Section 146(12) in The Coal Mines Regulations, 2011
(12)To prevent the liberation, accumulation or propagation of airborne dust, the following provisions shall have effect, namely:-(a)dust shall be suppressed as close as possible to its source of formation;(b)during any operation of drilling or boring on surface or belowground, -(i)the production of dust shall be reduced by using bits which are sharp and of proper shape, by keeping suitable pressure on the bits and by keeping the holes clear of the cuttings;(ii)except in naturally wet ground, a jet water shall be directed on to the cutting edge to wet the cuttings or other equally efficient device approved by the Chief Inspector which shall be provided and kept in operation throughout the drilling or boring operation to prevent the atmosphere being charged with dust;(iii)where pneumatic drilling is performed, water shall be turned on before turning on compressed air to the drill;(iv)when drilling is done by hand, it shall be sufficient if holes are kept constantly moist during such drilling:(c)every roadway on surface or belowground, where mobile mining machinery ply, shall be kept regularly wet or Shall be effectively treated with some other equally efficient dust suppressant agent approved by the Chief Inspector to reduce dust being raised in the atmosphere to a minimum;(d)no plant for the screening or sorting of coal and as far as practicable, no heap of cinder, cement, sand, mortar or other dry and fine material Shall be placed within 80 metre of the top of any down cast shaft or other intake airway nor shall any such material be so handled as to make it air-borne and drawn into such shaft or airway;(e)in every working belowground,-(i)no machinery or equipment which is likely to emit dust in excess of permissible limit shall be operated unless it is equipped with a suitable dust-prevention and suppression device which shall be properly interlocked with the operating lever or switch and unless such device is operating efficiently;(ii)the design, arrangement, material and condition of picks on every mechanical coal cutter Shall be such as to reduce the formation of dust to the minimum and no mechanical coal cutter Shall be operated unless suitable water sprays or jets of water are directed on the cutting edges thereof so as to damp the cuttings as they are formed;(iii)every working face and the floor, roof and sides of every roadway or airway within 50 metres thereof shall be, unless naturally wet throughout, regularly washed down to prevent accumulation of dust and shall be kept thoroughly wet during the work shifts;(iv)a current of air sufficient to clear away the dust emitted by any machinery or operation and to dilute the dust concentration below the permissible limit, shall be maintained by means of general ventilation and if necessary, by local ventilation, so however that, as far as practicable, the velocity of air in any roadway or workplace shall not be such as to raise dust in the atmosphere;(v)after blasting, no person shall enter working places unless sufficient time has elapsed for dust, smoke and fumes to be cleared by a current of air and the broken material shall not be moved unless it has been thoroughly made wet with water:(vi)vehicles, tubs and conveyors used for transport of coal shall be maintained in good condition so as to minimise spillage or leakage and chutes, spiral conveyors, bins, tipplers conveyor, discharge points and skip loading and unloading installations shall be so controlled as to reduce the formation of dust to the minimum and be kept thoroughly wet with water unless it is already wet or other effective means of dust suppression are used; and(vii)unless, owing to special difficulties, exempted in writing by Regional Inspector in that behalf and subject to such conditions as he might specify therein, water in pipes in sufficient quantity and under adequate pressure and independent of any pumping system, shall be provided ad maintained so as to get maximum efficiency in allaying of dust:(f)no process of crushing, breaking, disintegrating, opening, grinding, screening or sieving of coal or any operation incidental thereto, shalt be carried out at any mine unless efficient watering or other appropriate and effective dust control measures, such as, but not limited to isolation, enclosure, exhaust ventilation and dust collection are designed, provided, maintained and used;(g)the exhausted air, belowground, which contains dust in excess of the permissible limit shall be efficiently diluted and if necessary filtered so as to reduce the concentration of respirable dust therein below ten percent of the permissible limit before being re-circulated into working places;(h)every device used for the prevention and suppression of dust produced by any machinery, equipment or process as also for the filtering of the exhausted air and every dust respirator shall be inspected once at least in every seven days and shall be thoroughly examined and tested at least once in every month and reports of the results of every such inspection, examination and test shall be recorded in the register kept for the purpose:
