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For the purposes of avoiding occupational accidents and for maintaining of safety and healthy working conditions in areas covered by Prospecting Permits, Mining Leases, Quarry Privileges as well as areas surrounding the Mining Leases and Quarry Privileges and for purposes of processing ores and quarry materials, relevant Safety Regulations were established by the Council of Ministers. Regarding these Regulations, relevant articles of the Law on the Regulation of Mines and Quarries and the Explosives Law must be applied.

The Security Regulations in question are the following:

1. Safety Regulations contained in the Mines and Quarries Regulations of 1958 which were enacted under section 47 of the Mines and Quarries Regulation Law.
2. The Mines and Quarries (prevention of pneumoconiosis) Regulations of 1961 to 1984 enacted pursuant to Article 47 of the Mines and Quarries Regulation Law.
3. The Mines and Quarries (Safety Organization) Regulations 1973 enacted under section 47 of the Mines and Quarries Regulation Law.
4. The Explosives Regulations of 1940 to 2005 pursuant to article 13 of the Explosives Law.

The above Safety Regulations:

• The safe way of conducting research, mining and quarrying operations.
• Maintaining machinery and other mechanical means in good condition to avoid accidents.
• The safe transportation of employees from/to their workplaces.
• Providing employees with appropriate means of personal protection.
• Giving first aid to the injured by persons who hold first aid certificates.
• The protection of employees from dangerous areas of quarrying, mining operations and from dangerous moving parts of machines, machines that are used during the transportation and processing of mined materials.
• The storage of explosive materials in suitable licensed storage areas.
• The safe way to store, transport and use explosives by licensed persons who carry relevant certificates of competence issued by the Inspector of Explosives.
• The proper and safest way of using explosives during mining operations.
• Taking measures to suppress dust emissions during drilling, blasting, loading, transport and processing of mining or quarry materials, so that the atmosphere in the working environment is free of harmful dust concentrations.
• The provision of adequate ventilation and lighting.
• Taking measures to protect employees from harmful gases.
• The medical monitoring of the health of employees who are exposed to areas where there is the possibility of inhaling dust.
• The establishment of a Safety Committee in which employee representatives also participate to prevent accidents, investigate their causes and take corrective measures to avoid them.
• The immediate notification of accidents to the Mines Service and the Labor Inspection Department for further investigation.

The Mines Service for the control of the above Safety Regulations:

• Conducts regular inspections in the areas of Prospecting Permits, Mining Leases and Quarry Privileges.
• Monitoring the meetings of the Safety Committees of each Mine/Quarry, where mining inspectors informed about the issues discussed at each previous meetings and carries out checks that the decisions of the Committees are implemented by the holder of the Prospecting Permit, Mining Lease or Quarry Privilege.
• Makes recommendations/written warnings to the holder of a Prospecting Permit, Mining Lease or Quarry Privilege, to take measures to comply with the provisions of the mentioned regulations and where necessary requests the immediate suspension of operations until corrective measures are taken.

Collaborates with the Labor Inspection Department on matters of the establishment and operation of Safety Committees, accident prevention and the investigation of their causes.