{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/45.2-556.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/45.2-556.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/45.2-556.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/45.2-556.html"}],"law_id":65906,"edition_id":1,"section_id":65906,"structure_id":16270,"section_number":"45.2-556","catch_line":" Operators’ reports of accidents; investigations; reports by Department","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7\u00a7 45-7, 45-12, 45-68.4, 45-69, 45-73, 45-75, 45-78, 45-79, 45-81, 45-83; 1950, p. 156; 1954, c. 191; 1966, c. 594, \u00a7 45.1-21; 1976, c. 598; 1978, cc. 222, 489; 1982, c. 255; 1984, cc. 178, 590; 1988, c. 577; 1993, cc. 171, 442; 1994, c. 28, \u00a7 45.1-161.78; 1997, c. 390; 1999, c. 256; 2007, cc. 894, 914; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 387.","full_text":"A\n\nEach operator shall report promptly to the Department the occurrence at any mine of any accident. The scene of the accident shall not be disturbed pending an investigation, except to the extent necessary to rescue or recover a person, prevent or eliminate an imminent danger, prevent destruction of mining equipment, or prevent suspension of use of a slope, entry, or facility vital to the operation of a section or a mine. In a case in which reasonable doubt exists as to whether to leave the scene unchanged, the operator shall secure prior approval from the Department before any changes are made.B\n\nThe Chief shall go personally or dispatch one or more mine inspectors to the scene of such a coal mine accident, investigate causes, and issue such orders as may be needed to ensure safety of other persons.C\n\nRepresentatives of the operator shall render assistance as needed and act in a consulting capacity in the investigation. An employee, if so designated by the employees of the mine, shall be notified and as many as three employees, if so designated as representatives of the employees, may be present at the investigation in a consulting capacity.D\n\nThe Chief shall require substance abuse testing as part of an inspection or complaint investigation if there is reasonable cause to suspect a miner’s impairment, due to the presence of intoxicants or any controlled substance not used in accordance with the prescription of a licensed prescriber, has been a contributing factor to any accident in which a serious personal injury or death has occurred at a mine. The Chief shall require substance abuse testing of any miner killed or seriously injured and of any other person who might have contributed to the accident. Any substance abuse testing required by the Chief shall be paid for by the Department. Refusal by any miner to submit to substance abuse testing, or the failure to pass such a test, shall result in the immediate temporary suspension of all certificates held by the miner, pending a hearing before the Board of Coal Mining Examiners.E\n\nThe Department shall render a complete report of circumstances and causes of each accident investigated and make recommendations for the prevention of similar accidents. The Department shall furnish one copy of the report to the operator and one copy to an employee representative if one was present at the investigation. The Chief shall maintain a complete file of all accident reports for coal mines and provide further dissemination as ordered by the Director in an effort to prevent mine accidents.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":239501,"text":"Each operator shall report promptly to the Department the occurrence at any mine of any accident. The scene of the accident shall not be disturbed pending an investigation, except to the extent necessary to rescue or recover a person, prevent or eliminate an imminent danger, prevent destruction of mining equipment, or prevent suspension of use of a slope, entry, or facility vital to the operation of a section or a mine. In a case in which reasonable doubt exists as to whether to leave the scene unchanged, the operator shall secure prior approval from the Department before any changes are made.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":239502,"text":"The Chief shall go personally or dispatch one or more mine inspectors to the scene of such a coal mine accident, investigate causes, and issue such orders as may be needed to ensure safety of other persons.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"C"},"2":{"id":239503,"text":"Representatives of the operator shall render assistance as needed and act in a consulting capacity in the investigation. An employee, if so designated by the employees of the mine, shall be notified and as many as three employees, if so designated as representatives of the employees, may be present at the investigation in a consulting capacity.","type":"section","prefixes":["C"],"prefix":"C","entire_prefix":"C","prefix_anchor":"C","level":1,"prior_prefix":"B","next_prefix":"D"},"3":{"id":239504,"text":"The Chief shall require substance abuse testing as part of an inspection or complaint investigation if there is reasonable cause to suspect a miner’s impairment, due to the presence of intoxicants or any controlled substance not used in accordance with the prescription of a licensed prescriber, has been a contributing factor to any accident in which a serious personal injury or death has occurred at a mine. The Chief shall require substance abuse testing of any miner killed or seriously injured and of any other person who might have contributed to the accident. Any substance abuse testing required by the Chief shall be paid for by the Department. Refusal by any miner to submit to substance abuse testing, or the failure to pass such a test, shall result in the immediate temporary suspension of all certificates held by the miner, pending a hearing