The Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS), on July 1, 2026, notified the minimum apparatus and equipment to be provided and maintained at the entrance of belowground mines where no rescue room is located, in exercise of the powers conferred under Rule 131(2) of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2026. The standards are applicable to all such belowground mines to strengthen emergency preparedness and mine safety.
The notification prescribes the mandatory availability of compressed air breathing apparatus, self-contained self-rescuers, flame safety lamps, multi-gas detectors (or separate methane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and oxygen detectors), whirling hygrometers, safety belts, resuscitating apparatus, first-aid boxes, blankets, scoop stretchers, and spine boards at the mine entrance. These requirements are intended to facilitate prompt rescue operations and emergency response in the event of accidents or hazardous situations.
Further, the notfication empowers the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator of Mines to require any mine, through a written order, to provide and maintain additional or higher-capacity apparatus and equipment, wherever considered necessary based on the nature of mining operations and associated risks.
[Notification No. G.S.R. 572(E)]
