Mining sector

Chief inspectors of mines express determination to safeguard the lives of miners

A national consultative meeting of the Chief Inspectors of Mines (CIMs) was convened in Quetta to foster experience sharing and discuss capacity building needs for the improvement of working and safety conditions in the mining sector of Pakistan.

Press release | Quetta, Pakistan | 27 June 2018
Quetta (ILO News): The ILO under its project on Strengthening Labour Inspection System in Pakistan (SLISP) convened a national consultative meeting of the Chief Inspectors of Mines (CIMs) in Quetta on 27th June, 2018. The meeting was convened to foster experience sharing and discuss capacity building needs for the improvement of working and safety conditions in the mining sector of Pakistan. The meeting was attended by the key technical and administrative aides of the provincial mines and coal inspectorates of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and the Federal Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (MOPHRD).

Occupational accidents in the mining sector in Pakistan occur quite frequently. Reports from trade unions and media suggests that hundreds of people lose their life every year in the mining sector, which within a meagre estimated workforce of 30,000 (i.e. Labour Force Survey 2014-15) is alarming. The recent fatal accidents in the mining sector causing a number of casualties have also caught the attention of the judiciary and administrative/executive arms of the governments. Given this state of affairs, the mines and coal departments have renewed their commitment towards Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) improvements in the mining sector. In this context, the ILO convened a national level tripartite consultation in November 2017 that helped outline broader recommendations for OSH improvements in the mining sector. Later, the Chief Secretary of Balochistan also convened a provincial meeting in order to escalate the government‘s response for ratification of C-176 thereby escalating improvements in the mining sector.

The recent consultative meeting of the Chief Inspectors of Mines and their key technical staff was a further step in narrowing down the technical understanding of challenges and recommended solutions. The meeting therefore helped drawing out the following specific recommendations:
  1. The legislative framework governing the mining sector needs to be updated.
  2. Capacity building of existing workforce is immediately required.
  3. The inspectorates of mines and coal are in dire need of a) employment of inspectors, b) deployment of adequate inspection equipment and c) allied management resources.
  4. Interprovincial coordination and collaboration of the mines and coal inspectorates is required to improve learning and functioning through experience sharing opportunities.
  5. Awareness raising and education of workers and employers representatives to help reduce the number of fatal accidents.
  6. Since the licencing/leasing of mines is currently out of mandate of the mines inspectorates, an administrative preconditioning is required that the renewal of leases should be are awarded upon seeking No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the mines inspectorate. This will enhance the effectiveness of the mines inspectorates in order for improving OSH conditions in mines.
  7. Stringent regulations are needed to discourage the multi-layered subcontracting of the mines.