The Mines Inspectorate Branch is part of the Regulatory Operations Division of the Mineral Resources Authority. The main objective of the branch is to ensure that all mines in Papua New Guinea (PNG) operate safely and in compliance with the Mining (Safety) Act 1977 and Regulations 1935 (“the Act”) and global reputable standards and industry best practices.
The branch is managed by the Chief Inspector of Mines. The Chief Inspector reports to the Minister for Mining on statutory obligations and reports to the Executive Manager of the Regulatory Operations Division on administrative matters.
The branch aspires to ensure that the mining industry attains ‘zero harm’ to mine workers every working day. It continuously works with the industry to build mine safety and health culture above all matters.
Functions of the Mines Inspectorate
Conduct inspections and audits
Conduct investigations and inquiries
Issuing of prohibition and improvement notices
Review technical assessments, project proposals and grant approvals and permissions
Recommend prosecution of offences under the Act
Protect mine workers from mining hazards and risks
Accident & Incident Reporting
A Serious Bodily Injury shall be reported on Form 14.
Equipment Damage Report of accident without bodily injury on Form 33.
Industry OHS Performances provides list of all alerts, bulletins and notices in chronological order as well as shows graphs on the serious accident trends in the recent past months.
All information received through Mines Inspectorate Complaint Form shall be considered highly confidential and previlege in accordance with the Mining (Safety) Act 1977 and Regulation 1935.