17. Qualification and appointment of safety officer.
(1)The owner, agent or manager of a mine shall appoint a safety officer to assist the manager of the mine in promotion of safety and occupational health at work:Provided that, where in a mine, the owner, agent or manager of the mine is of the opinion that, due to large size of the mine, or due to large number of installations in the mine, or due to other conditions existing in the mine, it is not possible for one safety officer to attend to his duties effectively by himself, the owner, agent or manager of the mine shall appoint such additional number of safety officers, clearly specifying their areas of jurisdiction, as may be adequate in carrying out duties effectively under these regulations.(2)The safety officer appointed under sub-regulation (1) shall hold degree or diploma in engineering;or degree in science; or degree in industrial safety of an educational institution recognised by the Central Government or post-graduate diploma in industrial safety from Regional Labour Institute and has experience in the management or supervision of operations in oil mines for a period of not less than eight years in case of diploma in engineering and degree in science; and five years in other cases.
