Sec. 6. (a) The director shall devote the director’s attention to the duties of the office during working hours and is subject to call at all times. The director and any mine inspector funded by the general assembly are authorized to enter, examine, and inspect all commercial coal mines and facilities.

     (b) The director shall have full direction of the official activities of any mine inspector and shall be responsible therefor.

     (c) The director and each mine inspector shall have power, and it is their duty, to stop immediately the operation of any coal mine or part thereof when any dangerous or unlawful condition exists. However, where conditions exist justifying the director or the mine inspector to do so, the director or mine inspector shall grant a reasonable period of time for making necessary repairs. Where a stop in operation is enforced, such director and mine inspector shall be empowered to subsequently allow such mine or part of a mine to be reopened when the dangerous or unlawful conditions have been remedied or removed. If the operator or a workman believes that an inspector has acted illegally in citing violations of mining law, they may appeal to the director for relief from such citation. The director may grant or deny such relief after a hearing, at which all interested parties have been notified of such hearing and given an opportunity to present evidence in support of their contentions.

     (d) The director shall keep a properly indexed permanent record of all inspections made by the director and the mine inspector, and copies of all reports relating to coal mines shall be kept on file, and all such records shall be open to inspection by the public, and shall be laid before the governor at any time upon the request of the governor. The director shall cause:

(1) within sixty (60) days of the date of the inspection, inspection reports; and

(2) for two (2) years, all reports relating to coal mines;

to be posted on the web site maintained by the bureau of mines and mine safety created under IC 22-1-1-4(1).

     (e) The director is empowered to revoke, in writing, any order issued by a mine inspector for the purpose of stopping the operation of a mine or part thereof. However, such revocation of an order shall not be made unless and until the director has made a personal examination of the mine or part thereof affected and determined it to be in a safe condition to operate.

     (f) The director or mine inspector shall make a personal inspection of each mine in this state:

(1) at least once every three (3) months, or more often if practicable, while the mine is in operation;

(2) whenever any danger to the workmen may exist; or

(3) whenever called upon to do so by the workmen.

During a regular inspection, the director or inspector shall have the authority to inspect the surface plant; every working place in the mine; all active haulageways, travelways, and airways in their entirety; entrances to abandoned workings; accessible old workings; escapeways and all other places where individuals work or travel; electric equipment and installations; first aid equipment; ventilation facilities; communications installations; roof and rib conditions; and blasting practices, etc. The director or inspector shall have the authority to measure the volume of air at the intake and return of the main ventilating current and of each split, and the amount passing through the last breakthrough in each pair or set of entries, and designate to the mine foreman where the director or inspector shall measure the currents of air as required by the mining laws of this state. In mines operating more than one (1) shift in a twenty-four (24) hour period, the director or inspector shall devote sufficient time to the second and third shift to determine conditions and practices related to the health and safety of the employees. The director or inspector shall make tests for gas and oxygen deficiency in each place that the director or inspector is required to inspect in the mine. Time shall be made available during an inspection for interaction with the employees of the mine by the director or the inspector to ascertain the familiarity of the employees with self-rescuers and accessible escapeways.

     (g) The director or mine inspector making an inspection of a mine shall make an accurate report covering such inspection, showing:

(1) the date of inspection and actual time required to make the inspection;

(2) the condition in which the mine is found;

(3) the extent to which the mining laws are violated;

(4) the progress made in the improvement of the mine, where such progress relates to the health and safety of the employees;

(5) the number of fatal injuries and the number of nonfatal lost-time injuries resulting from accidents in and around the mine, and their cause; and

(6) in case any violation of the mining laws is found, the specific section or sections violated, with recommendations for correcting them, and the action taken to eliminate them.

     (h) The director or mine inspector making an inspection of a mine shall within three (3) days after the completion of the inspection, deliver:

(1) one (1) copy of the inspection report on the mine to the operator, superintendent, or mine foreman of the mine inspected; and

(2) one (1) copy to be posted within the three (3) day limit on a bulletin board at a prominent place on the premises where it can be conveniently read by the employees. If corrective action is implemented, the report shall remain on the bulletin board for thirty (30) days. If corrective action is not implemented, the report shall not be removed from the bulletin board until the report of the succeeding examination is posted.

The director or mine inspector shall keep the mine foreman or superintendent informed as much as is practicable of any violation or other unsafe condition as the regular inspection progresses. In instances where, in the opinion of the mine inspector, an imminent or serious disaster hazard exists, such inspector shall report the same to the director by the quickest available means.

     (i) It shall be the duty of the director and mine inspectors to enforce the mining laws of this state and the mine inspectors shall perform such other official duties required by the director as may be necessary to secure full compliance with the mining laws of this state.

Formerly: Acts 1955, c.168, s.20. As amended by Acts 1979, P.L.17, SEC.36; P.L.231-1983, SEC.6; P.L.112-1992, SEC.6; P.L.35-2007, SEC.13.