State Mining Authority

The Future Mining Forum & Expo was held on 9–11 September at the International Congress Centre in Katowice. Piotr Litwa, President of the State Mining Authority, was among the speakers at the event.

The Future Mining Forum & Expo is an international industry conference focused on the future of mining, raw material security and the competitiveness of the mining sector.

On the second day of the conference, sessions were held on topics including safety and operational culture in mining, as well as human resources and skills for the extractive industry. Piotr Litwa, President of the State Mining Authority (SMA), shared his insights on both topics. During the debates, participants considered, amongst other things, how to build an effective safety culture, how technology affects workplace safety, what skills will be key for the extractive industry in the future, and whether Europe and Poland have sufficient workforce to support the energy and industrial transition.

The President of the SMA emphasised that, in the face of the ongoing restructuring of the hard coal mining industry, economic considerations cannot be used to justify a reduction in workplace safety standards, and that mines must not be left without qualified and experienced staff, including supervisors and management.

The SMA will continuously monitor staffing levels at mines in the context of employees taking miners’ leave and receiving one-off severance payments, with particular regard to maintaining safe working conditions.