(1)In every mine,-(a)unless expressly exempted in writing by the Regional Inspector, adequate quantity of water at sufficient pressure shall be provided to all working places belowground and all other places of fire risk such as coal stocks, spoil heaps containing carbonaceous material and exposed coal surfaces liable to heating, for the purpose of efficient fire fighting;(b)fire stations with suitable supply of fire-fighting equipment shall be established and kept maintained at convenient points, both on surface and belowground; and(c)sufficient supply of sand or incombustible material and suitable portable fire extinguishers in sufficient quantity or automatically operated fire suppression devices shall be Provided at-(i)every entrance to a mine or district and at every landing and shaft bottom in use;(ii)every place where timber, grease oil or other inflammable material is stored;(iii)every engine room, diesel engine maintenance workshop, filling station and storage battery charging station;(iv)on each track and off-track locomotive, self propelled manriding car and personnel carrier;(v)each permanent and temporary electrical installation;(vi)at locations where welding, cutting or soldering with arc or flame is being done;(vii)every HEMM used in opencast working;(viii)every machinery, plant and installations; and(ix)such other special places of fire risk as may be specified by the manager;(d)conveyor belt installation, specially designed water, foam spray, deluge systems or dry chemicals shall be installed above each belt drive, belt take up, electrical control, gear reducing unit and other strategic locations on the conveyor belt system.(e)adequate number of suitable fire extinguishers or automatically operated fire suppression devices shall be provided on continuous mining machines, other face cutting machines, loading machines, roof bolting machines and other hauling machines.(2)Soda-acid type extinguishers or water shall not be used for fighting oil or electrical fires.(3)Foam type extinguishers shall not be used for fighting electrical fires.(4)Fire-extinguishers containing chemicals which are liable, when operated, to give off poisonous or noxious gases shall not be provided or used belowground:Provided that nothing in sub-regulations (2), (3) or (4) shall prohibit the use belowground of fire-extinguishers giving off carbon dioxide when operated.(5)All types of fire fighting and fire suppression systems including automatic fire detection and suppression systems to be used in machinery and plant including HEMMs, materials and chemicals to be used in fire sealing, fighting or suppression systems in mines both on surface as well as belowground shall be of such type, standard and make, as approved by the Chief Inspector by a general or special order in writing.(6)A competent person shall, once at least in every month, examine all the equipment, material and arrangements provided for fire-fighting and shall discharge and re-fill the fire extinguishers as often as may be necessary to ensure that these are in proper working order and any deficiency found during any such examination or otherwise shall be immediately remedied, and a report of every such examination shall be made in a bound-paged book kept for the purpose, duly signed and dated by the person making the examination.
