Lack of mining exposure norms rued

NAGPUR: Noise, dust, vibrations, heat, UV sunlight, etc, are certain occupational hazards that miners' face during their regular work. Except for noise and dust, there are no standards for these exposures in India. The country needs standards for these exposures, especially in Indian mining conditions. Hence academic and scientific institutes should take a lead to first recognize and assess the potentially hazardous agents and then formulate standards.

These views were expressed by the former deputy director general of directorate of mine safety (DGMS) at Nagpur, RB Chakarborty while delivering the foundation day lecture of city-based National Institute of Miners' Health (NIMH) 'Safe Mines and Healthy Miners: Issues and Priorities'. The institute entered its silver jubilee year on Friday.

Miners suffer from a variety of occupational diseases like loss of hearing, pneumoconiosis, asbestosis (chronic inflammation of lungs), poisoning due to inhalation of metals and miners nystagmus (involuntary eye movement) due to darkness, skin cancers, lung cancers and tuberculosis. India has a unique blend of big and small, manual and mechanized, opencast and underground mines. Most of them are government-run but there are private players who violate rules. Hence, the standards should be formulated considering these factors too.

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