Effective 28 Aug 1959

293.260. Explosive strongbox required — employment of shot firers, duties — penalty. — 1. All owners, agents or operators of coal mines shall require of all miners or other persons employed in and about a mine, using gun or blasting powder or other explosives, to have and keep a strongbox in which all surplus gun and blasting powder or other explosives in the mine shall be kept, excepting so much as is necessary for immediate use. These boxes shall be kept locked and not opened unless it be to put in or take out powder. Nor must these strong (or powder) boxes be kept nearer than one hundred feet to the place of blasting.

2. And in all dry and dusty coal mines discharging light carbonated hydrogen gas, or in mines where the coal is blasted off the solid, shot firers must be employed by the operator of said mine or mines, to fire all shots after the employees and other persons have retired from the mine.

3. And all shots prepared by the miner for the extraction of coal from off the solid must be so placed, drilled and charged that the same, when fired, shall perform safely the duty required of such shots; but if the shot firers find or discover that a drill hole is gripping too much, or that it is drilled too much into what the miners term "the tight", and as may in the judgment of the shot firers prove a windy, blown-out or otherwise dangerous shot, said shot firers shall there and then condemn such shot as too dangerous to fire and pass the same without firing it.

4. It shall also be the duty of the shot firers to notify the mine foreman as soon as practicable, when a shot is condemned, who shall in turn attract the attention of the miner or miners responsible for the preparation of said condemned shot, and said miner or miners shall immediately after returning to work provide the necessary remedy to render the said condemned shot harmless.

5. Any agent, owner or operator of any coal mine in this state violating the provisions of this section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and for each offense, on conviction, shall be fined not less than one hundred dollars nor more than two hundred and fifty dollars, or by imprisonment in the county jail not less than six months nor more than one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment, proceedings to be instituted in any court having competent jurisdiction.

­­--------

(L. 1959 S.B. 188 §§ 28, 29)