before the Board of Coal Mining Examiners.","type":"section","prefixes":["D"],"prefix":"D","entire_prefix":"D","prefix_anchor":"D","level":1,"prior_prefix":"C","next_prefix":"E"},"4":{"id":239505,"text":"The Department shall render a complete report of circumstances and causes of each accident investigated and make recommendations for the prevention of similar accidents. The Department shall furnish one copy of the report to the operator and one copy to an employee representative if one was present at the investigation. The Chief shall maintain a complete file of all accident reports for coal mines and provide further dissemination as ordered by the Director in an effort to prevent mine accidents.","type":"section","prefixes":["E"],"prefix":"E","entire_prefix":"E","prefix_anchor":"E","level":1,"prior_prefix":"D"}},"ancestry":[{"id":16270,"edition_id":1,"name":"Mine Explosions; Mine Fires; Accidents","identifier":"6","label":"article","depth":5,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13785,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 04:11:48","date_modified":"2026-06-26 04:11:48","permalink":{"id":222897,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":16270,"identifier":"6","token":"45.2\/II\/A\/5\/6","url":"\/45.2\/II\/A\/5\/6\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13785,"edition_id":1,"name":"Coal Mine Safety Act","identifier":"5","label":"chapter","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13784,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:52","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:52","permalink":{"id":222651,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13785,"identifier":"5","token":"45.2\/II\/A\/5","url":"\/45.2\/II\/A\/5\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13784,"edition_id":1,"name":"Coal Mines Generally","identifier":"A","label":"part","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12985,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:52","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:52","permalink":{"id":222649,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13784,"identifier":"A","token":"45.2\/II\/A","url":"\/45.2\/II\/A\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12985,"edition_id":1,"name":"Coal Mining","identifier":"II","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12713,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:06","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:06","permalink":{"id":222647,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12985,"identifier":"II","token":"45.2\/II","url":"\/45.2\/II\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12713,"edition_id":1,"name":"Mines, Minerals, and Energy","identifier":"45.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","permalink":{"id":222539,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12713,"identifier":"45.2","token":"45.2","url":"\/45.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":66359,"structure_id":16270,"section_number":"45.2-555","catch_line":" Reports of explosions and mine fires; procedure","url":"\/45.2-555\/","token":"45.2\/II\/A\/5\/6\/45.2-555","metadata":false},{"id":65906,"structure_id":16270,"section_number":"45.2-556","catch_line":" Operators' reports of accidents; investigations; reports by Department","url":"\/45.2-556\/","token":"45.2\/II\/A\/5\/6\/45.2-556","metadata":false},{"id":84026,"structure_id":16270,"section_number":"45.2-557","catch_line":" Reports of other accidents and injuries","url":"\/45.2-557\/","token":"45.2\/II\/A\/5\/6\/45.2-557","metadata":false},{"id":70495,"structure_id":16270,"section_number":"45.2-558","catch_line":" Duties of mine inspectors","url":"\/45.2-558\/","token":"45.2\/II\/A\/5\/6\/45.2-558","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":66359,"structure_id":16270,"section_number":"45.2-555","catch_line":" Reports of explosions and mine fires; procedure","url":"\/45.2-555\/","token":"45.2\/II\/A\/5\/6\/45.2-555","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":84026,"structure_id":16270,"section_number":"45.2-557","catch_line":" Reports of other accidents and injuries","url":"\/45.2-557\/","token":"45.2\/II\/A\/5\/6\/45.2-557","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/45.2-556\/","history_text":"

The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 12 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1954, chapter 191; in 1966, chapter 594; in 1976, chapter 598; in 1978, chapters 222 and 489; in 1982, chapter 255; in 1984, chapters 178 and 590; in 1988, chapter 577; in 1993, chapters 171 and 442; in 1994, chapter 28<\/a>; in 1997, chapter 390<\/a>; in 1999, chapter 256<\/a>; in 2007, chapters 894<\/a> and 914<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":76187,"section_number":"45.2-528","catch_line":" Board action; suspend, revoke, or take other action","order_by":null,"url":"\/45.2-528\/"},{"id":58896,"section_number":"45.2-716","catch_line":" Mapping of roof falls","order_by":null,"url":"\/45.2-716\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":222903,"object_type":"law","relational_id":65906,"identifier":"45.2-556","token":"45.2\/II\/A\/5\/6\/45.2-556","url":"\/45.2-556\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/45.2-556\/","token":"45.2\/II\/A\/5\/6\/45.2-556","dublin_core":{"Title":" Operators’ reports of accidents; investigations; reports by Department","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 45.2-556","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> Each operator shall report promptly to the Department<\/span> the occurrence at any mine of any accident. The scene of the accident shall not be disturbed pending an investigation, except to the extent necessary to rescue or recover a person, prevent or eliminate an imminent danger, prevent destruction of mining equipment, or prevent suspension of use of a slope, entry, or facility vital to the operation of a section or a mine. In a case in which reasonable doubt<\/span> exists as to whether to leave the scene unchanged, the operator shall secure prior approval from the Department<\/span> before any changes are made. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> The Chief<\/span> shall go personally or dispatch one or more mine inspectors to the scene of such a coal mine accident, investigate causes, and issue<\/span> such orders<\/span> as may be needed to ensure safety of other persons. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

