Mine Safety and Health Administration
Protecting Miners' Safety and Health Since 1978
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U.S. Department of Labor Mine Safety and Health Administration Protecting Miners' Safety and Health Since 1978 |
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ISSUE DATE: March 27, 2007 PROGRAM INFORMATION BULLETIN NO. P07-06 FROM: KEVIN G. STRICKLIN  Acting Administrator for Coal Mine Safety and Health FELIX A. QUINTANA  Administrator for Metal and Nonmetal Mine Safety and Health SUBJECT: Guy Wires of Poles Supporting High-Voltage Electric Power Lines Scope Coal and Metal and Nonmetal (MNM) mine operators, miners and miners' representatives, electrical contractors, Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) enforcement personnel, and other interested parties should have this information. Purpose This Program Information Bulletin (PIB) summarizes and clarifies the requirements in Title 30 of the Code of Federal Regulations (30 CFR) for guy wires attached to poles supporting high-voltage electric power lines at both Coal and MNM mines. This bulletin is also intended to promote consistent enforcement of these standards, as well as promote safety. Information Title 30 CFR 56/57.12047 addresses guy wires of poles supporting high-voltage transmission lines at surface mines and surface areas of underground metal and nonmetal mines. The standards require that guy wires meet the grounding or insulator protection provisions of the National Electrical Safety Code, Part 2, entitled "Safety Rules for the Installation and Maintenance of Electric Supply and Communication Lines" (also referred to as National Bureau of Standards currently, National Institute of Standards and Technology Handbook 81, November 1, 1961) and Supplement 2 thereof, issued March 1968. Title 30 CFR 77.705 addresses guy wires from poles supporting high-voltage transmission lines at surface mines and surface areas of underground coal mines. In using the term "transmission lines," MSHA is referencing all high-voltage electric power lines. This coal standard requires guy wires to be securely connected to the system ground or be provided with insulators installed near the pole end of each guy wire. Compliance with the Coal and MNM standards assures that guy wires do not become energized and present a shock hazard to miners. Therefore, MSHA inspectors and mine operators should:
There have been several fatalities attributed to energized guy wires. The most recent fatality occurred on July 27, 2006, at a crushed stone operation. The accident occurred when a laborer, with two years experience, struck the guy wire of a power pole while using a weed trimmer equipped with a circular steel blade to cut weeds and brush near the pole. The blade severed the guy wire, causing it to contact the 23,000-volt energized conductors of the pole mounted transformer and electrocuting the laborer. An illustration of the hazards leading to this fatality is attached. On May 4, 2006, an independent contractor at a coal mine was electrocuted while clearing brush and timber from the right-of-way of a 12,470-volt transmission line. The victim contacted an energized guy wire that was used to support a pole-mounted transformer bank installed in the right-of-way. On September 19, 1990, a fatality occurred at a coal mine while the victim was moving a loosened guy wire and contacted one phase of the energized high-voltage electric power line. These fatalities could have been prevented if the guy wires had been properly grounded or insulated in accordance with the above referenced standards. Authority Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 30 CFR, Parts 56/57.12047 and 77.705. Contact Person(s) Coal Mine Safety and Health Salwa El-Bassioni, (202) 693-9525 E-mail: el-bassioni.salwa@dol.gov Metal and Nonmetal Safety and Health Milburn Rinehart, (202) 693-9645 E-mail: Rinehart.milburn@dol.gov Internet Availability This program information bulletin may be viewed on the Internet by accessing MSHA's home page at http://www.msha.gov by choosing "Compliance Info." Distribution MSHA Program Policy Manual Holders Miners' Representatives Coal Mine Operators Metal and Nonmetal Mine Operators Special Interest Groups See Attachment |
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