Section 1565.15 | Emergency medical personnel, services and training to be provided for mine employees.
(A) As used in this section:
(1) "EMT-basic," "EMT-I," "paramedic," and "emergency medical service organization" have the same meanings as in section 4765.01 of the Revised Code.
(2) "First aid provider" includes a mine medical responder, an EMT-basic, an EMT-I, a paramedic, or an employee at a surface coal mine who has satisfied the training requirements established in division (D)(1) of this section.
(3) "Mine medical responder" means a person who has satisfied the requirements established in rules adopted under division (E) of this section.
(B) The operator of an underground coal mine where twenty or more persons are employed on a shift, including all persons working at different locations at the mine within a ten-mile radius, shall provide at least one mine medical responder, EMT-basic, or EMT-I on duty at the underground coal mine whenever employees at the mine are actively engaged in the extraction, production, or preparation of coal. The operator shall provide mine medical responders, EMTs-basic, or EMTs-I on duty at the underground coal mine at times and in numbers sufficient to ensure that no miner works in a mine location that cannot be reached within a reasonable time by a mine medical responder, an EMT-basic, or an EMT-I. Mine medical responders, EMTs-basic, and EMTs-I shall be employed on their regular coal mining duties at locations convenient for quick response to emergencies in order to provide emergency medical services inside the underground coal mine and transportation of injured or sick employees to the entrance of the mine. The operator shall provide for the services of at least one emergency medical service organization to be available on call to reach the entrance of the underground coal mine within thirty minutes at any time that employees are engaged in the extraction, production, or preparation of coal in order to provide emergency medical services and transportation to a hospital.
The operator shall make available to mine medical responders, EMTs-basic, and EMTs-I all of the equipment for first aid and emergency medical services that is necessary for those personnel to function and to comply with the regulations pertaining to first aid and emergency medical services that are adopted under the "Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977," 91 Stat. 1290, 30 U.S.C.A. 801, and amendments to it. The operator of the underground coal mine shall install telephone service or equivalent facilities that enable two-way voice communication between the mine medical responders, EMTs-basic, or EMTs-I in the mine and the emergency medical service organization outside the mine that provides emergency medical services on a regular basis.
(C) The operator of a surface coal mine shall provide at least one first aid provider on duty at the mine whenever employees at the mine are actively engaged in the extraction, production, or preparation of coal. The operator shall provide first aid providers on duty at the surface coal mine at times and in numbers sufficient to ensure that no miner works in a mine location that cannot be reached within a reasonable time by a first aid provider. First aid providers shall be employed on their regular coal mining duties at locations convenient for quick response to emergencies in order to provide emergency medical services and transportation of injured or sick employees to the entrance of the surface coal mine. The operator shall provide for the services of at least one emergency medical service organization to be available on call to reach the entrance of the surface coal mine within thirty minutes at any time that employees are engaged in the extraction, production, or preparation of coal in order to provide emergency medical services and transportation to a hospital.
The operator shall provide at the mine site all of the equipment for first aid and emergency medical services that is necessary for those personnel to function and to comply with the regulations pertaining to first aid and emergency medical services that are adopted under the "Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977," 91 Stat. 1290, 30 U.S.C.A. 801, and amendments to it.
(D)(1) An employee at a surface coal mine shall be considered to be a first aid provider for the purposes of this section if the employee has received from an instructor approved by the chief of the division of mineral resources management ten hours of initial first aid training as a selected supervisory employee under 30 C.F.R. 77.1703 and receives five hours of refresher first aid training as a selected supervisory employee under 30 C.F.R. 77.1705 in each subsequent calendar year.
(2) Each miner employed at a surface coal mine who is not a first aid provider shall receive from an instructor approved by the chief three hours of initial first aid training and two hours of refresher first aid training in each subsequent calendar year.
(3) The training received in accordance with division (D) of this section shall consist of a course of instruction established in the manual issued by the mine safety and health administration in the United States department of labor entitled "first aid, a bureau of mines instruction manual" or its successor or any other curriculum approved by the chief. The training shall be included in the hours of instruction provided to miners in accordance with training requirements established under 30 C.F.R. part 48, subpart (B), as amended, and 30 C.F.R. part 77, as amended.
(E) The chief, in consultation with persons certified under Chapter 4765. of the Revised Code to teach in an emergency medical services training program, shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code that do all of the following:
(1) Prescribe training requirements for a mine medical responder that specifically focus on treating injuries and illnesses associated with underground coal mining;
(2) Prescribe an examination for a mine medical responder;
(3) Prescribe continuing training requirements for a mine medical responder;
(4) Establish the fee for examination for a mine medical responder;
(5) Prescribe any other requirements, criteria, and procedures that the chief determines are necessary regarding the training, examination, and continuing training of mine medical responders.
If a person qualifies as a mine medical responder or similar classification in another state, the person may provide emergency medical services as a mine medical responder in this state without completing the training or passing the examination that is required in rules adopted under this division, provided that the chief determines that the person's qualifications from the other state satisfy all of the applicable requirements that are established in rules adopted under this division.
(F) Each operator of a surface coal mine shall establish, keep current, and make available for inspection an emergency medical plan that includes the telephone numbers of the division of mineral resources management and of an emergency medical services organization the services of which are required to be retained under division (C) of this section. The chief shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code that establish any additional information required to be included in an emergency medical plan.
(G) Each operator of an underground coal mine or surface coal mine shall provide or contract to obtain emergency medical services training or first aid training, as applicable, at the operator's expense, that is sufficient to train and maintain the certification of the number of employees necessary to comply with division (B) of this section and that is sufficient to train employees as required under division (D) of this section and to comply with division (C) of this section.
(H) The division may provide emergency medical services training for coal mine employees by operating an emergency medical services training program accredited under section 4765.17 of the Revised Code or by contracting with the operator of an emergency medical services training program accredited under that section to provide that training. The division may charge coal mine operators a uniform part of the unit cost per trainee.
(I) No coal mine operator shall violate or fail to comply with this section.
Last updated February 14, 2023 at 3:08 PM
Available Versions of this Section
- June 11, 2008 – Senate Bill 323 - 127th General Assembly [ View June 11, 2008 Version ]
- December 29, 2023 – Amended by Senate Bill 131 - 134th General Assembly [ View December 29, 2023 Version ]