Geita — Miners have been urged to ensure that they use certified equipment by the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) to protect their health and safety.
The TBS Lake Zone Manager, Eng Joseph Mwaipaja said at the climax of the Technology in Mining Exhibition Week, over the weekend that, miners are required to certify equipment used in day to day operations like fire extinguishers, mining boots to keep themselves safe.
He also advised service providers in the mining areas to make sure that they acquire TBS registration and certification of their products to give confidence to consumers as well as expand their markets.
He said one of the things cited in the mining policy regarding service providers is the issue of quality standards of products and services provided to people in the mining areas. He said for example the food vendors and other entrepreneurs in mining areas are required to certify their goods as required by the mining companies to protect the health of the consumers.
"It is a prerequisite of most mining companies demanding services providers to provide high quality goods to the people in mining areas to protect their health," he emphasized.
He said it is from this backdrop that some mining firms opt to source goods from outside the country after learning that local suppliers failed to meet the required quality standards.
He said TBS is encouraging local suppliers and other service providers in the mining areas to make sure they register and certify their goods and services in order to take advantage of the huge business opportunities in the mines.
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Eng Mwaipaja added that business people in Geita, a strategic city with renowned towns like Katoro and Buseresere need to certify their goods in order to penetrate both domestic and regional markets.
"Goods that have met the required quality standards can easily penetrate the regional markets taking into consideration the agreement reached by the East African States," he noted.
According to the agreement, goods once certified in one country need not to be inspected in another country. He said TBS used the Technology in Mining Exhibition Week to provide education to manufacturers to produce quality standard goods in order to expand their market outreach.
He said TBS also provided education to the public on the need to purchase goods with TBS certification, the initiative that can help tame the problem of substandard goods in the market.
