Mine Safety Tanzania: Mine Managers, Accident Reports and Inspector Orders

Mine safety in Tanzania is a named-person system. The law does not leave safety to "the company" in general terms. It requires one appointed manager for each mine, written appointments for competent persons, registers in ink, and reports to inspectors. When an accident happens, the first question an inspector asks is who the manager was and whether the appointment was filed.

This guide covers Mainland Tanzania, where the Mining Act, Cap. 123 applies, and says what we could verify for Zanzibar. It focuses on safety duties; inspections, explosives, OSHA registration, WCF and closure have their own guides, linked below.

What the law says

Three layers of law apply to a working mine on the Mainland.

The Mining Act. The Mining Act, Cap. 123 R.E. 2023, published on the Office of the Solicitor General e-Library, is the parent law. It applies to Mainland Tanzania. Section 24(f) makes it a function of the Mining Commission to carry out inspections or investigations on health and safety issues in mining. Section 24(g) tells it to ensure compliance with the health and safety laws. Section 27 covers the appointment of Commission staff, including the Chief Inspector of Mines and inspectors. Section 29 requires a mines resident officer at every mining site where operations take place.

The Act also ties safety to the licence itself. Under section 63(3)(d), a mining licence renewal can be refused if the holder has not operated in strict compliance with the regulations on safety and environmental management. Section 66(4)(d) applies the same test to a primary mining licence (PML) renewal. Section 65(3) makes PML rights subject to the regulations on safety and protection of the environment. Other sections an inspector may rely on are section 74 (suspension and cancellation of a mineral right), section 125 (reports, records and information), section 132 (power of entry), section 160 (regulations), section 162 (miscellaneous offences) and section 163 (offences by a body corporate).

The safety regulations. The detailed rules sit in the Mining (Safety, Occupational Health and Environment Protection) Regulations, 2010, GN No. 408 of 22 October 2010. The gazetted title reads "Environment Protection". Its fifteen Parts run from management of mines through machinery, winding, ventilation, accidents, exploration and closure.

General workplace law. The Occupational Health and Safety Act, 2003 (now Cap. 297) applies to factories and all other workplaces unless the Minister exempts them. A mine is a workplace. The Workers Compensation Act, Cap. 263 adds compensation and accident notice duties through the Workers Compensation Fund (WCF).

One point needs care. The 2010 Regulations still speak of the Commissioner for Minerals and the Chief Inspector. The Act now places health and safety inspection with the Mining Commission. Filings in practice go to the Commission's zonal or regional office. Confirm with the Commission which officer receives each notice before you rely on an old form.

Who is affected

• Holders of a mining licence or special mining licence running their own pits, shafts or plants.
• PML holders, including small groups and cooperatives on artisanal sites.
• Mining contractors: drilling, blasting, load and haul, and processing plant operators.
• Directors of mining companies, who appoint the manager when a company works the mine.

Who must appoint the mine manager, and when?

Regulation 4(1) of GN 408 states that every mine shall be under the management, control and direction of a manager. Regulation 4(2) forbids mining or allied operations for more than seven days without a manager in place. Only one manager may be appointed for a mine. Where a large mine has more than one, each controls a defined portion.

Regulation 5 says who appoints:

• Where the registered holder works the mine, the holder or the holder's agent appoints.
• Where a company works the mine, its board of directors appoints.
• In any other case, the person for whose benefit the mining is done appoints.

Under regulation 6(1), the certificate of appointment goes to an inspector within seven days of the appointment. The appointee endorses it to show acceptance. The regulator may require a different appointee if not satisfied with the person's knowledge, experience and ability, with an appeal to the Minister (reg 6(3) and (4)). Regulation 7 requires the inspector for the area to register each manager.

The trap is regulation 8. If no manager has been appointed, the person responsible for the appointment is deemed to be the manager. For a company, that points at the board. A director who never files a manager certificate may find the manager's duties, and the manager's exposure, resting with the board.

What must the manager and competent persons do day to day?

Regulation 11(1) requires the manager to comply with and enforce the Regulations and any lawful order of an inspector. The manager must report breaches to the inspector as soon as practicable and record disciplinary steps in a register.

The manager can delegate tasks but not responsibility. Under regulation 9(1), the manager may appoint competent persons in writing to assist. That appointment does not relieve the manager. A competent person is someone with adequate training and experience for the duty. Blasting must be supervised by competent persons holding the right blasting certificate. Regulation 10 allows a competent person to be named miner in charge of a section, recorded in an ink register.

