Very often, these have resulted in the loss of lives of miners. The latest collapse earlier this week, resulted in the death of a young miner from Region Eight.

The President’s concerns were related this morning to members of the media, when Minister of State Joseph Harmon addressed his weekly media briefing.

Minister Harmon explained that this is a matter over which the President expressed grave concerns, particularly on the frequency at which these mining pit collapses were taking place.

The Minister referred to the Commission of Inquiry (COI), launched earlier in the year, to address similar concerns in the mining sector. In this regard, Minister Harmon advised that a draft report, which has been completed, will be presented to Cabinet shortly. This will be done by Minister Raphael Trotman, who has ministerial responsibilities for the sector.

The inquiry was launched because of mounting concerns over accidents at mining pits, which pointed to lack of effective safety precautions and measures being taken by owners and operators in the mining sector. The report is expected to make recommendations for ensuring effective compliance and implementation of safety and other working regulations.