The government has passed a number of laws to regulate working conditions of workers associated with mining activities. The Mines Act 1952 specifies various rules which do not include?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Companies need not take responsibility for accidents
Option (1) Maximum no of hours a person can be made to work — A rule of the Act (Incorrect). The Mines Act 1952 specifies the maximum number of hours a person can be made to work in a week.
Option (2) Need to pay overtime for any extra hours — A rule of the Act (Incorrect). The Act lays down the need to pay overtime for any extra hours worked.
Option (3) Safety rules — A rule of the Act (Incorrect). Safety rules are the third set of provisions the Act specifies, since mining is dangerous work.
Option (4) Companies need not take responsibility for accidents — Not a rule of the Act (Correct). A law made to regulate working conditions does not free employers from responsibility. Avoiding responsibility is what happens when the law is broken: many contractors do not maintain proper registers of workers, and so escape any responsibility for accidents and benefits.
NCERT (2025-26): “5.5 Working conditions … The government has passed a number of laws to regulate working conditions. Let us look at mining, where a number of people are employed. Coal mines alone employ 5.5 lakh workers. The Mines Act 1952, which has now been included in the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Condition Code, 2020, specifies the maximum number of hours a person can be made to work in a week, the need to pay overtime for any extra hours worked and safety rules. These rules may be followed in big companies, but not in smaller mines and quarries. Moreover, sub-contracting is widespread. Many contractors do not maintain proper registers of workers, thus avoiding any responsibility for accidents and benefits.…” |