Other standing duties in the Regulations include:

• A register of employees, with duties and start and end dates, open to the inspector (reg 23).
• Written notice to the inspector before or within seven days of taking on employees at a mine (reg 23(3)).
• First aid supplies and services, kept in working condition, and quick access to a physician (reg 50).
• An emergency plan filed with the inspector and kept current (reg 51(1)).
• Competency tests for hoist operators, recorded in a record book (reg 76(2)).

Cyanide and mercury users also need GCLA chemical registration.

How do you report an accident or dangerous occurrence?

One event can trigger three separate filings.

Mining Commission. Part X of GN 408 is headed "Mine accidents, incidences and enquiries". We could not read its operative text: the public copy is a partial scan that stops in Part VI. We have therefore not stated a deadline for notice to the mines inspector. Until you have the Gazette text, treat notice as due immediately by the fastest means, then in writing. Regulation 11(1)(d) already requires breaches to be reported as soon as practicable. Regulation 37(4) says that after a fatal or potentially fatal accident, the inspector investigates and sends a full written report, with statements, to the police.

OSHA. Section 101 of the OHS Act requires the employer, or the user of the plant or machinery, to report an incident to the Chief Inspector within twenty-four hours, in the prescribed manner. A completed prescribed form follows within seven days. A doctor who suspects an occupational disease reports within fourteen days. OSHA's own safety and health page confirms that its inspectors investigate occupational accidents.

WCF. Under regulation 15(4) of the Workers' Compensation Regulations, 2016, GN No. 185, the employer notifies the Director General within seven working days of receiving the employee's notice. The form is WCN-1.

What can a mines inspector order?

Regulation 36(1)(b) lets an inspector enter and inspect any mine at all times by day and night, without obstructing work. Section 132 of the Act gives authorised officers a power of entry. What happens next follows a fixed sequence:

1. The inspector completes the inspection report within seven days and gives the manager a copy (reg 36(4)).
2. The manager answers in writing within fifteen days with the remedial steps taken (reg 36(6)).
3. Where delay would be dangerous, the inspector advises the Chief Inspector, who may order immediate remedial action, suspension of regular work, or closure of the mine or part of it (reg 36(5)).

Regulation 38 adds a written requisition for anything dangerous or defective. The manager must comply or, if objecting, stop using the item and withdraw people from danger. Objections go in writing to the Chief Inspector within seven days, then to the Commissioner, whose decision is final. The manager must then comply within fourteen days. For machinery posing immediate danger, regulation 61(3) lets the inspector order it provisionally discontinued until repaired and approved. An appeal against that decision goes to the Commissioner within twenty-one days (reg 61(4)).

A safety record also follows the licence. Repeated breaches can feed into a refusal to renew under sections 63(3)(d) or 66(4)(d), and into suspension or cancellation under section 74. Routine visits are covered in our guide to Mining Commission inspections.

Where does OSHA fit, and does a mine pay OSHA fees?

OSHA applies because the OHS Act covers all workplaces unless exempted, and we found no exemption for mines. The OSHA fee schedule itself has a mining and quarrying row. Workplace registration under section 16 is a separate duty; see which premises must register with OSHA and what an OSHA inspector opens.

The size bands come from the Occupational Safety and Health (General Administrative) (Amendment) Rules, 2018, GN No. 719. Micro is 1 to 4 employees or total liability up to TZS 5 million. Small is 5 to 49 employees. Medium is 50 to 99. Large is 100 or more, or total liability above TZS 800 million. OSHA assigns the band.

Two inspectorates on one site is normal. Keep one safety file that answers both.

How does WCF cover a mine accident?

Every employer registers with WCF and pays the contribution, currently 0.5% of employees' monthly earnings for private employers (register F0448). Late payment attracts interest of 2% of the amount delayed (F0449). An injured worker or the dependants of a worker who dies claim from the Fund. That does not end the employer's exposure: the Act's civil liability provisions and the criminal penalties under the mining and OHS laws still apply. Our guide to WCF duties beyond the contribution covers registration, returns and claims.

A contractor is the employer of its own crew. It registers and contributes for them. The mine owner should see the contractor's WCF and OSHA certificates before the crew starts.

