1. Internal Safety Organisation (ISO)

2. ORIGIN OF INTERNAL SAFETY ORGANISATION
After the Jeetpur Report, it was felt that the role of the Safety set up should be that of internal audit, and that the set-up should be reorganised accordingly. It was suggested that the Safety Officer should not be under the administrative control of the Colliery Manager, but should be a part of a separate hierarchy, the head of which should report to the Technical Director on the Board of Directors, if there is such a Director, or to the Chief Executive of the organisation.

3. The role of the Safety hierarchy would be advisory and critical, if necessary, but not executive. The Safety Officer, for instance, will point out deficiencies, if any, to the manager, but not pass orders on the Mines Management to rectify these deficiencies except under the authority of the Manager. If, however, the Safety Officer is dissatisfied with the safety conditions, it will be his duty to report this state of affairs to his superiors in his own hierarchy, on the other hand, not being subordinate to the Colliery Manager. It will not be open to the latter to allot duties to the Safety Officer or make entries in his Personal File or his Confidential Character Roll.

4. FORMATION OF INTERNAL SAFETY ORGANISATION
Director (T)
CGM(S&R)
GM(S)
Nodal Officer
Area Safety Officer
GM(R)

5. RECOMMENDATIONS OF FIFTH NSC
FUNCTION OF ISO
1.The Internal Safety Organisation (ISO) should be independent of the production line at all levels.
2. The Chief of ISO should be a senior officer next in rank only to the Director (Tech.) if any or MD/ the Chief Executive.
3. The ISO should be a multi-disciplinary team and the field setup should start above the; level of mine. The Safety Officer at the mine level being a specialist staff officer to the Mine Manager should not be deemed to be part of the ISO.

6. FUNCTION OF ISO
       
Investigation of accidents, identification of the causes of accidents, suggestions on prevention of similar ones in future and follow up on the suggestions.
Control to reduce the accident rates to the barest minimum and to achieve Zero accident being the ultimate aim.

7. FUNCTION OF ISO
       
In order that the Internal Safety Organisation is able to play an effective role, detailed guidelines for their functioning may be laid down covering, inter-alia, the following:
(i) Formulation of safety policy at the corporate level;
(ii) Effective monitoring of the state of implementation of the policy directives on safety;
(iii) Periodic inspection of mines for assessing status of safety;
(iv) Enquiry into all accidents and dangerous occurrences;
(v) Actively associated in opening new districts and in obtaining permissions, relaxations and exemptions under the statute;
(vi) The findings of ISO should be placed before the Pit Safety Committee for discussion and dissemination.
Cir Tech 04/ Before starting a new district, clearance from the Internal Safety Organization must be taken in writing by the local mine management.

8. (Cir. Gen. 1/1998)
It is therefore advised that the management of all mining companies, adopt the following measures as recommended in the 5th and 6th Conferences on Safety in Mines and also in the recommendations of the Courts of Inquiries of 'Kessurgarh' Colliery and 'Sudamdih' Colliery in reviving the institution of the ISO for justifying its role in improvement of safety standards in mines— (a) The ISO in every mining company, shall make an in-depth mine-wise, cause-wise analysis of all fatal/serious accidents. (b) The ISO shall monitor the impact of the 'Safety Campaigns' drawn up by Board of Directors based on the ISO's analysis of accidents as mentioned above, and also submit a report to the Board of Directors at intervals not exceeding 3 months.

9. (c) The ISO shall be made independent of the production line at all levels.
(d) The Chief of ISO shall be of a senior rank, next only to the Dir(Tech.)M.D./Chief
Executive of mining company.
(e) The ISO shall be multidisciplinary team, with a field set-up which shall be above the mine LEVEL
(f) For ISO to be effective in its functioning, suitable policy shall be framed on the basis of
the following guidelines :
(i) A proper Safety Policy shall be drawn up at corporate level of the company.
(ii) A suitable machinery shall be evolved for effective monitoring of the
implementation status of policy directives.
(iii) There shall be a system of periodic mine inspections for assessment of safety
status.
(iv) All mine accidents arid dangerous occurrences shall be independently enquired into by the ISO.

10. (v) The ISO shall make independent assessment of the safety implications in all cases
of opening of new mine/district, use of new equipment, adoption of new method of
work and all grievances on safety related matters.
(vi) All applications for obtaining statutory permission, shall be studied and vetted by
the ISO before submission.
(vii) Findings of the ISO on safety matters shall be discussed in the Safety Committee
at mines.
(viii) The ISO shall periodically assess the proper functioning of the institutions of
workmen's inspectors and the Safety Committees in mines.
(ix) There shall be a system of auditing the safety standards at intervals of not more
than a year, for each mine.

11. Recommendations of Central Saunda Court of Inquiry
Recommendations of Central Saunda Court of Inquiry. DGMS (Tech) Circular No. 6 of 2006
ISO role could be more purposeful if – a) Work in a new district is commenced only after clearance from ISO, b) The head of ISO should either be on the Board of the company or he should report to a Director not directly connected with production.

12. THANK YOU