Slope and Shaft Sinking Plans, 30 CFR 77.1900 (Pertains to the Surface Work Areas of Underground Coal Mines)

Section 103(h) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine Act), 30 U.S.C. § 813, authorizes MSHA to collect information necessary to carry out its duty in protecting the safety and health of miners. Title 30 C.F.R. § 77.1900 requires underground coal mine operators to submit for approval a plan that will provide for the safety of workmen in each slope or shaft that is commenced or extended from the surface to the underground coal mine. Each slope or shaft sinking operation is unique in that each operator uses different methods and equipment and encounters different geological strata which make it impossible for a single set of regulations to ensure the safety of the miners under all circumstances. This makes an individual slope or shaft sinking plan necessary. The plan must be consistent with prudent engineering design. Plans include the name and location of the mine; name and address of the mine operator; a description of the construction work and methods to be used in construction of the slope or shaft, and whether all or part of the work will be performed by a contractor; the elevation, depth and dimensions of the slope or shaft; the location and elevation of the coalbed; the general characteristics of the strata through which the slope or shaft will be developed; the type of equipment which the operator proposes to use; the system of ventilation to be used; and safeguards for the prevention of caving during excavation.

The latest form for Slope and Shaft Sinking Plans, 30 CFR 77.1900 (Pertains to the Surface Work Areas of Underground Coal Mines) expires 2023-07-31 and can be found here.