Oklahoma Administrative Code
Title 460 - Department of Mines
Chapter 15 - Underground Coal and Asphalt
Subchapter 1 - General Standards
Section 460:15-1-9 - Oklahoma Miner Training Institute

(a) The Department of Mines shall maintain a school for the purpose of educating, training and re-training of miners or people who wish to become miners. The school shall be called the Oklahoma Miner Training Institute (OMTI) and shall be stationed near Krebs, Oklahoma, or a location that will benefit the needs of miners and operators.

(b) Instructors shall be MSHA approved and shall be practical miners and well versed in their field of instruction. They shall have attended an instructors training course or be approved to teach based upon past practical experience and classroom monitoring.

(c) Each mine shall submit as part of their application, a training plan. The plan shall be comprehensive as to where miners shall receive their training and re-training, who will conduct the training, the course subject and number of hours. A precise record of all training shall be maintained in the mine office.

(d) No person shall be allowed to work in any coal mine without having received a minimum of forty (40) hours of classroom instruction which addresses all the aspects of underground coal mining. At least eight (8) hours of the forty (40) hours shall be administered at the mine site. Students receiving mine training shall accompany a certified mine official or a state mine inspector who is certified and qualified to inspect underground mines.

(e) Experienced miners who have not worked underground in the past twelve (12) months shall have a minimum of eight (8) hours retraining as set out in the requirements of ONTI.

(f) Each miner shall have an eight (8) hours refresher course every twelve (12) months. The refresher course shall address:

(g) Regularly employed miners shall receive their salary as though they had worked. If their required training is held at a place other than their regular place of work, they shall be compensated for mileage, and if out overnight, employees shall be compensated for meals and lodging.

(h) If training is administered by an instructor other than those at OMTI, the instructor shall notify OMTI of each employee that has received such training and other information as required by the Director of OMTI. It shall be unlawful for any instructor or student to falsify training records.

(i) The operator shall maintain certificates and training records of all miners at the mine site.