Means of access and egress

• Pages: 5-7

CHAPTER II

MEANS OF ACCESS AND EGRESS

REGULATION 3. GENERAL PROVISIONS

1.

Except for the duration of shaft sinking and the necessary

development operations, and unless national laws or regulations

provide otherwise for special cases, from all sections or districts

underground there shall be accessible at all times two separate

adequately travellable means of egress.

2.

In all new installations the two means of egress to the

surface shall—

fa) be of sufficient cross-sectional area throughout;

(b) be separated by sufficient thickness of strata; and

(c) not have their surface openings in the same building.

3.

In mines in which the two means of egress are shafts in

close proximity one to the other, these shafts shall both be sunk

to the lowest level in operation, unless other safe means of egress

are provided to the satisfaction of the competent authority.

4.

Both means of egress shall be kept in a safe condition for

easy travelling.

5.

In all mines employing more than a certain number of

men to be specified in national laws or regulations, shafts or other

inclined outlets shall be provided with adequate transport equip-

ment that is suitable for the conveyance of persons and is constantly

maintained in safe working order.

6. In new installations all practicable precautions shall be

taken to ensure that, where the only means of egress are winding

shafts,

the two winding engines do not fail simultaneously and

in particular—

(a) in the case of steam winding engines, the boilers supplying

the steam shall not be in the same boiler house; and

(b) in the case of electric winding engines, the engines shall be

capable of being connected to two separate power supplies:

Provided that the requirements under (a) and (b) shall not

apply where emergency winding gear is available or where ladder-