143. Precautions against dust.

(1) The owner, agent or manager of every mine shall take such steps as may be
necessary for minimising of emissions of dust and for the suppression of dust
which enters the air at any workplace belowground or on surface and for
ensuring that the exposure of workers to respirable dust is limited to an
extent that is reasonably practicable but in any case not exceeding the limits
that are harmful to the health of persons.
(2) For the purposes of this regulation, a place shall not be deemed to be in a ham
less state for person to work or pass or remain therein if the 8 hours tima
weighted average concentration of airborne respirable dust in milligrame
per cubic meter of air sampled by dust sampler of a type approved by and deter
mined in accordance with the procedure as specified by the Chief
Inspector
by a general or special order, exceeds two, where working is being made wholy
in a coal seam or where free respirable silica present is less than 5% and
the
 PRECAUTIONS AGAINST DANGERS FROM FIRE, DUST, GAS AND
WATER 119
operation or operations shall not be resumed or allowed to be
The carried on
1)untilimprovements have been made in the prevention and suppression of dust
andfreshsamplingcarried out immediately on resumption of the said operation
oroperations has established that such improvements have reduced the dust
concentration below the permissible limit:
Providedthat if the dust prevention and suppression device ofafany machinery
equipmentfails to operate efficiently, the operation of the said machinery or
or
equipmentshall likewise cease and shall not be resumed until the defect therein has
beenrectified:
Provided further that, purely as a contingency measure or as a secondary
means of protectionin a work situation wherein it is technically not feasible to
reducethe respirable dust concentration below the permissible limit or during the
to install and commission any device or to institute any new
time periodInecessary suppression, compliance with the permissible
work practice for dust prevention or failing
limitof dust may be achieved by remote operation or by job rotation and
which by the use of suitable dust respirator.
where need of dust respirators
(12) The owner, agent or manager of every mine number and at no cost to
might arise, shallprovide dust respirators in sufficient
the dust respirators to be
the concerned work persons for their use; for and
efficient working order,
regularly cleaned, disinfected and maintained in
the proper fitting of and for thorough training of the concerned workers in
for
the need for and correct use of respirators.
accumulation of dust andthe propagation of
(13) To prevent the liberation and have effect, namely:
airborne dust, the following provisions shall
shall be suppressed as close as possible to its source of formation;
(a) dust
during any operation of drilling or boring in stone on surface or belowground,
(b)
production of dust shall be reduced by using bits which are sharp
() the keeping suitable pressure on the bits and by
and of proper shape, by
cuttings;
keeping the holes clear of the on to
naturally wet ground, ajet of water shall be directed
(1) except in
to wet the cuttings or other equally efiicient device,
edge
the cutting
the Chief Inspector, shall be provided and kept in
approved by prevent the
throughout the drilling or boring operation to
operation where pneumatic drilling is
atmosphere being charged with dust and before turning on compressed
performed, water shall be turned on
air to the drill:
drilling is done by hand, it shallbe sufticient if holes
Provided that where
are kept constantlymoist during such drilling:
belowground, where mobile mining machin-
(C) every roadway on surface or be effectively treated with some
regularly wetted or shall
eIy ply, shall be reduce dust beingraisedin
the atmosphere
other equally efficient agent to
to a minimum;