Effective: October 29, 1995
Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 162 - 121st General Assembly
Except as provided in this section, the operator of an underground coal mine shall not employ, or permit any person to work therein, unless there are at least two openings to every seam worked in such mine, separated by natural strata of not less than one hundred feet in breadth at any point, by which distinct means of ingress and egress are always available to the persons therein employed. Such openings need not belong to the same mine so long as the persons employed therein have safe, ready, and available means of ingress and egress, by not less than two openings; provided that no air shaft with a ventilating furnace at the bottom shall be designated or used as a means of ingress or egress. This section does not apply to:
(A) Opening a new mine; however, not more than twenty miners may be allowed at any one time in any mine until a connection has been made between the two mine openings. Such connections shall be made as quickly as possible.
(B) A mine in which the second opening has become unavailable for any reason, so long as not more than twenty persons are employed therein at any one time and are engaged in the process of restoring the second opening or developing a new opening;
(C) A mine in which the second opening has become unavailable by reason of the final robbing of the pillars previous to abandonment, so long as not more than twenty persons are employed therein at one time, and the distance between the mine opening and the working face does not exceed five hundred feet.
No operator of a mine shall refuse or neglect to comply with this section.
Structure Ohio Revised Code
Title 15 | Conservation of Natural Resources
Chapter 1563 | Mine Construction, Maintenance, Abandonment
Section 1563.01 | Chapter Does Not Apply to Chapter 1514 Activities.
Section 1563.02 | Gaseous Mine Defined.
Section 1563.03 | Map of New Mine.
Section 1563.04 | Survey - Copies of Map and Survey - Certification.
Section 1563.05 | Failure to Make and File Map or Addition.
Section 1563.06 | Right of Entry.
Section 1563.07 | Examination or Survey of Mine by Adjoining Landowner - Notice.
Section 1563.08 | Surveying Party - Fees.
Section 1563.09 | Examination or Survey - Liability for Damage.
Section 1563.10 | Refusal to Permit Survey - Judgment.
Section 1563.11 | Mining Near Public Roads.
Section 1563.111 | Mining Near Oil or Gas Well.
Section 1563.12 | Construction Regulations to Be Observed in Opening Mine.
Section 1563.13 | Maintenance of Means of Egress From Mine.
Section 1563.14 | Two Openings Required - Exceptions.
Section 1563.15 | Additional Opening for Protection Against Inundation.
Section 1563.17 | Break-Throughs and Brattices.
Section 1563.18 | Separate Traveling Ways.
Section 1563.19 | Slopes and Mechanical Haulageways - Refuge Holes.
Section 1563.20 | Track in Mines - Minimum Clearance.
Section 1563.21 | Location of Boilers.
Section 1563.24 | Mine Foreperson of Gaseous Mine - Powers and Duties.
Section 1563.25 | Accumulation of Combustible Materials Prohibited.
Section 1563.26 | Rock Dusting - Testing of Dust Samples.
Section 1563.27 | Examination of Working Place by Mine Foreman.
Section 1563.28 | Examination of Working Place by Fire Boss.
Section 1563.29 | Examination of Working Place by Miner.
Section 1563.30 | Unsafe Working Place.
Section 1563.31 | Work to Cease When Working Place Found Dangerous.
Section 1563.32 | Fencing of Dangerous Places - Danger Signs.
Section 1563.33 | Roof Control System and Plan.
Section 1563.34 | Operator Program for Improving Roof Control Systems.
Section 1563.35 | Criteria or Specifications Applied to Plans.
Section 1563.36 | Excessive Widths of Rooms and Entries or Faulty Pillar Recovery Methods.
Section 1563.37 | Operator to Supply Roof Support Materials - Roof Bolts - Testing of Danger Areas.
Section 1563.39 | Precautions When Working Place Approaches Completed or Abandoned Workings.
Section 1563.40 | Closing of Openings to Abandoned Mines - Closing Abandoned Vertical Shafts.
Section 1563.41 | Sealing Off Abandoned Workings.
Section 1563.42 | Filing of Map of Abandoned Mine.
Section 1563.43 | When Notice to Chief Required.