MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
(SHRI SANTOSH KUMAR GANGWAR)
(a): Ministry of Labour & Employment has not issued any advisory for the safety of mine workers and their working in the hazardous factories in the country including Madhya Pradesh and Jammu-Kashmir. However, the Central Government has enacted the Mines Act, 1952 and the Factories Act, 1948 for ensuring the occupational safety, health and welfare of the workers employed in the mines and workers employed in the factories registered under the Factories Act, 1948 respectively. There are adequate provisions for ensuing the health, safety and welfare of the mine workers as well as factory workers under these Acts and the Rules and Regulations framed thereunder.
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(b): The Government has not formulated any specific scheme to ensure the safety of workers in mines and hazardous factories but the safety, health and welfare of the mine workers and factories workers including hazardous factories are governed in terms of provisions contained in the Mines Act, 1952 and the Factories Act, 1948 and Rules and Regulations made there under.
(c): Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS) under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India administers the Mines Act, 1952 for ensuring safety of the workers employed in mines. DGMS has taken following steps to reduce the number of accidents in mines:-
(i) To promote and propagate safety awareness in mines, National Safety Awards (Mines), National Conference on Safety in Mines are organized by DGMS. Workers participation and sensitization in matters of safety are ensured through training in safety and by initiatives like observance of safety week and safety campaigns, etc.
(ii) Safety training programmes are organized among Managers and Supervisors for improving safety standards in mines.
(iii) Introduction of Risk Assessment Techniques and preparation of safety management plan aimed at elimination of risks and to ensure safety of workmen.
(iv) Introduction of standard operating procedures to avoid unsafe practices in mines.
(v) Time to time, DGMS Circulars are issued as guidelines for safe operations in identified thrust areas.
(d): DGMS administers the provision of the Mines Act, 1952 for ensuring the occupational safety, health and welfare of the workers employed in the mines. There is detailed budgetary outlay for DGMS.
(e): The details of the number of fatal accidents, serious accidents and overall accidents, as reported by the mine management during the calendar year 2015-2019 are as under:
Year Fatal Accident Serious Accident Total Accident
2015 99 337 436
2016 106 305 411
2017 102 204 306
2018 96 236 332
2019 97 176 273
* Data for the year 2017 to 2019 are provisional.
As can be seen, the trend of the fatal and serious accidents that took place in mines during the last five years is decreasing.
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