30 CFR § 75.1502
Mine emergency evacuation and firefighting program of instruction.
Each operator of an underground coal mine shall adopt and follow a
mine emergency evacuation and firefighting program that instructs all
miners in the proper procedures they must follow if a mine emergency
occurs.
(a) Program approval. The operator shall submit this program of
instruction, and any revisions, for approval to the District Manager of
the Coal Mine Safety and Health district in which the mine is located.
Within 30 days of approval, the operator shall conduct training in
accordance with the revised program.
(b) New or revised provisions. Before implementing any new or
revised approved provision in the program of instruction, the operator
shall instruct miners in the change.
(c) Instruction plan. The approved program shall include a specific
plan designed to instruct miners on all shifts on the following:
(1) Procedures for--
(i) Evacuating the mine for mine emergencies that present an
imminent danger to miners due to fire, explosion, or gas or water
inundation;
(ii) Evacuating all miners not required for a mine emergency
response; and
(iii) The rapid assembly and transportation of necessary miners,
fire suppression equipment, and rescue apparatus to the scene of the
mine emergency.
(2) The use, care, and maintenance of self-rescue devices,
including hands-on training in the complete donning and transferring of
all types of self-rescue devices used at the mine.
(3) Scenarios requiring a discussion of options and a decision as
to the best option for evacuation under each of the various mine
emergencies (fires, explosions, or gas or water inundations). These
options shall include:
(i) Encountering conditions in the mine or circumstances that
require immediate donning of self-rescue devices.
(ii) Using continuous directional lifelines or equivalent devices,
tethers, and doors;
(iii) Traversing undercasts or overcasts;
(iv) Switching escapeways, as applicable; and
(v) Negotiating any other unique escapeway conditions.
(4) Location and use of the fire suppression and firefighting
equipment and materials available in the mine.
(5) Location of the escapeways, exits, routes of travel to the
surface, including the location of continuous directional lifelines or
equivalent devices.
(6) Location, quantity, types, and use of stored SCSRs, as
applicable.
(7) A review of the mine map; the escapeway system; the escape,
firefighting, and emergency evacuation plans in effect at the mine; and
the location of abandoned areas.
(8) A description of how miners will receive annual expectations
training that includes practical experience in donning and transferring
SCSRs in smoke, simulated smoke, or an equivalent environment and
breathing through a realistic SCSR training unit or device that
provides the sensation of SCSR airflow resistance and heat.
(d) Instructors. (1) The mine operator shall designate a person who
has the ability, training, knowledge, or experience to conduct the mine
emergency evacuation instruction and drills in his or her area of
expertise.
(2) Persons conducting SCSR donning and transferring training shall
be able to effectively train and evaluate whether miners can
successfully don the SCSR and transfer to additional SCSR devices.
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