March 27, 2002

    The Vice President Shri Krishan Kant has called for proactive engagement of the labour and local population in promoting mine safety. Speaking at a function after giving away National safety Awards (mines) for the year 2000 here today, Shri Kant said that the very concept of industrial safety may have to be expanded from being management or government-centric to active participation of workers. He said that the workers participation in safety management and self-regulation involved in miners should be the key to foster team work in good communication between the management and the miners to avoid accidents. The Vice President said that there is no reason for miners to risk their lives when mechanised substitutes are available for hazardous mining operations. Referring to spectacular advances in technology, Shri Kant said it is quite possible to make mines and mining safer. He said that the constitution makes it obligatory for the state to secure just and humane conditions of work.

    Felicitating the awardees, the Labour Minister Shri Sharad Yadav said that there is a need for framing a coherent National Policy on Occupational Safety and Health for workers. He said that the Labour Ministry has in its report for the 10^th Plan submitted a detailed proposal in this connection. He said a general legislation on occupational safety and health has been proposed to reduce multiplicity of enforcement agencies and for proper coordination among them. Shri Yadav said that the Labour Ministry is also updating the Mines Act 1952 to be at par with international standards. Describing awareness about safety in mines as crucial, Shri Yadav said that National Safety Awards for Mines is an effort by the Labour Ministry to create awareness.

    The Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shri Muni Lall in his Welcome address said that although the accident rate in our mines shows a steadily decreasing trend and compare favourably with many of the industralised countries, much remains to be done to achieve the goal of Zero accident rate. He said that as a progressive democratic country we have a deep commitment to protect the interest of vulnerable sections of the society, particularly, to the workers engaged in hazardous industries.

    The Labour Secretary Shri Vinod Vaish said that due to intervention of Directorate General, Mine Safety, the fatality rate per thousand persons employed in coal mines fell from a high of 0.93 to 0.33 during the last decade. The same rate for non-coal mines fell from 0.67 to 0.35. He said that a close examination, however, reveals that the fatality rate in coal mines have remained static for the last one and half decades and in non-coal mines after a study decline over the last four decades has increased .

    32 National Safety awards comprising 16 winners and an equal number of runners for 2000 were given away. The awards were given for safety performance in two categories, viz., longest accident free period and lowest injury frequency rate during the last three consecutive years ending with the contest year. Each award was received jointly by one representative of management and one representative of workers.