Health and safety issues within artisanal and small-scale gold mining: a case for Penhalonga, Ward 21 Mutasa District, Zimbabwe

Accidents, Injuries, and Safety among Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Miners in Zimbabwe

“…In Kenya, the prevalence of accidents in ASGM was found to be higher among high-risk drug users, 34.2% ( n = 25) compared to non-drug users 13.6% ( n = 11) ( p = 0.001) [ 16 ]. There was a perception that drug use at work instilled wisdom among ASG miners, a harmful myth that could strengthen risky behavior in Zimbabwe’s ASGM [ 32 ]. Hence, the need to reduce exposure of ASGM to hazards through relevant public health interventions such as peer counseling and awareness raising to mitigate the risk of workplace alcohol consumption and drug use.…”

“…Since underground ASGM mining is a high-risk sector and ASGM in Zimbabwe is associated with injuries and fatalities [ 7 , 10 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 32 ], there is a need for accident prevention control measures to reduce exposure of ASG miners to associated risks. Internal hazard identification and risk assessment and incident reporting and investigation were not found in this study.…”

“…ASM in Zimbabwe is commonly unregulated, lacking technical and management skills [ 5 ], including safety and health management [ 32 ]. Effective control measures, such as standard mine shafts, are therefore missing and PPE is the common and compromised control measure [ 11 , 12 , 15 ].…”

“…A double layer of control measures, C of Figure 1 , could provide the opportunity to reduce exposure to hazards, e.g., through accident investigation that involves the management of identified causes of accidents [ 33 , 34 ]. Hazard identification and risk assessment is the initial step of risk control [ 31 , 32 ]. At the same time, training and supervision are fundamental elements of risk management [ 35 ].…”

“…ASM in Zimbabwe is commonly unregulated, lacking technical and management skills [5], including safety and health management [32]. Effective control measures, such as standard mine shafts, are therefore missing and PPE is the common and compromised The Swiss cheese model, which simplifies the correlation between exposure to hazards, vulnerable control measures, and the likelihood of the occurrence of accidents, assumes various layers of control measures characterized by "holes" of different shapes and sizes (Figure 1), representing multiple weaknesses in the control measures, resulting in accident opportunities [21].…”