Awareness session: Miners urged to explore new techniques, safety measures

5,000 mine workers from the province will be trained over the next five years.

MINGORA: Government revenue and employment are likely to increase if work begins on mines across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, experts said at a three-day training session that concluded at Emerald Mine Mingora on Friday.

The training session was organised by the mobile training unit of the Inspectorate of Mines and Labour Welfare. It was aimed at raising awareness about modern mining techniques and safety measures. During the seminar, organisers announced that at least 5,000 mine workers will be trained over the next five years by the General Mines and Minerals Directorate.

Safe and sound

K-P’s chief inspector of mines Fazal Raziq said outdated techniques were being used by mine workers. This has created many setbacks to exploiting the large number of minerals found in the province. Moreover, he said, such techniques had resulted in frequent accidents across the province, he said.



“The purpose of this session is to encourage mine workers to adopt safety measures and state-of-the-art techniques to exploit minerals,” Raziq said.

According to the chief inspector, if new and improved techniques are not adopted, it could have an adverse effect on mineral exploration. He insisted that safety measures should not be ignored as it could pose a risk to the lives of mine workers.

Training miners

Speaking on the occasion, Shaheen Khan, senior inspector of mines in Malakand Division, said nearly 1,200 households are connected to the business in Swat. As a result, it is important to train miners on how to effectively conduct underground and surface mining.

“I am sure that once they are trained, miners will be able to work in a safe and efficient manner,” Shaheen added.

Chief Commissioner Mines Ziarat Khan told The Express Tribune that this was the 64th training session held in the province. Various sessions have been conducted throughout K-P to generate awareness about safety measures in mining.

“Mine workers are also being educated about their rights and the responsibilities the government has towards them,” the chief commissioner said. He added that various welfare schemes have been introduced to cater to their needs. Apart from health benefits, an education scheme has been introduced to provide their children with scholarships.

Famoos Khan, a local miner who has been working for 27 years, lauded the initiative as an informative and interactive venture.

“I learnt a series of new techniques which I will try to adopt,” he said. “They taught us the importance of using helmets, dust masks, full face masks, self-rescuers, air muffs, preventive spectacles, gloves and safety boots.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 1^st, 2014.