Mines Rules, 1955

Ministry of Labour: The Mines Rules, 1955

Chapter I: Preliminary

• The Mines Rules, 1955, apply to every mine of whatever description, as per the Mines Act, 1952.
• Definitions:
  • "The Act" means the Mines Act, 1952.
  • "Court of Inquiry" means a court of inquiry appointed under Section 24 of the Act.
  • "Form" means a form as given in the First Schedule.
  • "Section" means a section of the Act.
  • "Schedule" means a schedule appended to these rules.
  • "Manager" includes Mine Superintendent, responsible for control, management, supervision, and direction of a mine.
  • "Certifying Surgeon" means a qualified medical practitioner appointed under Section 11.
  • "Calendar Year" means a year from January 1st to December 31st.
  • "Officer in-charge Canteen" means the person appointed by the owner or agent for securing compliance with canteen provisions.
  • "Ordinary employed" means the average number of persons employed per day in a mine or part of a mine during a calendar year.

Chapter II: Committee

• Term of office of Committee members is three years, unless otherwise notified.
• A Secretary to the Committee is appointed by the Chief Inspector.
• Members receive a honorarium fixed by the Central Government.
• Resignation of a member is accepted by the Chairman or the Central Government.
• Absence from India requires prior notification and registration.
• Notification of vacancies is made to the Central Government.
• Disposal of business is done through meetings or circulation of papers, with decisions made by majority vote.
• Minutes of meetings are recorded and signed by the Chairman.
• Non-official members receive allowances regulated by the Central Government.

Chapter III: Court of Inquiry

• Court of Inquiry is held in public, unless otherwise directed.
• Expenses of the court, including those incurred with prior sanction, can be recovered from the owner of the mine.

Chapter IV: Certifying Surgeons

• Certifying Surgeons may inspect, examine, or inquire into mines within their jurisdiction.
• Duties of Certifying Surgeons include:
  • Preparing age and fitness certificates for miners.
  • Conducting examinations and furnishing reports on request.
  • Carrying out fresh examinations after six months.

Chapter IV-A: Medical Examination of Persons Employed or to be Employed in Mines

• Medical examinations are applicable to persons employed or seeking employment in mines, except those employed temporarily or casually for less than six months.
• Initial and periodical medical examinations are required for every person employed in a mine.
• Examining authorities include Medical Officers appointed for the mine or employed by the owner or state/central government.
• Notice of medical examination is given to the person, and copies sent to the examining authority.
• Failure to undergo medical examination can result in discharge from service, with a provision for showing cause and referral to the Chief Inspector in case of dispute.### Medical Examination and Certificates
• Medical examinations are conducted by an examining authority to determine a person's fitness for employment in a mine.
• The examining authority shall examine a person according to the standard laid down in Form P and Form P-I.
• A copy of the medical certificate in Form O shall be issued to the person concerned and another copy sent to the manager of the mine.
• The examining authority shall retain the third copy of the medical certificate.
• In the case of periodical medical examination, the examining authority shall also send the copy of previous medical certificates to the manager of the mine.

Retention and Transfer of Medical Certificates

• Medical certificates shall be retained in the possession of the manager of the mine for as long as the person is employed and for 2 years thereafter.
• If the person is employed in another mine, the manager of the previous mine shall send the medical certificates to the new mine.

Identity of Candidates

• Every candidate for medical examination shall provide 3 unmounted photographs of themselves.
• The examining authority shall endorse each photograph with the name and father's/husband's name of the candidate.
• The examining authority shall also record the left-hand thumb impression or signature of the candidate on the medical certificate.

Medical Examination of Women

• No woman shall be medically examined by a male medical practitioner without her consent, except in the presence of another woman.

Appeal for Re-examination

• A person who has been declared unfit for employment in a mine may appeal to the manager of the mine within 30 days.
• The manager shall arrange for a medical re-examination by an Appellate Medical Board within 30 days.
• A person who fails to submit themselves for a medical re-examination without reasonable cause shall cease to be employed in the mine.

Appellate Medical Board

• The Appellate Medical Board consists of 3 officers: a Medical Officer from the Directorate General of Mines Safety, a Medical Officer nominated by the Chief Inspector, and a Medical Officer from the State or Central Government.
• The Appellate Medical Board shall medically examine the appellant and issue a medical certificate in Form S.

Unfit Persons Not to be Employed

• A person declared unfit for employment in a mine shall not be employed or continue to be employed in the mine.
• However, the person may be recommended for continuation in employment for a period not exceeding 6 months if the Medical Officer is of the opinion that the disability will not seriously affect the person's duties.

Compensation for Industrial Disease

• If a person is found to have contracted an industrial disease, the provisions of the Workmen's Compensation Act, 1923, shall apply.

Cost of Medical Examination

• The full cost of every medical examination shall be borne by the owner of the mine.

Annual Returns

• The manager of every mine shall submit annual returns to the Chief Inspector in respect of the preceding calendar year.

Workmen's Inspector and Safety Committee

• A Workmen's Inspector shall be designated by the owner, agent, or manager of the mine in consultation with the registered trade union.
• The Workmen's Inspector shall perform duties related to the inspection of the mine, including inspecting shafts, inclines, roads, and equipment.
• The Workmen's Inspector shall record a full report of the matters ascertained as a result of their inspection in a register kept for the purpose.

