Mines Act (Northern Ireland) 1969

N.I. Precautions against external dangers to workings

75 Duty of mine owners and managers to seek evidence of proximity of disused workings, water-bearing strata, &c. N.I.

(1) In the case of every mine, the owner thereof and the manager thereof shall each be charged with the duty—

(a) of taking such steps as may be necessary for securing that he is at all material times in possession of all information which indicates or tends to indicate the presence or absence, in the vicinity of any workings carried on or proposed to be carried on in the mine, of—

(i) any disused workings (whether mine workings or not);

(ii) any rock or stratum containing or likely to contain water (whether dispersed or in natural cavities);

(iii) any peat, moss, sand, gravel, silt or other material that is likely to flow when wet; and

(b) of taking such steps as may be necessary for the purpose of substantiating any such information which comes into his possession (whether in consequence of the discharge of the duty imposed upon him by paragraph ( a) or not).

(2) In the case of every mine, the owner thereof and the manager thereof shall each be charged with the duty—

(a) forthwith after any such information as is mentioned in paragraph ( a) of subsection (1) comes into his possession (whether in consequence of the discharge of the duty imposed upon him by that paragraph or not), of furnishing to the other particulars of the information; and

(b) forthwith after taking any steps in discharge of the duty imposed upon him by paragraph ( b) of subsection (1), of furnishing to the other particulars of the steps taken and of any conclusion reached as a result of taking them.

76 Duty of mine owners and managers to ascertain thickness of strata between workings and surface water. N.I.

(1) It shall be the duty both of the owner and of the manager of every mine to take, with respect to any workings carried on or proposed to be carried on in the mine in the vicinity of the sea, a lake or river or any other body of surface water (whether accumulated naturally or artificially) such steps as may be necessary for ascertaining the total thickness of the strata lying between the workings and the surface water.

(2) In the case of every mine, the owner thereof and the manager thereof shall each be charged with the duty, forthwith after obtaining any information in consequence of the discharge of the duty imposed upon him by subsection (1), of furnishing to the other particulars of the information obtained.

77 General duty to take precautions against inrushes of gas, water, &c. N.I.

It shall be the duty of the manager of every mine to take, with respect to every working in the mine, such steps as may be necessary to prevent any inrush into the working of gas from disused workings (whether mine workings or not) or of water or material that flows when wet (whether from disused workings or from any other source).

S.78 rep. by SR 1980/333