Hormuzs ocher is used in at least twenty different industrial products like paint, cosmetics, tiles and ceramics, mosaics, ocher and glaze pottery, and the production of industrial micronized powders, among others. Even the islands native people used ocher for making a traditional kind of food named Souragh. But working conditions for laborers in Hormuzs mines are very difficult, with one of the main issues being workplace conditions and a lack of safety facilities. The mine and factory belong to a private company that, according to its miners, does not pay enough to Workers. The factory has been closed for about three years.