Rules 167-172 explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Rules 167 to 172 deal with the people who deliver mine training. Instructors teach at the vocational training centre, trainers supervise practical work on actual operations, and both are paid a training allowance in addition to their normal wages.
Rules 167-168: the employer appoints instructors for the centre, and every new mine worker is placed under an experienced trainer authorised by the manager. Rule 169: nobody may act as instructor or trainer without the qualification, training and experience the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator specifies. Rules 170-171: duties, including a weekly report by the instructor and the trainer's responsibility for the trainee's safety. Rule 172: a training allowance, on top of wages, at a rate fixed by order.
Context
These rules are in the mines training part of the OSH (Central) Rules, 2026, made under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (the OSH Code). They follow the centre and training-officer rules in our rules 163-166 article. The Central Rules apply where the Central Government is the appropriate Government. Where the State Government is the appropriate Government, the State's own OSH rules apply. Mine managers who want their trainer system and allowance practice checked can use our labour law compliance service.
Rules 167 to 169 at a glance
| Rule | Subject | What the text says |
|---|---|---|
| 167 | Instructors | The employer of the mine or owner of the approved training centre appoints a sufficient number of instructors, with qualification and experience, to impart training in the vocational training centre. In special circumstances, officials may be called from the mines to deliver lectures and demonstrations |
| 168 | Trainers | For practical training, every person to be employed in a mine is placed under the direct supervision of an experienced person of an appropriate category, employed on operations and authorised by the manager, called the trainer |
| 169 | Qualification | No person functions as instructor or trainer unless possessing the qualification, training and experience specified by the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator, on the recommendation of a committee, by general or special order issued from time to time |
The distinction matters. An instructor works in the classroom and workshop of the vocational training centre. A trainer is a working miner or supervisor who takes a trainee through real operations. Rule 168 uses the words "direct supervision", so a trainee is not to be left alone on a face or in a roadway.
Rule 169 gives no qualification list in the Rules. The standard is in orders of the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator, and the text speaks of a committee constituted by that officer. A mine should hold the current order before authorising trainers.
Rule 170: duties of an instructor
The instructor must:
- assess employees' competency and deliver lectures on standard course material; and
- maintain records of training given to every person and furnish a weekly report to the training officer on the progress of persons undergoing training.
This feeds the training officer's monthly report to the mine manager under rule 166(1)(iv).
Rule 171: duties of trainers and persons undergoing training
| Sub-rule | Duty |
|---|---|
| (1) | Trainers are responsible for the safety of the persons undergoing training |
| (2) | The trainer monitors that trainees pick up work, understand the dangers inherent in the job, and develop habits that ensure safety in mines |
| (3) | The trainer monitors that trainees move within the mine along with the trainer |
| (4) | Every trainer monitors that trainees are aware of the escape route from sections where they are likely to work and of other emergency response applicable to the trainee |
| (5) | Every person undergoing training complies with the directions of the trainer in charge |
Sub-rule (1) puts the safety of the trainee on the trainer. The text does not state what follows if a trainee is hurt, and it does not carve out any limit on that responsibility. The Code's offence and penalty provisions and the mine manager's and owner's own duties continue to apply separately. Sub-rule (3) matters in practice: a trainee who goes into a district while the trainer stays behind is outside the rule.
Sub-rule (4) links training to emergency preparedness: the trainee must know the escape route and emergency response for the section before working there. Rescue arrangements are covered in the earlier rules of the series, for example rules 153-156.
Rule 172: training allowance
| Sub-rule | Who is paid | By whom | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| (1) | Every trainer, in addition to normal wages | Owner, agent or manager of the mine | For every day a trainee has worked under the trainer's supervision, at the rate prescribed by the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator on a committee's recommendation, by general or special order |
| (2) | Every instructor other than one under regular appointment at the training centre, in addition to normal wages | Owner, agent or manager | For every day the person has imparted training in the Vocational Training Centre, as specified by the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator on a committee's recommendation |
The rule does not state a rupee amount or a percentage. The rate is fixed by order from time to time, so payroll must be set up to take the current rate. The allowance is payable "in addition to normal wages", so it cannot be absorbed into the ordinary wage. Instructors on regular appointment at the centre are outside sub-rule (2); the allowance is for others who come in to teach.
A drafting point: sub-rule (2) calls the person who has imparted training in the centre "such trainer" in its closing words although it is about an instructor. Read it as the instructor described at the start of the sub-rule.
For payroll treatment of allowances, see our payroll compliance audit service; for tax treatment, see our income-tax guides.
Practical examples
Example 1. A mine posts a new trainee to a loading point with a supervisor who is not authorised by the manager. Rule 168 asks for an experienced person of the appropriate category authorised by the manager. The manager should issue the authorisation first.
Example 2. A senior surveyor from another mine delivers a three-day lecture series at the centre. As an instructor not under regular appointment there, the person is entitled to the allowance for each day of training imparted under rule 172(2), in addition to wages.
Example 3. A trainer takes a trainee into a section and shows the escape route and emergency arrangements before work starts, noting it in the training record. That is what rule 171(4) asks the trainer to monitor.
Compliance checklist
- Hold the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator's current order on instructor and trainer qualification.
- Issue written authorisations to trainers by the manager.
- Add a training-allowance line to payroll for trainers and visiting instructors, at the rate in the current order.
- Keep weekly instructor reports and trainer supervision records.
Need help with trainer and allowance systems?
Trainer authorisations, allowance rates and training records are easy to get wrong when orders change. Our team can set up the process and review your payroll treatment. Start with our labour law compliance service.
Key takeaways
- Instructors teach at the vocational training centre; trainers supervise trainees on actual operations.
- Qualification for both comes from the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator's orders; no one may act without it.
- Trainers are responsible for trainee safety and must show escape routes and emergency response.
- The training allowance is paid on top of normal wages, at a rate set by order; the Rules state no amount.
- Instructors under regular appointment at the centre are outside the allowance in rule 172(2).
Read next
- Rules 163-166: training centre, staff and training officer
- Rules 173-176: training certificates, inspection and closure of training centre
- Rules 160-162: refresher arrangements, special training and training after absence
- Mines Act safety provisions and DGMS
Disclaimer: Based on the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (as enacted) and, where noted, the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2026 (G.S.R. 345(E), 8 May 2026), as on 30 September 2026. The Code is in force from 21 November 2025; some provisions may be notified later, and State Governments make their own rules for establishments where the State is the appropriate Government. Verify the current position before acting.