Except as provided in subsection 2 of NRS 616B.653, a lessee engaged in either mining or operating a reduction plant shall be deemed to be:

1. 1. An employee of the lessor; and
2. 2. For the purposes of chapters 616A to 616D, inclusive, of NRS, employed at the average wage paid to a miner employed regularly in the same locality.

(Added to NRS by 1987, 597)—(Substituted in revision for NRS 616.062)