Safety Performance in Mining Industry - Literature review Example

A Literature Review on Safety Performance in Mining Industry Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation According to Masia and Pienaar (2011), there are a specific set of features that are especially rampant in the mining system as a whole that can result to possible slips, lapses, mistakes or even violations that would end up in serious consequences- in most cases, accidents. It is noted that human failing or even error would likely result to a great level of accidents. In fact, it is indicated that the underlying harsh physical circumstances that are experienced in mining sites could result to possible exacerbations. Research indicates that now more than ever, companies have continued to make enough efforts that relate to improving production processes. On the contrary, however, existing employees are perceived to be overlooking safety procedures while trying to accomplish their performance targets (Masia & Pienaar, 2011). Due to performance-related pressures and time restrictions, most of the workers have been seen to be engaging in relatively unsafe behaviours, which include adopting short-cuts that is able to compromise on safety compliance and thus, cause accidents. Research study findings indicate that the concept related to safety compliance decreases in proportion to improved set of work stress. The authors note that there is a need for investigations is conducted to ascertain the overloading of employees responsibilities; impractical job requirements and the overall lapse in the concentration in the case of accidents. To be specific, the authors indicate that there should be more research directed towards finding out the level of direct relationship that exists between psychological climate, which is basically the worker’s immediate organisational policies, practices and procedures and the overall safety behaviours. Authoritarian management style coupled with uncaring attitudes that is a characteristic of managers responsible for supervising mineworkers and a stronger pressure put on achieving production targets further contributes to their job insecurity and worries. The authors note that the aforementioned factors would tend to direct employee’s focus from safety requirements and thereby contribute a lot to workplace accidents and incidents for that matter. Sgourou et al(2010) ascertains that the concept related to safety performance evaluation is indeed a paramount attribute to the overall safety management systems given that it avails a pertinent set of information in relation to the quality of the system that involves; development, implementation and results. Following this line of argument, safety performance evaluation seeks to influence the underlying decision making process in occupational safety and health matters. The article notes that the criticism of incident-based indicators has resulted to increased levels of attention to the concept of development and overall implementation of Occupation Health and Safety Management Systems (OHMS) in the mining industry, and any other sector, the formulation of OHSMSs and its incorporation towards management system of an organisation; is able to portray a great deal of additional requirements for safety performance evaluation as a whole (Sgourou et al, 2010). In essence, the organically open-based systems approach as well as the Total Quality Management (TQM) concepts has resulted to driving the aspect of safety from plant and systems towards people and made room for modern human-oriented theories, behaviour-based safety and safety perceptions as well as attitudes in the recent years, lots of emphasis has been directed towards implementation of a social system methodology, which is focused on optimisation of human/machine/environment; a positive corporate safety culture with a participatory team-based approach that should be maintained at all times (Sgourou et al, 2010). The authors indicate that in the case of a safety performance evaluation model, it is important to adopt a rather holistic level of model that should be fairly-integrated with a definite set of factors that can effectively interrelate within a safety management system for the mere development of a given set of safety performance indicators as a whole. In a mining environment, Sgourou et al (2010) emphasises on the need for developing and adhering to Occupational Health and Safety Diagnostic Tools that is designed for the purpose of assisting organisations that employ systematically artificial and semi-autonomous work-groups in the course of conducting a self-assessment of overall safety performance frameworks. Saleh and Cummings (2011) notes that mining, as a whole, remains to be one of the most hazardous occupations in the world over, and specifically so, underground coal mines have been mostly been characterised by a higher accident rate. The authors note that in the mining industry as a whole; as well as in other hazardous industries, numerous safety levers can be fairly acted upon for the purpose of modifying the resultant level of exposure to inherent risks involved; minimise the possibility of occurrence as well as contain or even engage in the mitigation of the consequent accidents. It is important that decision-makers engage in the adoption of different set of attitudes and choices in regards to the circumstances within these industries (Saleh & Cummings, 2011). The article