(a)the details of mines safety norms in the Indian Mining Policy along with the various works carried out in this regard during the last three years and the current year;
(b)whether no importance has been given to mines safety in the Indian Mining Policy; and
(c)if so, the reaction of the Government thereto along with the corrective steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard?
MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
(SHRI BANDARU DATTATREYA)
(a) to (c): Under the Constitution of India, safety, welfare and health of workers employed in mines are the concern of the Central Government (Entry 55-Union List-Article 246). The objective is regulated by the Mines Act, 1952 and the Rules and Regulations framed thereunder. These are administered by the Directorate-General of Mines Safety (DGMS), under the Union Ministry of Labour& Employment. Apart from administering the Mines Act and the subordinate legislation there under, DGMS also administers some other allied legislation, including the Indian Electricity Act. A list of the subordinate legislation under the Mines Act and certain allied legislation administered by DGMS is at Annexure.
Contd..2/-
:: 2 ::
Adequate provisions for safety and health of persons employed in mines are made in the Mines Act, 1952 and rules and regulations made there under. DGMS makes every effort to ensure strict compliance of such provisions by mine management. To see that the mine management carries out the mining operations in accordance with the legal provisions to ensure safety of mining workers, officers of DGMS make periodic inspections of all types of mines, irrespective of ownership types of the mines. During inspection of mines, if the workings or the environment are found to be unsafe and dangerous from the point of view of safety of workers; violation letters, notices or prohibitory orders are immediately issued to the management to take necessary steps for improvement. Unless the conditions improve for re-deployment of persons as recorded through inspections, the orders are not vacated and persons are not allowed to be deployed in such dangerous conditions. DGMS after proper enquiry also launches prosecutions against the mines which violate the rules and regulations of Mines Act, 1952. The number of inspection/enquiries made during last three years and current year in India as a whole is given below:
Number of Inspections and Enquiries made by DGMS during 2014 and 2015*
Year
Inspections Enquiries
Coal Metal Oil Total Coal Metal Oil Total
2012 3811 3635 292 7738 933 537 40 1510
2013 4038 3898 329 8265 890 449 60 1399
2014 4664 4694 588 9946 1035 540 111 1686
2015* 4967 4865 667 10499 1085 575 16 1676
*: provisional (as on 31.10.2015).
:: 3 ::
The number of improvement notices & prohibitory orders issued by DGMS during last three years and current year is given below:-
Number of Improvement Notices and Prohibitory Orders issued by DGMS during 2012-2015*
Year Coal Mines Non-Coal Mines
Notices Issued Orders Issued Notices Issued Orders Issued
2012 79 30 151 214
2013 108 42 224 473
2014 127 46 449 670
2015* 32 08 22 40
*: provisional (as on 31.10.2015).
The number of prosecution launched by DGMS against the public and private sector companies during last three years and current year is given below:
Number of prosecutions launched by DGMS during 2012-2015*
Year Public Sector Private Sector Total
2012 18 91 109
2013 14 82 96
2014 13 20 33
2015* 05 14 19
*: provisional (as on 31.10.2015)
Mining is considered as hazardous work. To protect the safety and health of workers working in mines, Government of India had enacted the Mines Act, 1952 and rules and regulations made there under. Adequate provisions for safety and health of persons employed in mines are made in the, Mines Act, 1952; Mines Rules, 1955; Coal Mines Regulations, 1957; Metalliferous Mines Regulations, 1961 and Oil Mines Regulations, 1984. The Mine management is required to comply with such provisions in their mines to ensure safety and health of their workers.
:: 4 ::
To maintain safety of the mine workers the following steps have been taken by the Government:
(i) To promote and propagate safety awareness in mines, National Safety Awards (Mines), National Conference on Safety in Mines is organized by DGMS. The recommendations of National Conference on Safety in Mines go a long way in enhancing safety of mine workers.
(ii) Workers participation and sensitization in matters of safety are ensured through training in safety and by initiatives like celebration of safety week and safety campaigns, etc.
(iii) Safety training programmes are organized among Managers and Supervisors for improving safety standards in mines.
(iv) Risk Assessment Techniques are being introduced aimed at elimination of risks and to ensure safety of workmen.
(v) Standard operating procedures are established to avoid unsafe practices in mines.
(vi) A special safety awareness campaign has been launched to increase awareness of mine workers. i.e., ‘Safety is My Responsibility’ and steps have been taken to propagate the same.
* *******