Explosives and blasting on site

Blasting sits under two regimes. The safety Regulations require competent persons with the appropriate blasting certificate to supervise blasting (reg 9(3) and (4)). The licences to buy, store and use explosives, and magazine rules, are a separate file. Our guide to explosives licences for mines and quarries covers that file, so we do not repeat it here.

Do PML holders and artisanal sites follow the same rules?

Yes. Section 65(3) of the Act makes PML rights subject to the safety regulations, and section 66(4)(d) lets the Commission refuse a PML renewal for safety breaches. The manager rules in GN 408 apply to "every mine". A small pit still needs a named manager.

The risk is real. On 13 January 2024, a landslide at the Ng'alita small-scale mine in Bariadi district, Simiyu region, killed 22 men, as Al Jazeera reported. The district commissioner said work began before safety procedures were approved and in defiance of an order restricting activity during heavy rain.

Since 25 April 2025, the Mining (Technical Support to Small Scale Miners) Regulations, 2025, GN No. 260 of 2025, govern technical support to PML holders. Clyde & Co's summary says support runs under a written agreement approved and registered by the Commission. It lasts up to three years and covers at most 10 tenements. For the licence itself, see our primary mining licence guide.

What are contractors responsible for on a mine?

The Mining Act gives the mineral right to the holder, not the contractor. Safety follows both. The holder or its board appoints the manager and answers for the mine as a whole. The contractor is an employer under the OHS Act and owes its own workers the section 95 general duty. It also reports its own incidents to OSHA and WCF.

Write these points into the contract:

• That the contractor works under the mine manager's authority and the mine's emergency plan.
• Which competent persons the contractor supplies, with their written appointments by the manager.
• Who files OSHA and WCF notices for contractor staff, and a copy to the manager the same day.
• That the contractor's plant is inspected and certified before use, with test records handed over.

Outsourcing structure, local content and joint ventures are covered in our guide to mining contractors and joint ventures.

What are the penalties?

Regulation 42 of GN 408 makes any contravention an offence. The penalty is a fine of five million shillings, imprisonment for one year, or both. Breach of posted special rules carries a fine not exceeding one hundred thousand shillings or up to three months (reg 12(5)).

Under the OHS Act as enacted, the general penalty in section 79 is a fine of not less than five million shillings or up to six months, plus up to one hundred thousand shillings a day for a continuing offence. Where a breach causes death or injury, section 81 sets a fine of not less than ten million shillings or up to two years, or both. Confirm these against the Revised Edition before quoting them in a policy.

Suspension or a refused renewal can cost more than any fine. A prosecution, a seizure, an inquiry after a death or any formal legal opinion belongs with an advocate.

Mainland and Zanzibar

The Mining Act, Cap. 123 and GN 408 of 2010 apply to Mainland Tanzania. The Mining Commission and OSHA are Mainland bodies.

Zanzibar has its own workplace law, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, No. 8 of 2005, administered by a directorate under the Labour Commission. It applies to all workplaces, including open-air and temporary sites, unless exempted. It contains a section on notification of incidents, but we could not read its deadline.

On mining law, The Citizen reported on 28 November 2024 that Zanzibar was preparing a mining law and had relied on its 2015 environmental law until then. We could not confirm the enacted title, Act number, commencement date, regulator or any safety provisions. Confirm the position with the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar before any extraction in Unguja or Pemba.

Worked example: a contractor-run gold mine

A company holds a mining licence for a gold pit in Geita region. It employs 30 people and uses a load-and-haul contractor with 90 workers. Its own monthly payroll is TZS 60 million; the contractor's is TZS 150 million.

1. Manager. The board appoints a manager and files the certificate with the inspector within seven days. The contractor's supervisors are appointed in writing as competent persons for haul roads and the pit.
2. OSHA inspection fee. The holder has 30 staff, so it falls in the small band: TZS 480,000 (F0442). The contractor has 90 staff in the medium band: TZS 960,000, unless its total liability moves it to another band.
3. Hygiene survey. The holder orders noise readings at 10 points and dust readings at 6 work points: 10 x TZS 60,000 plus 6 x TZS 120,000 = TZS 1,320,000 (NEW-04-45).
4. WCF. The holder pays 0.5% of TZS 60 million, or TZS 300,000 a month. The contractor pays 0.5% of TZS 150 million, or TZS 750,000 a month (F0448).
5. Accident. A haul truck injures a contractor's driver. The contractor notifies OSHA within 24 hours and the WCF within seven working days on WCN-1. The manager notifies the mines inspector at once and records the event. If OSHA investigates for two days with one expert, its fee is TZS 1,000,000 (NEW-04-47).