agrees with the existing stipulation in place that emphasises on the need for protecting the most viable and resourceful component in the mining industry, which is the miner (Saleh & Cummings, 2011). For this reason, it then becomes improper to arguably forfeit any actions that are meant to improve on safety; the redesigned attitude that accepts hazardous conditions as they appear to be and, also formulating ways and acting on specific numerous safety levers that can act to modify the level of exposure to possible inherent risks (Saleh & Cummings, 2011). To effectively formulate strategies and thereafter execute them for purposes of improving safety in the mining industry as a whole, it is important for the existing stakeholders to adopt proper tools, frameworks and even comprehending the essence of a great number of hazards for purposes of dealing with system safety and accident causation. Karacan, et al. (2011) notes that methane related emissions play a significant role in affecting both the safety and the overall productivity of underground coal mines. It is argued that as the mining process progresses into the gassier coal beds, most of the underlying operators have now shifted their attention towards the reliable ways of methane control systems in order to supplement traditional ventilation methods and thereby, sustain specific emissions of the mines at relatively lower levels (Karacan, et al, 2011). Degasification of the coal bed before the process related to mining is focused on reducing the rate of emissions that relate to the changes witnessed in long wall operation parameters thereby increasing the aspect related to ventilation. The authors also, as a safety performance measure, encourage methane drainage process in order to effectively reduce the rate of risk of gases outbursts by way of decreasing the level of pressure of the coal bed within the vicinity of mine workings. Emissions that result from fractured areas will usually be controlled by gob gas vent-holes (Karacan, et al, 2011). The concept related to the stability and completion of boreholes is deemed to be very crucial aspect that can be used to effectively attract lots of methane gas and thus, ensure the overall safety of the underground workforce (Karacan, et al, 2011). The author’s further note that the process can be vehemently adopted for purposes of ensuring that there is a great deal of sufficient amounts of gas in circulation for utilisation purposes. Sanmiquel et al (2010), notes that the current rate of work-related accidents within the Spanish mining industry has been uncontrollably higher in comparison to other developed countries like the United States of America. It is argued that even though there has been an extensive level of improvements made in relation to workplace safety, more than 5,500 people die each and every year in the work accidents in the greater EU while more than 75,000 people are disabled that they can never work even again (Sanmiquel et al, 2010). Specifically, work-related fatalities in Spain are considered to be far much higher when compared to other sections of the greater EU. The article calls for immediate research conducted to ascertain the high work related accidents in Spanish mining sector as a whole. This research system is needed for purposes of ensuring that there is a set or prevention mechanism that is set in place to improve on the existing situation (Sanmiquel et al, 2010). It is emphasised that once the work-related accident has taken place, there is a need for conducting extensive investigations to ascertain of what really transpired and, also act as a crucial source of information. Proper investigation processes pertaining to an accident allows the researchers and other pertinent stakeholders to establish their actual causes of these accidents as well as their immediate influences (Sanmiquel et al, 2010). The process related to understanding the immediate level of causes of a given accident helps to ascertain the proper methods needed for purposes of protecting and preventing future causes. In this regards, the process of ascertaining these causes of influences will prevent a workplace within the mining sector not to experience a reoccurrences of the events or drive them to possibly lower rates within any given period in time (Sanmiquel et al, 2010). References Karacan, C. Ö., Ruiz, F. A., Cotè, M., & Phipps, S. (2011). Coal mine methane: a review of capture and utilization practices with benefits to mining safety and to greenhouse gas reduction. International Journal of Coal Geology, 86(2), 121-156. Masia, U., & Pienaar, J. (2011). Unravelling safety compliance in the mining industry: examining the role of work stress, job insecurity, satisfaction and commitment as antecedents. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 37(1), 01-10 Sgourou, E., Katsakiori, P., Goutsos, S., & Manatakis, E. (2010). Assessment of selected safety performance evaluation methods in regards to their conceptual, methodological and practical characteristics. Safety Science, 48(8), 1019-1025 Saleh, J. H., & Cummings, A. M. (2011). Safety in the mining industry and the unfinished legacy of mining accidents: safety levers and defence-in-depth for addressing mining hazards. Safety Science, 49(6), 764-777 Sanmiquel, L., Freijo, M., Edo, J., & Rossell, J. M. (2010). Analysis of work related accidents in the Spanish mining sector from 1982-2006. Journal of Safety Research, 41(1), 1-7 Read More