Health and Safety Risk Mitigation among Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Miners in Zimbabwe

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is often associated with no or compromised attention to health and safety. Although headlines of fatal accidents in Zimbabwe characterise ASGM, little attention is paid to prevention strategies. This study, therefore, explores health and safety risk mitig...

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Veröffentlicht in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2022-11, Vol.19 (21), p.14352
Hauptverfasser: Singo, Josephine, Moyo, Dingani, Isunju, John Bosco, Bose-O'Reilly, Stephan, Steckling-Muschack, Nadine, Becker, Jana, Mamuse, Antony
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Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is often associated with no or compromised attention to health and safety. Although headlines of fatal accidents in Zimbabwe characterise ASGM, little attention is paid to prevention strategies. This study, therefore, explores health and safety risk mitigation in ASGM in Zimbabwe to inform prevention strategies. A qualitative design was used with focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. Data were analysed using thematic analysis, coding, and descriptive statistics. Reported factors contributing to compromised health and safety included immediate causes, workplace factors, ASM related factors, and contextual factors, with interconnectedness between the causal factors. In addition, factors related to ASGM were significant. For risk mitigation, formalisation, organisation of risk reduction, behaviour change, and enforcement of prevention strategies is proposed. A multi-causal analysis is recommended for risk assessment and accident investigation. A multi-stakeholder approach could be considered for risk mitigation including community and public health interventions. However, risk mitigation has been characterised by gaps and weaknesses such as lacking ASM policy, lack of capital, poor enforcement, negative perceptions, and non-compliance. Therefore, we recommend addressing the threats associated with health and safety mitigation to ensure health and safety protection in ASGM.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph192114352