§ (1) A competent male person not less than twenty-two years of age shall be appointed by the manager for the purpose of working the machinery which is employed in lowering and raising persons from or to the surface, and such a person shall attend for that purpose during the whole time that any person is below ground in the mine:
§ Provided always that the said competent person shall not be employed for more than eight hours out of twenty-four. Where two or more persons are working the same engine it shall be lawful for the said persons to work on one day of a week eight hours after an interval of eight hours, and it shall further be lawful for a person so employed to work for twelve hours in twenty-four hours where a person engaged to work a following shift has owing to illness, accident, or other cause been unavoidably prevented from attending his work.
§ (2) Where on any haulage road the haulage is effected by means of any machinery worked either by mechanical power or by animal or manual labour, the person in charge of such machinery, and if persons are being conveyed, the person in charge of any part of the machinery, ropes, chains, or tackle connected therewith must be a competent male person not less than eighteen years of age. The foregoing provision shall not apply in the case of machinery worked by an engine of not more than ten horse-power, and used for the purpose of hauling mineral from the face.
§ Where the machinery is worked by an animal, the person under whose direction the driver of the animal acts shall for the purposes of this Section be deemed to be the person in charge of the machinery.
§ (3) No internal combustion engine shall be newly introduced underground in any coal mine after the passing of this Act.
§ Amendments made: In Sub-section (1), after the word "appointed" ["shall be appointed by the manager"], insert the words "in writing."
§
Leave out the words, "Provided always that the said competent person shall not be employed for more than eight hours out of twenty-four. Where two or more persons are working the same engine it should be lawful for the said persons to work on one day of a week eight hours
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after an interval of eight hours, and it shall further be lawful for a person so employed to work for twelve hours in twenty-four hours where a person engaged to work a following shift has owing to illness, accident, or other cause been unavoidably prevented from attending his work," and insert instead thereof,
(2) Except as may be provided by general regulations under this Act a winding engine-man shall not be employed for more than eight hours in any one day, and provision shall be made by general regulations for requiring particulars to be recorded in a book kept at the mine with respect to the hours of employment of winding engine-men.
§ At beginning of Sub-section (3) insert, "Except with the permission of the Secretary of State."—[Mr. Hunter.]
§ Electricity.