Occupational health and safety in mining—status, new developments, and concerns

Occupational injuries and ill-health have huge social and economic implications for individuals, their families and their communities. They also have economic impacts in the form of direct and indirect costs for society as a whole. Total costs of occupational accidents and disease have been estimated at between 1 and 3 per cent of GDP in various countries1,2. Direct costs include compensation costs, costs associated with damage in the workplace and the costs of interruption of production. Indirect costs include the costs of livelihoods lost, income to dependents, and the cost associated with caregiving by families and the community. Poor communities tend to bear the brunt of externalized indirect costs, but today mining companies can also suffer loss of reputation and withdrawal of investment capital. In the broader context of sustainable development, healthy and safe working conditions are among the first expectations for sustainability, i.e. the expectation that risks in mining will not deprive workers of their livelihoods or of their quality of life. Occupational accidents and health hazards can also affect public health and safety, and the environment. These factors, the effects on the health and safety of people, costs to the economy and impacts on the environment, link efforts to address occupational health and safety to the broader social agenda for sustainable development. The accident and ill-health record of the mining sector compares poorly to that of other economic sectors such as manufacturing, construction and rail, leading to mining’s reputation as the most hazardous industrial sector. Mine environments are especially challenging because they can degrade fairly rapidly and they change as mining progresses. Dust and noise are inherently associated with rock breaking, and in underground mines, air and light must be supplied artificially. Blasting, as well as mining itself, releases harmful gases into the underground environment. Ergonomic hazards are common in mining as miners generally handle heavy equipment and do heavy work, often in cramped conditions. In some instances ergonomic hazards, which are associated with poor engineering design, contribute to increased safety risks. An example from South African mines is the positioning of the driver’s seat in many of the locomotives still used in haulage—at the back of the vehicle and at right angles to the direction of travel. South African mines currently employ about 460.000 workers and contribute significantly to GDP (7.1%)3, exports (34% of value)4 and formal employment (6.5%)5. Most workers are employed in gold and platinum mines in Gauteng and the North West Occupational health and safety in mining—status, new developments, and concerns