Minister of State for Labour and Employment Santosh Kumar Gangwar on Tuesday said that safety of mine workers is highest priority of the Government which has made provisions for safety standards for all sectors including mines, factory and construction.
Inaugurating the two-day 12th National Conference on Safety in Mines here, he said his ministry has introduced Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH) Code in Parliament which has made provisions for annual health check up of mine workers and safety standards for all the sectors including mines, factory and construction.
He expressed hope that the conference will come out with relevant suggestions regarding safety of workers for continuously changing scenario of mines after globalisation.
Nearly 10 lakh people are engaged in the mining sector which contributes around 2.6 per cent to the GDP of the nation.
Noting that mining is one of the most hazardous industries and miners have to go deep inside the earth so safety standards of mines should be of global standard, the minister further said this conference should be held every year so that latest technologies for electrical safety, appropriate machinery, role of IT for the safety of mines and workers may be discussed and adopted. He expressed hope that problems of mining sector will be discussed at length with all the stakeholders and relevant policy guidelines and suggestions will emerge from the exercise.
The National Conference was first started in 1958 following an explosion in Chinakuri Colliery in Eastern India and subsequently ten more conferences have been held. Many recommendations of the conference have been absorbed in statute, whereas some have been incorporated in management's safety policies and practices. The National Conference is the highest tripartite forum at the national level for deliberation on issues connected with safety and health in mines, an official release here said.
Ms Sibani Swain, Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor, Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the mining companies as employers' representatives, the leaders of Central Trade Unions as workers' representatives, representatives of the Central and State Governments, Professional Institutions and Associations and Academic and Research Institutes took part in the Conference.
Labour Joint Secretary Kalpana Rajsinghot and DGMS Director General R Subramanian spoke on the occasion.
The two-day conference which ends on January 29, will review the status of safety in mining and adequacy of existing measures in improving working conditions in mines in a spirit of mutual cooperation. In this changing perspective, important issues like "OSH issues of contractual workers-strategy to improve safety status", "Strategies for disaster prevention in coal mines", "Electrical safety-Recent trends-strategy for improvement", "Role of Information technology in mining sector", "Prevalence of Pneumoconiosis/Silicosis among Workers,
Present Status of Dust Control Measures and Strategy for Improvement" will be deliberated.
It is expected that after detailed deliberations the Conference will come out with important recommendations suggesting measures for further improvement in safety, welfare and health of mine workers of the country.
