Metal and Nonmetal National Mine Rescue Contest Rules

PROCEDURES FOR GETTING UNDER OXYGENDRAEGER BG-174A BREATHING APPARATUSProcedures for Getting Under Oxygen:1. Open cyl in der valve fully.2. Don the facepiece by press ing the chin against the chinsup port; pull the facepiece up into po si tion; then, pullthe har ness over the head. Tighten the neck straps.Tighten the tem ple straps next.3. Tighten the top straps last. It is es sen tial that thefacepiece fit well. A badly fit ting facepiece not only en -dan gers the wearer by the pos si ble in ward leak age ofcon tam i nated air, but also short ens the pe riod of use ofthe ap pa ra tus by al low ing the es cape of ox y gen from theclosed circuit.4. Check the facepiece tight ness by tightly clos ing bothbreath ing tubes and in hal ing. The facepiece should col -lapse against the face, in di cat ing no leaks. Main tain thetubes closed and ex hale slowly and forc ibly into thefacepiece. Sig nif i cant pres sure should build up in themask be fore leak ing be tween the facepiece and the facein di cat ing a good facepiece seal.5. Check the pres sure gauge to see that a suf fi cient ox y gensup ply re mains. Press by-pass valve mo men tarily andob serve the chest gauge. If the pres sure drops and thewhis tle blows, the O 2 group is re stricted and the unit isnot in a use able condition.6. Each team mem ber and ap pa ra tus should be re checkedby the team cap tain. The team cap tain and ap pa ra tusshould be re checked by a team member.Items to be Checked Prior to Going Underground andat 20-Minute Intervals1. Visually check apparatus.2. Check gauge.3. Ques tion mem ber as to mem ber’s abil ity to con tinue.67