Safety Committee

• A Safety Committee shall be constituted by the owner, agent, or manager of the mine to promote safety in the mine.
• The Safety Committee shall consist of the manager, officials, competent persons, and workmen nominated by the workmen.
• The functions of the Safety Committee include discussing remedial measures against unsafe conditions, considering proposed safety measures, and formulating safety campaigns.

Health and Sanitation Provisions

• The owner, agent, or manager of the mine shall provide at least 2 liters of drinking water per person employed at any one time.
• The drinking water shall be kept cool in suitable vessels and refilled daily.
• The owner, agent, or manager shall also provide adequate latrine and urinal accommodation on the surface of the mine.### Latrine Accommodation
• In calculating latrine accommodation, any fraction less than 50 shall be reckoned as 50.
• Every latrine on the surface provided for the use of persons employed in a mine shall conform to the following standards of construction:
  • Site approved by an Inspector in writing
  • Built of brick or other suitable building material
  • Adequately drained and properly ventilated
  • Effective protection from the weather
  • Type approved by an Inspector in writing
  • Floor and interior surfaces shall be smooth and impervious
  • Partitioned for privacy with a proper door and fastenings
  • Separate approaches for latrines intended for different sexes

Sign-boards and Water Supply

• Where persons of both sexes are employed, a signboard shall be displayed outside each latrine indicating "For Males" or "For Females" in the language understood by the majority of workpersons.
• A sufficient number of water taps shall be provided in or near latrines where a piped water supply is available.
• If a piped water supply is not available, a sufficient quantity of water shall be kept stored in suitable receptacles near latrines.

Underground Latrines

• If more than 50 persons are employed underground at any one time, latrines shall be provided underground at convenient points near working shafts and entrances to districts or sections of the mine.
• The latrines shall be of a type approved by an Inspector in writing.

Sanitation

• All underground working places and travelling roadways shall be kept clean from excreta.
• All latrines and urinals in or about a mine shall be kept in a clean and sanitary condition.
• Receptacles for night-soil shall be cleaned and disinfected at least once a day.
• Proper arrangements shall be made on the surface for the disposal of night-soil and urine.

First-Aid and Medical Appliances

• The owner, agent, or manager of a mine shall make arrangements for the training of persons in first-aid and the provision of equipment.
• Adequate arrangements shall be made for the speedy removal of persons suffering from serious bodily injury or illness to a dispensary or hospital.
• A qualified nurse, dresser, compounder-cum-dresser, or medical practitioner shall be appointed to render first-aid.
• A first-aid room shall be provided at every mine employing more than 150 persons.
• The first-aid room shall be situated at a convenient place on the surface and shall be used only for first-aid work.
• The first-aid room shall have a floor space of not less than 10 square meters and shall contain the equipment specified in the Second Schedule.

Carrying of First-Aid Outfit

• Every Overman, foreman, sirdar, mate, shot-firer, blaster, electrician, and mechanic in a mine shall hold first-aid qualifications and shall carry a first-aid outfit while on duty.

Medical Attention in Case of Injury

• Every person receiving an injury in the course of duty shall report to an official as soon as possible.
• The official shall arrange for rendering first aid to the injured person.
• If the injury requires immediate attention by a medical practitioner, the official shall arrange for the medical practitioner to be called.

Employment of Persons

• The following persons shall be deemed to be persons holding positions of supervision or management:
  • Manager, undermanager, underground manager, assistant manager, ventilation officer, and safety officer
  • Mining, electrical, and mechanical engineers
  • Overman, foreman, sirdar, and mate
  • Mechanical and electrical foremen and electrical supervisors
  • Surveyors and assistant surveyors
  • Medical officers, chemists, assayers, metallurgists, and welfare or personnel officers
  • Any other person who in the opinion of the Chief Inspector holds a position of supervision or management

Weekly Day of Rest

• A day of rest for any person means a period of rest of at least 24 consecutive hours.
• A notice showing the weekly day of rest shall be posted in a conspicuous place outside the office of every mine.

Notice Regarding Hours of Work

• The notices of hours of work shall be maintained in Form A.
• The notice shall show the particulars of the system in which periodical changes of shifts are made for all or each set of persons employed in the mine.

Compensatory Days of Rest

• The compensatory days of rest to be allowed shall be so spaced that in any one week not more than two such days shall be allowed to any one person.
• A list of all persons who have not been allowed compensatory days of rest during the month shall be displayed on a notice board outside the office of the mine.

Leave with Wages and Overtime

• The owner, agent, or manager of every mine shall maintain a record of leave with wages in Form G and H.
• The register mentioned in sub-rule (1) shall be preserved for a period of two years after the last entry has been made.

Overtime

• Overtime shall be paid at the end of each wage-period.
• In calculating overtime on any day, a fraction of an hour less than 30 minutes shall be ignored, and a fraction of 30 minutes or more shall be counted as one hour.

Cases of Exemption

• Where an exemption is granted under section 56, the manager shall display at the main entrance of the mine a notice giving full details of the system established in the mine for leave with wages.

Welfare Amenities

• At every mine where more than 50 persons are ordinarily employed, adequate and suitable shelters shall be provided at or near loading wharves, opencast workings, workshops, and mine entrances.