SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 33
(By Senator Deem)
Requesting the Director of the Office of Miners' Health, Safety and
Training create a special safety task force for underground
coal mining and requesting the Board of Coal Mine Health and
Safety adopt certain rules.
Whereas, The Director of the Office of Miners' Health, Safety
and Training has the statutory responsibility for approving or
disapproving the opening or reopening of underground coal mines;
and
Whereas, The transportation of miners and supplies in
underground coal mines is also governed by statute subject to the
discretion of a certified foreman; and
Whereas, There appears to be a need for research and study on
different methods of transporting miners and supplies in
underground coal mines in order to better ensure the safety and
efficiency of miners and mining operations; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Director of the Office of Miners' Health, Safety and
Training is hereby requested, not later than the first day of July,
2002, to create a special safety task force consisting of an equal
number of miners or their representatives and mine management
personnel to research and study different methods of transporting miners and supplies in underground coal mines. Members of the
special safety task force shall be recommended and selected in
accordance with section three, article six, chapter twenty-two-a of
the code of West Virginia. After completing this study, the
special safety task force is requested to make recommendations to
improve the safety and efficiency of underground mine
transportation systems, including proposed rules, to the Board of
Coal Mine Health and Safety or the Coal Mine Health and Safety
Technical Review Committee. Upon receiving a recommendation for a
proposed rule, the Board of Coal Mine Health and Safety is then
requested to adopt the rule or rules notwithstanding the provisions
of section six, article two, chapter twenty-two-a of the code of
West Virginia, as amended; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the Senate is hereby
directed to forward a copy of this resolution to the Director of
the Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training, the Board of
Coal Mine Health and Safety and the Coal Mine Health and Safety
Technical Review Committee.