Illinois House Approves Mine Safety Legislation

March 6, 2006

Springfield.….A bill that will aid both rescuers and miners if an accident were to occur in one of the state's coal mines has been approved in the Illinois House of Representatives and now moves on to the Senate for debate.   The bills co-sponsor, State Representative David Reis (R-Ste. Marie) said with all of the incidents that have taken place in West Virginia and other southern coal mining areas the members of the Illinois House of Representatives want to make sure the state's coal regulations are up to date.

"We want to make sure that our miners work in safe conditions and that there are safeguards in place which provide underground communications in case of an underground accident," said Reis. "We have a very good safety record but want to be sure that we are keeping up with the most current technologies."

Items included in HB2197:

• An operator must require each person underground to carry a Self Contained Self Rescuer (SCSR) on his or her person or keep one within 25 feet of the person underground. SCSR's are designed to supply an individual with one hour of oxygen

• Requires the installation of a wireless communication device capable of receiving emergency communications from the surface at any location throughout a mine.

• Require the construction of a rescue chamber in underground mines to protect miners against potential hazards in case of an emergency.

• Rescue teams shall be based out of each mine rescue station and that every mine operator must provide employees to serve on a rescue team.

"Illinois is Saudi Arabia of coal reserves " said Reis "and as the coal mining industry re-emerges, we need to do everything in our power to ensure the safety of Illinois miners."