CONCLUSIONS

1. Zero tolerance for accidents should be the goal

2. In order for industry to be productive, workers need to work safely. Productivity and safety are 2 sides of the same coin.

3. Occupational health and safety is a shared responsibility. Industry (employers) has the responsibility to supply the ways and means (training and equipment) for a safe work site; workers are responsible to learn how and perform their work safely; and, national governments are responsible to legislate safe working conditions.

4. The International Labour Organization Conventions and Recommendations including the Convention on Safety in Mines should be considered as minimum guiding principles or standards in workplace safety. National governments are asked to review ILO conventions for possible national ratification.

5. Trade unions, companies and governments should train employees on health and safety matters, so as to foster safe and healthy working conditions .

6. Workers should participate in developing company regulations regarding occupational health and safety, and should be involved in the implementation and fulfilment of such norms and regulations

7. All accidents should be reported to pertinent authorities and then investigated. Accident reports should clearly state causes of accidents in order to modify the workplace or worker behaviour to prevent the repetition of accidents in the future.

8. Safety procedures need to be fully implemented and monitored for compliance. Clearly stated consequences for non compliance are important.

9. Audits on occupational health and safety in mines and industry/workers mine site inspections (performed by worker associations) are useful tools to ensure workplace safety.

10. Health care systems should consider geographical conditions.

11. Workers and company labour organisations should take part in the debates prior to issuing regulations, as well as in conversations regarding return to work.

12. Promote continental and Latin American mechanisms and systems to increase regional technical co-operation, that will mainly result in the harmonisation of regulations and procedures as well as in training development.

13. Labour regulations and contracting third parties should not alter basic mining health and safety conditions.

14. In spite of tendencies towards size reduction, governments should apply different ways to maintain their role and capacity to regulate, assess and control.

15. International organisations should be required to produce, standardise, gather and publish national statistics on occupational health and safety in mines.

16. Young children should not be allowed to work in mining, this should become a regional objective. International assistance should be given to national integral policies that support and develop the family and it should be based on the assessment of the executed programs.

17. Governments should promote the purchase of technical equipment for measurement and control .

18. Training staff is vital for occupational health and safety in mines. Therefore, it is necessary to promote the creation of graduate and post graduate programs on occupational health and safety, so as to obtain professionals and technical specialists able to disseminate their expertise and lead the training process.

19. Promote mandatory minimum training to all new mining workers.

20. Technological development generates the need to look for, identify, design and develop new safety mechanisms.

21. The development of industrial minerals and building materials operations lead to the discussion of local environmental issues and occupational health and safety in quarries.