Qarmet addresses safety issues, installs underground monitoring systems in its mines

Qarmet, a Kazakhstani steel and mining company, is set to equip all of its mines with underground monitoring systems to oversee 14,000 mine workers in real time.

According to Yerbol Ismailov, managing director for sustainable development at Qarmet, the company is seeking to enhance safety at its facilities. During a meeting with members of the Senate, the upper house of Kazakhstan’s parliament, he revealed the company’s plans aimed at improving safety measures.

«Everything that happens in the mining industry, including the reasons behind strikes and accidents, is always on our agenda. The company’s approach to these matters is science-based. Ensuring favorable labor conditions — including a safe and social environment — is one of the key priorities for any enterprise,» he said.

Ismailov also noted that a new system the company is introducing will track positioning of 14,000 workers, enhancing safety monitoring.

«We are actively equipping our mines with underground positioning systems; this work will be done by the end of the year. Once it is in place, we will know the whereabouts of each miner being able to react rapidly in case of emergency,» he elaborated.

Qarmet, formerly known as ArcelorMittal Temirtau, has been under control of Kazakhstani tycoon Andrey Lavrentyev since December 2003. The businessman has a stake in Allur Group, Kazakhstan’s largest automotive company, which he also heads as the board chair. The group includes Agromashholding, an agricultural machinery manufacturer, and SaryarkaAutoProm, an automobile manufacturer. It is an official assembler, partner and distributor of Chevrolet, Kia, JAC and Lada in Kazakhstan.

Qarmet’s mines have a long history of incidents, with more than a hundred fatalities since 1995.