Coal Mine Safety Data Information System Troubleshooting Guide

This guide is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of issues that may be encountered when using the E-forms and Coal Mine Safety  Information Systems. Descriptions of and potential solutions to the most common internet browser settings and usage issues are listed below. If you still have questions or problems, please contact the Coal Mine Safety E-Forms Center.



Trusted Sites

In order for the Virginia Coal Mine Safety Information and E-Forms Systems to function optimally, https://www.energy.virginia.gov (the domain for the Information System) and https://www.energy.virginia.gov (the secure, E-Forms System domain) should both be added to your browser's list of trusted sites (found in Internet Explorer under "Tools">"Internet Options">"Security">"Trusted Sites"). This may eliminate problems viewing parts of the system or downloading files.

Pop-up Blockers

Sections of the Virginia Coal Mine Safety E-Forms System use pop-up windows; therefore, pop-ups should not be blocked for the E-Forms system website. To avoid issues with viewing pop-up windows, add https://www.energy.virginia.gov to the list of sites from which pop-ups are allowed in both Internet Explorer (found under "Tools">"Pop-up Blocker">"Pop-up Blocker Settings") and Google's pop-up blockers. If Google toolbar is still blocking pop-ups then you can press the control (Ctrl) key while clicking to allow pop-ups, or you can click the pop-up blocker button located in the toolbar to disable it for a particular site.

Downloads

Some areas of the VA Coal Mine Safety Information and E-Forms Systems provide the opportunity to download files in several formats. To take advantage of these available files, downloads and download prompting should be enabled once you have added the Information and E-Forms Systems to your Trusted Sites. In Internet Explorer, these settings are found under "Tools">"Internet Options"> "Security"> "Trusted Sites">"Custom Level." Additionally, users should ensure that they have software installed that is capable of viewing the file format downloaded. Where appropriate, VA Coal Mine Safety has recommended internet locations where freeware versions of software can be obtained to view certain downloads. Information is typically available in Adobe PDF and MS Excel formats from the Information System. Downloads may be available in several different electronic formats from the E-Forms system as operators are able to upload submissions in numerous formats.

Plug-Ins

Much of the information available on the VA Coal Mine Safety Information and E-Forms Systems can be viewed directly in an internet browser if the correct plug-in has been installed. For example, many of the reports and database information available from the systems can be retrieved in Adobe PDF format. The Adobe Reader and plug-in software can be obtained from Adobe's website

Data Limitations

Additional data is being added to the VA Coal Mine Safety Information and E-Forms Systems daily. If data for known operations cannot be found on the system, it may not yet be available online. Users may choose to contact the

Virginia Department of Energy
Coal Mine Safety
Phone: (276) 523-8236
CoalMineSafetyEforms@energy.virginia.gov

For additional information. Data retrieved from the VA Coal Mine Safety Information System is subject to the disclaimer provided on the system's Main Menu.