On April 5, 2018, Public Defender Nino Lomjaria arrived in the town of Tkibuli and met with the administration and workers of the Mindeli coal mine, representatives of the trade union and the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia. The Public Defender personally received information about the events developed in the mine that killed and injured several persons.

According to Nino Lomjaria, the investigative service must timely and efficiently investigate whether the accident was caused by natural disaster or violation of safety norms. At the same time, it is necessary to establish whether it was possible to forecast the disaster and prevent its large scales and tragic results.

It should be noted that the Public Defender has been categorically and intensively demanding the establishment of an effective labour inspection mechanism. This issue was emphasized in the parliamentary report 2017 too. Negligent attitude towards the problem has increased the number of people killed or injured in the workplaces. Of course, the Public Defender positively evaluates the adoption of the Law on Safety at Work in 2017, but the law has not yet fully taken effect, and it is necessary to work out a number of regulations and safety norms.

The Public Defender will closely monitor the investigation process. At the same time, information will be periodically provided to the public about the developments in the direction of safety at work.