22-588: The Coal Mines Act 1911 ( 1 & 2 Geo. 5 . c. 50) amended and consolidated legislation in the United Kingdom related to collieries. A series of mine disasters in the 19th and early-20th centuries had led to commissions of enquiry and legislation to improve mining safety. The 1911 Act, sponsored by Winston Churchill , was passed by the Liberal government of H. H. Asquith . It built on earlier regulations and provided for many improvement to safety and other aspects of
44-719: A major explosion at a colliery in Courrières , northern France, caused the deaths of more than 1,000 miners. The subsequent report blamed the accidental ignition of firedamp , exacerbated by coal dust in the air. Concerned that a similar disaster might happen in British collieries, the Royal Commission was formed, reporting back in 1907, 1909 and 1911. On 9 April 1908 an explosion at Norton Hill Collieries at Westfield approximately 1,500 feet (460 m) underground killed 10 men and boys. As there were no mine rescue teams at that time,
66-460: A rubber mask connected to a breathing bag, with (estimated) 50-60% O 2 supplied from a copper tank and CO 2 scrubbed by rope yarn soaked in a solution of caustic potash, the system giving a duration of about three hours. Fleuss tested his device in 1879 by spending an hour submerged in a water tank, then one week later by diving to a depth of 5.5m in open water, upon which occasion he was slightly injured when his assistants abruptly pulled him to
88-470: The 30th Parliament of the United Kingdom , which met from 31 January 1911 until 16 December 1911. Henry Fleuss Henry Albert Fleuss (13 June 1851 – 6 January 1933) was a pioneering diving engineer, and Master Diver for Siebe, Gorman & Co. of London. Fleuss was born in Marlborough, Wiltshire in 1851. In 1878 he was granted a patent which improved rebreathers . His apparatus consisted of
110-517: The list of acts and measures of Senedd Cymru ; see also the list of acts of the Parliament of Northern Ireland . The number shown after each act's title is its chapter number. Acts passed before 1963 are cited using this number, preceded by the year(s) of the reign during which the relevant parliamentary session was held; thus the Union with Ireland Act 1800 is cited as "39 & 40 Geo. 3 c. 67", meaning
132-399: The 1911 Act. The Act required all mine owners to establish rescue stations, provide teams of trained rescuers, and to keep and maintain rescue apparatus. In 1912 the government revised the regulations concerning ambulances and rescue apparatus, and the training of their operators. There had to be a rescue station within 10 miles (16 km) of any mine with more than 100 employees. That limit
154-527: The 67th act passed during the session that started in the 39th year of the reign of George III and which finished in the 40th year of that reign. Note that the modern convention is to use Arabic numerals in citations (thus "41 Geo. 3" rather than "41 Geo. III"). Acts of the last session of the Parliament of Great Britain and the first session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom are both cited as "41 Geo. 3". Acts passed from 1963 onwards are simply cited by calendar year and chapter number. The first session of
176-461: The Act was passed. Boys under 16 could not be employed above ground at night, although they could be employed underground. The Act brought in strict regulations to provide for the general welfare of pit ponies working in the mines, although the use of ponies would continue for many years. The Act provided that a manager or under-manager had to personally supervise each mine on a daily basis. It established
198-514: The Act's requirement to install reversible fans and to measure underground air currents. The act stated that fans should operate continuously while colliers were working on the face. Failure to observe this rule was one of the causes of an explosion at Wharncliffe Silkstone in May 1914 that caused twelve deaths. The 1911 Act granted miners an eight-hour day . No boy aged under 14 could be employed below ground unless they had been working below ground before
220-479: The Coal Mines Act 1911, which came force into December that year. Winston Churchill was instrumental in the passing of the Coal Mines Act 1911. Implemented by the Liberal government of H. H. Asquith , it was the culmination of legislation enacted in the 19th century. The act amended and consolidated the law related to coal mines, including the act of 1887 and subsequent regulations. It embodied legislation in
242-458: The Mines Department did not take this rule seriously. 1 %26 2 Geo. 5 This is a complete list of acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for the year 1911 . Note that the first parliament of the United Kingdom was held in 1801; parliaments between 1707 and 1800 were either parliaments of Great Britain or of Ireland ). For acts passed up until 1707, see the list of acts of
