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PAN AMERICAN WORKSHOP ON
JULY 12-13, 1999
Introduction and Context Minerals and metals provide a significant amount of the essential raw materials used by society. The mining and metals industry in the Americas plays a leading role in the productive transformation of national natural resources, generating opportunities for employment, creating new potential in manufacturing and services and contributing significantly to both economic development and economic decentralization. The development of the mining and minerals industry increases the economic and social well-being of both present and future generations and is an important means for alleviating poverty and promoting regional and sustainable development in the Americas. However, work should be neither hazardous to one`s health nor to the environment. The future of the minerals industry in the hemisphere - its competitiveness, its sustainability as well as the very future of minerals products in the marketplace - will increasingly depend on how governments and industry meet the challenges posed by sustainable development. We need to work together to develop practical solutions to worker, community and environmental concerns and challenges. While it is not possible to eradicate all possible hazards, it is possible to control the causes of the majority of the risks through a combination of: adoption and implementation of national regulations; use of safety inspectors and occupational safety and health workplace committees; education and training and other regional, country and site specific solutions to mitigate problems. Increased regional and international collaboration and cooperation will hopefully, increase national capacity in occupational safety and health areas related to minerals and metals. The Mines Ministers of the Americas conference (CAMMA) and their experts have, since 1996, taken a pro-active approach in addressing minerals issues of mutual concern. In the 1998 Buenos Aires Declaration, the CAMMA signatories agreed to ``adopt, implement and communicate management policies aimed at continuous improvement within their countries and to promote the safe use of minerals and metals regionally and internationally taking into account the Conclusions of the Experts who attended the Pan-American Workshop on the Safe Use of Minerals and Metals`` held in Lima, Peru, July 1998. This Workshop was originally suggested by Colombia for the Buenos Aires Action Plan, priorized by CAMMA countries and approved by the Coordinating Committee. This Workshop will be implemented by a Steering Committee comprised of Argentina, Canada, Chile, and Peru. Occupational Health and Safety in Mines Workers in mines are among those who have paid and who continue to pay a high price for inappropriate and insufficient occupational safety, health and hygiene measures. While it is true that there has been remarkable progress in occupational safety and health, much remains to be done. The exact nature of mining risks depends on whether the mine is open-pit or underground and whether it is a large or small scale mine. However, the risks to mine workers can be generalized as follows:
While physical accidents due to explosives and shaft failures are serious, according to the International Labour Organization and the World Health Organization, dust is the major issue affecting worker health in the world today. Both of these issues can be readily addressed in a cost effective and timely manner so that results can be easily seen within the first year. National and regional emphasis on education and training programs for trainers will be most effective. A Strategy to Meet the Challenge For individuals as well as countries, skills, knowledge and technical know-how are essential to improve technology transfer opportunities. Initial attention needs to be given to reducing, and where possible, eliminating the risks. Where risks cannot be totally eliminated, there needs to be specific controls implemented so that workers and the environment are protected. And who is to be involved in this strategy? Everyone. Governments must set appropriate occupational safety and health regulations and must ensure these regulations are followed by having rigorously trained inspectors. Industry must assume responsibility for providing a safe workplace and for providing practical training for all workers at all their sites. Workers must assume some responsibility for their own behaviour and their own safety - to ask questions and seek out the training necessary to work safely. Workers need to understand that accidents are rare when work is done properly. Where workers are unionized, the unions need to be involved in the training and foster good work habits of their members. Academics and research institutions can provide support to governments, industry and workers to support progress. Regional and International Resources The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are both involved in improving occupational safety and health globally. Occupational Health in the WHO is the responsibility of the Office of Occupational Health. The overall objective of this program is ``the control of occupational health risks and the protection and promotion of the health of the working populations as well as the humanization of work``. The WHO has a ``Prevention and Control Exchange`` (PACE) initiative which is an international collaborative action on hazard prevention and control in the work environment. Technical cooperation is a very important part of the WHO`s work where its main objective is to collaborate with national authorities for the development/strengthening of national capabilities concerning occupational health and/or occupational hygiene programmes. The ILO is the only tri-partite organization in the United Nations system (government, industry and labour) and it establishes international standards on a range of labour and social matters including mining. A list of relevant conventions and recommendations is attached. The ILO also has Codes of Practice to be used as practical guidelines for specific branches of activity (eg mining, asbestos) and for particular hazards (eg noise). The International Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA) was founded in 1987 to promote the benefits of occupational hygiene worldwide. The Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) is also a regional resource as well as the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH). International Labour Organization Conventions and Recommendations Conventions: 162 Asbestos - 1986 Recommendations: 144 Benzene - 1971 |