Occupational Health and Safety in Mines in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been blessed with abundant mineral resources of diverse types ranging from precious/ semi-precious metallic and non metallic minerals, Industrial minerals, fuel minerals and dimensional stones of attractive colors. The resources are being managed and regulated by Minerals Development Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The department has granted mineral titles to various persons and companies for mining out these mineral resources.

Approximately, there are 3800 mines/quarries in the province. A large number of these mines are inactive (nearly 800), and the rest are active. Some of the active mines are in the production stage whereas others are in the development stage.

Mining is considered a risky industry across the world. Each year, thousands of labourers die or get injured due to mine accidents. In the developed world, the ratio of these accidents is low, whereas in developing countries like Pakistan, the ratio still stands at high. There are multidimensional factors that contribute to these accidents.

To be continued......