Government charges in this example total TZS 3,760,000 before WCF, which adds TZS 12.6 million a year across both employers. The exposure after a fatal accident is larger. Under GN 408 regulation 42, each contravention can carry a TZS 5 million fine. Under OHS Act section 81, the floor is TZS 10 million.

What to do now

1. Check the manager file. Confirm each mine has one manager, a certificate filed within seven days, and registration with the inspector. Board minutes should record the appointment.
2. Appoint competent persons in writing. Cover blasting, hoisting, electrical work and each section, including contractor supervisors. Record them in the ink registers.
3. Map your reporting lines. Write one accident procedure that triggers the mines inspector notice, the OSHA 24-hour notice and seven-day form, and the WCF WCN-1 notice.
4. Confirm OSHA and WCF registration. Do this for the holder and every contractor on site, and keep copies of current certificates.
5. Get the Part X text. Obtain the Gazette copy of GN 408 of 2010 from the Government Printer or the Commission, and record the accident notice deadlines in your procedure.
6. Update contracts. Add the contractor safety clauses listed above before the next mobilisation.
7. Route disputes early. Send any suspension order, objection to the Commissioner, police inquiry or prosecution to an advocate the day it arrives.

Key dates and deadlines

How Zatra helps

Zatra drafts manager and competent-person appointments and board resolutions, builds the accident reporting procedure across the Commission, OSHA and WCF, checks contractor registrations and prepares responses to inspection reports. Our sector permits service covers the licence file, and our payroll compliance service covers WCF. For the wider sector, see the Tanzania mining guide, and plan the end of the mine with our guide to mine closure and rehabilitation.

There are two cost buckets. Government fees and charges are paid to the authority at the official rate against a control number, with no mark-up. They are separate from Zatra's professional fee, which we quote in writing before work starts. Zatra prepares and coordinates the file. It does not decide or guarantee any authority's outcome. Prosecutions, seizures, disputes and legal opinions go to an advocate. To start, contact Zatra with your licence number and site details.

Sources and status

Accurate as at 11 November 2026.

• The Mining Act, Chapter 123 R.E. 2023. Office of the Attorney General, Government Printer, OSG e-Library item dated 1 July 2025. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
• Mining (Safety, Occupational Health and Environment Protection) Regulations, 2010, GN No. 408. Government Gazette, 22 October 2010, TanzLII copy. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
• Occupational Health and Safety Act, 2003. TanzLII, text as enacted 2003. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
• Occupational Safety and Health (General Administrative) (Amendment) Rules, 2018, GN No. 719. Government Gazette, 16 November 2018, TanzLII copy. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
• Safety and Health. Occupational Safety and Health Authority, web page, 2026. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
• The Workers' Compensation Regulations, 2016, GN No. 185. Government Gazette, 27 May 2016, Parliament of Tanzania copy. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
• Occupational Safety and Health Act, No. 8 of 2005 (Zanzibar). Zanzibar State House, 2005. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
• How Zanzibar hopes to promote economic growth with mining law. The Citizen, 28 November 2024. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
• Tanzania enacts the Mining (Technical Support to Small Scale Miners) Regulations, 2025. Clyde & Co, 16 May 2025. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
• Landslide in small-scale mine leaves 22 dead in Tanzania. Al Jazeera, 14 January 2024. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.

Figures to confirm before you act

• The accident and dangerous-occurrence notice deadlines and forms in Part X of GN 408 of 2010, which the public copy does not show.
• Whether any regulation has amended or replaced GN 408 of 2010 since publication.
• Which Mining Commission officer now exercises the Commissioner's and Chief Inspector's powers named in GN 408.
• The penalty amounts in sections 79 and 81 of the OHS Act, Cap. 297 in the Revised Edition.
• The operative text of Mining Act sections 74, 132 and 162 in the Revised Edition 2023.
• The OSHA size band for your workplace, which turns on employees and total liability.
• The enacted status, title and regulator of any Zanzibar mining law, and the notice deadline in the Zanzibar OSH Act.

This article is general information based on official sources available at the date of publication. It is not legal, tax or financial advice. Laws and notices change. Verify with the issuing authority or consult Zatra before acting.