The Human Rights Education and Monitoring Centre (EMC) has released the results of their latest labor safety monitoring, which indicates that there were 71 injuries and 25 killed in industrial accidents in January-June of 2019.
Information released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia shows that there were 133 cases in 2016, 163 in 2017 and according to the 2018 data, 59 people died and 199 were injured. As of January-June 2019, there were 71 injuries and 25 killed in industrial accidents”, says the report.
The EMC report reads that 35 cases were considered by the City and District Courts, however, only two defendants were charged and sentenced to terms in prison.
The EMC further reports that an investigation into a July 16th accident at the Mindeli Mine in the Tkibuli region was conducted under article 240, part two, of the Georgian Criminal Code, “which implies violation of labor safety rules that led to the loss of life”.
As a result of investigative actions the responsibility of three citizens was revealed. All of them were hired workers and no manager’s criminal liability was raised”, reads the report.
The EMC asserts that the mine’s management would have to conduct research at the coal mine to find out whether the mining site was safe, as a few months before July 16, a severe manufacturing accident occurred.
Four miners died and six others received severe injuries as a result of a methane explosion at the Mindeli Mine in the Tkibuli region of western Georgia on July 16, 2018.
In April of that year another six people died and three were injured in Mindeli mine, which is owned by Saknakhshiri, a daughter company of the Georgian Industrial Group (GIG).