Montana Title 50. Health and Safety § 50-73-102. Definitions

(1) “Department” means the department of labor and industry and the state coal mine inspectors employed by the department.

(2) “Excavations” and “workings” mean all parts of a mine excavated or being excavated, including shafts, slopes, tunnels, entries, rooms, and working places, whether abandoned or in use.

(3) “Mine” and “coal mine” mean all parts of the property of a mining plant under one management that contribute, directly or indirectly, to the mining or handling of coal.

(4) “Mine examiner” means a person charged with the examination of the condition of the mine before the miners are permitted to enter the mine and who is commonly known as the “fire boss”.

(5) “Mine supervisor” means a person who is charged with the general direction of the underground work or both the underground work and the outside work of a coal mine and who is commonly known and designated as “mine boss”.

(6) “Operator”, as applied to the entity in control of a mine under this chapter, means the person, firm, or body corporate that is the immediate proprietor as owner or lessee of the mine and, as such, is responsible for the condition and management of the mine.

(7) “Shaft” means any vertical opening through the strata that is or may be used for the purpose of ventilation or escape or for hoisting or lowering of workers or material in connection with the mining of coal.

(8) “Slope” and “drift” mean respectively an incline or horizontal way, opening, or tunnel to a seam of coal to be used for the same purpose as a shaft.

(9) “Written inspection report” means a report prepared by the department identifying safety and health hazards noted during a mine inspection. The term includes any citation or order issued by the department that refers to a violation of safety or health standards at the mine.