KRS 351.127: Employment of certified emergency medical technicians or mine

emergency technicians required at coal mine.

(1) Certified emergency medical technicians or mine emergency technicians shall be

employed at every licensed coal mine whose employees are actively engaged in the

extraction, production, or preparation of coal. Persons employed as mine

emergency technicians shall be trained in a manner established in an administrative

regulation promulgated by the department. Persons seeking certificatio n as a mine

emergency medical technician or mine emergency technician shall be subject to the

following additional requirements:

(a) All persons seeking certification as a mine emergency technician shall

demonstrate drug - and alcohol -free status in accorda nce with KRS 351.182

and 351.183;

(b) The drug and alcohol testing for those seeking certification as mine

emergency technicians shall be administered prior to the examination for the

certification, in accordance with KRS 351.182 and 351.183; and

(c) Certification as a mine emergency technician shall not be issued until the

results of the drug and alcohol testing have been obtained. Notification shall

be given to the person in accordance with KRS 351.184.

(2) These emergency medical technicians or mine emer gency technicians shall be

employed in the following manner:

(a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection, for every

shift engaged in the production of coal at a surface or underground coal

mining operation, there shall be:

1. One (1) emergency medical or mine emergency technician employed on

every shift with ten (10) or fewer miners employed on the shift; and

2. Two (2) emergency medical or mine emergency technicians employed

on every shift with more than ten (10) but fewer than fif ty-one (51)

miners employed on the shift; and

(b) For underground mines only, on every shift with more than fifty (50) miners

working on the shift, there shall be one (1) additional emergency medical

technician or mine emergency technician for each additional fifty (50) miners,

or any portion thereof, engaged in the extraction, production, or preparation of

coal, and at least one (1) emergency medical or mine emergency technician

shall be underground at all times while miners are working in the mines

regardless of how many miners are working on the shift.

(3) If these emergency medical technicians or mine emergency technicians are also

employed in other capacities at the coal mine, they shall be available for quick

response to emergencies and shall have available to them at all times the equipment

necessary to respond to emergencies, as prescribed by the commissioner.

(4) If the licensee selects existing employees to be trained as emergency medical

technicians or mine emergency technicians, the employees selected shall be paid

their regular wages during training.

(5) Certified emergency medical technicians and mine emergency technicians shall

receive annual retraining in the manner established in an administrative regulation

promulgated by the department, during which they shall receive their regular

wages.