Safety and health in mining in South Africa

Authors: Gill Nelson & Jill Murray

Source: Occupational Safety And Health In Mining- Anthology On The Situation In 16 Mining Countries Ed. Kaj Elgstrand And Eva Vingard

Summary: 

This anthology reviews the current situation related to safety and health in mineral mining. The situation in 16 countries is described. Of the ten most productive mining countries in the world, eight are represented: China, USA, Australia, Canada, India, Chile, South Africa and Brazil; two are missing: Russia and Japan. In addition, there are articles from Indonesia, Iran, Congo (DRC), Poland, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and Ecuador. All five continents are represented. In 2010, these 16 countries had about 65% of the total world production of minerals. An additional 12 countries were approached. For most of these countries, agreements were made with possible authors, who either failed to supply manuscripts or submitted inadequate material.

Besides a few external references, this introductory article is based on the information in the 16 articles. They all have the same structure: (1) Mining activities, (2) Safety and health, (3) Current needs. The reader will find, however, that the articles differ greatly in details. This may be a reflection of the situation in the countries, and/or of the authors´ interests and competencies. It makes strict comparisons between countries difficult, but hopefully it makes the reading more stimulating.