C.<\/span> Representatives of the operator shall render assistance as needed and act in a consulting capacity in the investigation. An employee, if so designated by the employees of the mine, shall be notified and as many as three employees, if so designated as representatives of the employees, may be present at the investigation in a consulting capacity. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

D.<\/span> The Chief<\/span> shall require substance abuse testing as part of an inspection or complaint investigation if there is reasonable cause to suspect a miner’s impairment, due to the presence of intoxicants or any controlled substance not used in accordance with the prescription of a licensed prescriber, has been a contributing factor to any accident in which a serious personal injury or death has occurred at a mine. The Chief<\/span> shall require substance abuse testing of any miner killed or seriously injured and of any other person who might have contributed to the accident. Any substance abuse testing required by the Chief<\/span> shall be paid for by the Department<\/span>. Refusal by any miner to submit to substance abuse testing, or the failure to pass such a test, shall result in the immediate temporary suspension of all certificates held by the miner, pending a hearing<\/span> before the Board of Coal Mining Examiners. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

E.<\/span> The Department<\/span> shall render a complete report of circumstances and causes of each accident investigated and make recommendations for the prevention of similar accidents. The Department<\/span> shall furnish one copy of the report to the operator and one copy to an employee representative if one was present at the investigation. The Chief<\/span> shall maintain a complete file of all accident reports for coal mines and provide further dissemination as ordered by the Director<\/span> in an effort to prevent mine accidents. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\n OPERATORS’ REPORTS OF ACCIDENTS; INVESTIGATIONS; REPORTS BY DEPARTMENT\n(\u00a7 45.2-556)\n\nA. Each operator shall report promptly to the Department the occurrence at any\nmine of any accident. The scene of the accident shall not be disturbed pending\nan investigation, except to the extent necessary to rescue or recover a person,\nprevent or eliminate an imminent danger, prevent destruction of mining\nequipment, or prevent suspension of use of a slope, entry, or facility vital to\nthe operation of a section or a mine. In a case in which reasonable doubt exists\nas to whether to leave the scene unchanged, the operator shall secure prior\napproval from the Department before any changes are made.\n\nB. The Chief shall go personally or dispatch one or more mine inspectors to the\nscene of such a coal mine accident, investigate causes, and issue such orders as\nmay be needed to ensure safety of other persons.\n\nC. Representatives of the operator shall render assistance as needed and act in\na consulting capacity in the investigation. An employee, if so designated by the\nemployees of the mine, shall be notified and as many as three employees, if so\ndesignated as representatives of the employees, may be present at the\ninvestigation in a consulting capacity.\n\nD. The Chief shall require substance abuse testing as part of an inspection or\ncomplaint investigation if there is reasonable cause to suspect a miner’s\nimpairment, due to the presence of intoxicants or any controlled substance not\nused in accordance with the prescription of a licensed prescriber, has been a\ncontributing factor to any accident in which a serious personal injury or death\nhas occurred at a mine. The Chief shall require substance abuse testing of any\nminer killed or seriously injured and of any other person who might have\ncontributed to the accident. Any substance abuse testing required by the Chief\nshall be paid for by the Department. Refusal by any miner to submit to substance\nabuse testing, or the failure to pass such a test, shall result in the immediate\ntemporary suspension of all certificates held by the miner, pending a hearing\nbefore the Board of Coal Mining Examiners.\n\nE. The Department shall render a complete report of circumstances and causes of\neach accident investigated and make recommendations for the prevention of\nsimilar accidents. The Department shall furnish one copy of the report to the\noperator and one copy to an employee representative if one was present at the\ninvestigation. The Chief shall maintain a complete file of all accident reports\nfor coal mines and provide further dissemination as ordered by the Director in\nan effort to prevent mine accidents.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7\u00a7 45-7, 45-12, 45-68.4, 45-69, 45-73, 45-75, 45-78,\n45-79, 45-81, 45-83; 1950, p. 156; 1954, c. 191; 1966, c. 594, \u00a7 45.1-21; 1976,\nc. 598; 1978, cc. 222, 489; 1982, c. 255; 1984, cc. 178, 590; 1988, c. 577;\n1993, cc. 171, 442; 1994, c. 28, \u00a7 45.1-161.78; 1997, c. 390; 1999, c. 256;\n2007, cc. 894, 914; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 387.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}