal Company
[Docket No. M-94-91-C]
Shadle Coal Company, R.D. #4, Box 358-D, Pine Grove, Pennsylvania
17963 has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR
75.364)(b)(1), (4), and (5) (weekly examination) to its Shadle Slope
(I.D. No. 36-06031) located in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. Due to
hazardous conditions and roof falls, certain areas of the intake
haulage slope and primary escapeway cannot be traveled safely. The
petitioner proposes to examine these areas from the gunboat/slope car
with an alternative air quality evaluation at the section's intake
level, and to travel and thoroughly examine these areas for hazardous
conditions once a month. The petitioner asserts that the proposed
alternate method would provide at least the same measure of protection
as would the mandatory standard.
20. Shadle Coal Company
[Docket No. M-94-92-C]
Shadle Coal Company, R.D. #4, Box 358-D, Pine Grove, Pennsylvania
17963 has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 75.360
(preshift examination) to its Shadle Slope (I.D. No. 36-06031) located
in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. The petitioner proposes to examine
each seal for physical damage from the slope gunboat during the
preshift examination after an air quantity reading is taken in by the
intake portal and to test for the quantity and quality of air at the
intake air split locations off the slope in the gangway portion of the
working section. The petitioner proposes to physically examine the
entire length of the slope once a month. The petitioner asserts that
the proposed alternate method would provide at least the same measure
of protection as would the mandatory standard.
21. Island Creek Coal Company
[Docket No. M-94-93-C]
Island Creek Coal Company, 1800 Washington Road, Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania 15241-1421 has filed a petition to modify the application
of 30 CFR 75.1002 (trolley wires and trolley feeder wires, high-voltage
cables and transformers) to its VP-8 Mine (I.D. No. 44-03795) located
in Buchanan County, Virginia. The petitioner proposes to use high-
voltage cables to supply power to a longwall mining system in by the
last open crosscut. The petitioner states that application of the
standard would result in a diminution of safety to the miners. In
addition, the petitioner asserts that the proposed alternate method
would provide at least the same measure of protection as would the
mandatory standard.
Request for Comments
Persons interested in these petitions may furnish written comments.
These comments must be filed with the Office of Standards, Regulations
and Variances, Mine Safety and Health Administration, Room 627, 4015
Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia 22203. All comments must be
postmarked or received in that office on or before August 8, 1994.
Copies of these petitions are available for inspection at that address.
Dated: July 1, 1994.
Patricia W. Silvey,
Director, Office of Standards, Regulations and Variances.
[FR Doc. 94-16575 Filed 7-7-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-43-P
