Program Policy Manual - VOLUME V - Mine Safety and Health ...

MSHA PROGRAM POLICY MANUAL VOLUME V
75.1720 Protective Clothing; Requirements
Hard hats or hard caps are required to be worn by miners at
underground coal mines in accordance with paragraph (f) of this
Section. The purpose of the safety standard is to provide
substantial protection for the head from falling objects and to
protect miners against electrical shock or burn. Hard hats are
required to be suitable for these purposes, and if they are
painted, the paint base must be nonmetallic.
Hard hats or caps that meet or exceed the applicable
specifications of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
provide appropriate head protection and comply with these
requirements. The applicable standards are ANSI's "Safety
Requirement for Industrial Head Protection," Z89.1, and "Safety
Requirements for Industrial Protective Helmets for Electrical
Workers, Class B," Z89.2.
Hard hats or caps that do not meet or exceed the applicable ANSI
or equivalent standards should not be used. Plastic "baseballtype"
caps and thin plastic hats do not have adequate suspension
systems and are not constructed of sufficiently substantial
material to afford the necessary protection from impact and
penetration of falling objects. Hats or caps constructed of metal
materials create an additional hazard of electrical shock or burn
because they are conductive.
The phrase "when other hazards to the eyes exist from flying
particles" is interpreted to mean that face shields or goggles
shall be worn by miners when performing work such as breaking
material with a hammer, digging with a pick, tightening a roof
support with an axe or hammer, sounding roof, riding in or on
haulage equipment (except closed-type equipment such as covered
man cars), and any other work considered hazardous to the miners'
eyes.
Paragraph (c) of this Section requires that miners wear gloves
whenever they troubleshoot or test energized electric power
circuits or electric equipment. Work gloves in good condition are
acceptable for troubleshooting or testing energized low- and
medium-voltage circuits or equipment.
75.1722 Mechanical Equipment Guards
Guards installed to prevent contact with moving parts of machinery
shall:
1. Be of substantial construction;
2. Be of such construction that openings in the guard are too
small to admit a person's hand;
February 2003 (Release V-33) 156