Notification no. G.S.R 67(E); Dated: 28.01.2026
Section 136 of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, (OSH&WC Code) empowers the Central Government to make regulations in relation to mines and dock work, and, accordingly, the Central Government has notified the draft Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Coal Mines) Regulations, 2026, prescribed under the OSH&WC Code. The regulations apply to all coal mines and extend across India. Objections and Suggestions can be submitted within 45 days from the date of publication in the Official Gazette. The key highlights of the draft Regulations are as follows:
- Constitution of the Board of Mining Examination – The draft regulations provide for the constitution of a Board of Mining Examination, consisting of the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator as the Chairperson and five members possessing a degree in mining engineering. Each member must hold office for a period of 3 years from the date of appointment or until his successor is appointed, whichever is later.
- Qualifications of Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator or Inspectors-cum-Facilitators – As per the draft regulations, no person must be appointed as the Chief Inspector cum facilitator or Inspector-cum-Facilitator unless such person holds a degree in mining engineering from an educational institution approved by the Central Government.
- Duties and Responsibilities of Mine-Related Personnel – The draft regulations prescribe the duties and responsibilities of the owners, contractors, manufacturers, managers, assistant managers, ventilation officers, mining and mechanical supervisors, competent persons, and workmen engaged in mine operations.
- Safety Management Plan – Under the draft regulations, the owner, agent and manager of every mine must:
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- identify hazards to the health and safety of the persons employed at the mine to which they may be exposed while at work,
- assess the risks to health and safety to which employees may be exposed while they are at work,
- follow an appropriate process for identification of the hazards and assessment of risks
- record the list of hazards identified and risks assessed, and
- make those records available for inspection by the employees.
- General and Surface Precautions Against Fire – The draft regulations provide for comprehensive fire prevention and fire control measures, including:
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- Prohibition on storage of oil, grease, canvas or other inflammable material except in a fire-proof receptacle.
- Regular removal and safe disposal of greasy or oily waste from underground workings.
- Provision of adequate arrangements for early detection, control and extinguishment of any fire.
- Adoption of preventive measures suited to the nature of mining operations.
- Safe disposal of greasy and oily wastes in opencast workings and workshops.
- Use of fireproof material for surface structures within 10 meters from all entrances to a mine.
- Prohibition on depositing any heated material or ashes on any outcrop of coal seams or in any opencast workings.
- Maintenance of Reports, Records and Registers – As per the draft regulations, all reports, records and registers required to be maintained must be kept in interleaved bound paged registers and signed by the concerned competent persons or officials and countersigned by the manager.
- Payment of Fees – The draft regulations provide that any fees payable must be paid through an electronic mode or any other means as specified from time to time by the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator.
- Survey Instruments, Equipment and Materials – Under the draft regulations, the owner or agent must provide an adequate number of accurate and reliable survey instruments, equipment and materials for conducting survey and levelling work and for preparing the plans and sections required under these regulations.
- Maintenance and Repairs of Safety Lamps – The draft regulations specify that the number of safety lamps at every mine must be adequate to permit thorough cleaning and checking before they are issued. Every safety lamp must be properly assembled and maintained in order and if any such lamp is found to be defective or damaged, it must not be used or issued for use until the defect or damage has been remedied. Furthermore, damaged or defective gauges, glasses, or other parts of a safety lamp must not be kept or stored in the safety lamp room.
- List of Plans, Sections and Instruments and Their Storage – As per the draft regulations, all plans and sections, including tracings or copies kept at the mine, must be serially numbered. Suitable arrangements must be made for the proper storage and maintenance of every plan and section, and of all instruments and materials, to ensure flat storage of every plan and section maintained in physical form or secured in digital form.
- Place of Accident Not to be Disturbed – The draft regulations provide that whenever an accident occurs in or about a mine resulting in loss of life or serious bodily injury to any person, the place of accident must not be disturbed or altered before the arrival of or without the consent of the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator or the Inspector-cum-Facilitator to whom the notice of the accident has been given.
Further, the place of accident must not be disturbed or altered except where such alteration is necessary to prevent any further accident, to remove the bodies of the deceased, or to rescue any person from danger, or where discontinuance of work at the place of accident would seriously impede the working of the mine. - Examination by Assistant Mining Supervisors – Under the draft regulations, every place in a mine, whether belowground or in opencast workings, including travelling roadways and landings, where work is carried on or where persons are stationed or required to pass must be placed under the charge of an assistant mining supervisor or other competent person.
- Emergency Response and Evacuation Plan – The draft regulations require the owner, agent and manager of every mine to establish a comprehensive programme to respond to any injury, illness or emergency that may occur at each mine, including foreseeable industrial and natural disasters. Such programmes must provide for immediate first-aid treatment, medical treatment, transportation and evacuation of injured persons, procedures for responding to emergencies arising at the mine and arrangements for the rescue of persons trapped in coal mines.
- Appeal to the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator – As per the draft regulations, an appeal against an order made by the Regional Inspector-cum-Facilitator may be preferred before the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator, who may confirm, modify or cancel the order. The appeal must be made within 15 days of receipt of the order by the aggrieved person.
- Appeal to the Central Government – The draft regulations provide that an appeal against any order made by the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator must be made within 20 days of the receipt of the order by the aggrieved person to the Central Government.
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