ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev condemned the unacceptable state of labor safety following the Feb. 17 mine collapse at Kazakhmys corporation in the Ulytau Region, reported Akorda.
Photo credit: Kazakhstan Today
According to Tokayev, gross violations of established requirements, poor equipment of facilities with industrial safety systems, and insufficient investment in worker protection lead to man-made accidents, deaths, and injuries.
Tokayev instructed the government to audit industrial facilities for compliance with safety standards and implement modern security systems, including gas alarms and seismic sensors.
He also directed them to digitize facilities with automated forecasting and warning systems, increase investment in industrial safety by adjusting subsoil users’ work programs, and tighten mechanisms of industrial safety supervision and control.
On Feb. 21, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov convened a meeting to discuss Tokayev’s directions to strengthen industrial safety regulations.
As part of the Industrial Safety Concept, regulatory frameworks will be revised to incorporate the digitalization of industrial facilities. Stricter safety requirements will be introduced alongside initiatives to strengthen scientific research, establish specialized centers, and improve workforce skills and the legal status of state labor inspectors.
Some industrial safety requirements are under review. The draft law on civil protection proposes tighter requirements for emergency rescue services, stricter production control standards, and new obligations for owners of hazardous facilities to regularly update and modernize their equipment.
Bektenov also instructed officials to strengthen oversight of mining plans, introduce standards for early mine degassing, and collaborate with domestic IT specialists to develop new industrial safety solutions.