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#1733085841601264-569: The Mining Qualifications Board to ensure that colliery managers and under-managers, firemen, deputies and shot-firers who would be wholly or partly responsible for mining safety were suitably qualified, and to issue certificates of competence. Mine owners were required to secure disused or abandoned mine openings against accidental entry. The Act §97(1) specified that Welsh-speakers in Wales would be preferred as inspectors of mines in Wales, but
286-549: The Parliament of England and the list of acts of the Parliament of Scotland . For acts passed from 1707 to 1800, see the list of acts of the Parliament of Great Britain . See also the list of acts of the Parliament of Ireland . For acts of the devolved parliaments and assemblies in the United Kingdom, see the list of acts of the Scottish Parliament , the list of acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly , and
308-507: The United Kingdom regarding the management of mines, safety provisions, health, accidents, regulations, employment, inspectors and other subjects. The act and other reforms by the Liberal government had the effect of weakening the Labour Party 's independence. The Labour Party had to support the Liberal reforms, and was therefore criticised by revolutionary socialists and syndicalists. The act
330-502: The approach to be taken. After an explosion at Senghenydd in South Wales in 1913 Home Secretary Reginald McKenna and the employers yielded to a demand by the Miners' Federation of Great Britain (MFGB) for a special court of inquiry with representation from miners and employers. The inquiry did not establish the cause of the explosion but did find that the company had failed to comply with
352-436: The coal mining industry. An important aspect was that mine owners were required to ensure there were mines rescue stations near each colliery with equipped and trained staff. Although amended several times, it was the main legislation governing coal mining for many years. In the United Kingdom a series of disasters in the 19th century brought about royal commissions which developed the idea of improving mine safety. In 1906
374-479: The manager and volunteers searched for survivors for 10 days. The civil servant Malcolm Delevingne had a significant influence on safety regulations in factories and mines. He did a considerable amount of work on the Coal Mines Act 1911. Richard Redmayne joined the Home Office as the first Chief Inspector of Mines in 1908 and worked with Delevingne to bring about the Act 1911. The royal commission reports led to
396-529: The surface. Fleuss's apparatus was first used under operational conditions in November 1880 by Alexander Lambert, lead diver of the Severn Tunnel construction project. Trained by Fleuss, he was able to close a submerged sluice door in the tunnel which had defeated the best efforts of hard hat divers due to the danger of their air supply hoses becoming fouled on submerged debris, and the strong water currents in
418-620: The workings. The same apparatus was later used several times to rescue mine workers in flooded workings. Some time before the First World War , the Fleuss-Davis independent breathing set for hardhat divers appeared. This device consisted of two 10-cubic-foot (280 L) tanks, one each for compressed air and oxygen . The gases were mixed in a manifold between the two tanks and the diver's mouthpiece. The manufacturer claimed success of this unit to depths of 66 feet. Fleuss also invented
440-524: Was further developed by Siebe Gorman into the Proto rebreather . In 1908 the Proto apparatus was chosen in a trial of equipment from several manufacturers to select the most efficient apparatus for use underground at Howe Bridge Mines Rescue Station . It became the standard in rescue stations set up after the act of 1911. The 1911 act required mine operators to guard against coal dust explosions, but did not dictate
462-461: Was raised to 15 miles (24 km) a few years later. The result was a rapid increase in the number of rescue stations between 1911 and 1918. By 1918 there were ten Scheme "A" stations with permanent full-time rescue teams, and 36 Scheme "B" stations with officers and instructors who trained miners in rescue. Henry Fleuss developed a form of self-contained breathing apparatus that was used after an explosion at Seaham Colliery in 1881. The apparatus
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#1733085841601484-728: Was the main statute regulating mining health and safety in the period between World War I (1914–18) and World War II (1939–45). Under the act the government could introduce new safety regulations without seeking legislative approval. The 1911 act was followed by a series of acts to further improve working practices including the Coal Mines (Minimum Wage Act) 1912 , Coal Mines Act General Regulations 1913 , Coal Mines Act 1914 and Coal Mines Act 1919 . The acts made working conditions safer and less arduous, and also improved productivity. A royal commission of 1886 had recommended that rescue stations be created, but they were not made compulsory until
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