The Zambian Mining Industry. What are the Barriers to Learn from Incidents? (PDF)

Master's Thesis from the year 2019 in the subject Business economics - Miscellaneous, grade: 100, University of Strathclyde, language: English, abstract: The overall aim of this study is to contribute to the solution of a problem currently faced by mining companies of ineffective LFI. It is undisputable fact that improved knowledge in the LFI strategy would lead to reduction in occupational injuries and fatalities among mining workers in Zambia. For this reason, this study is performed with the intention: to identify barriers to LFI from incident in the Zambian mining industry, to identify significant underlying conditions that set up the barriers to the LFI strategy, to formulate proposals for improving the LFI strategy in order to prevent recurrence of incidents and pre-empt new ones.

According to the mining accident statistics from Zambia's Ministry of Mines and Mineral Development, the mining industry recorded 282 fatalities in the last thirteen (13) years. On average twenty (20) miners are fatally injured while executing their work every year while non-fatal reportable injuries recorded are above one hundred and fifty (150) during the same period. See Appendix 1 and 2 for details. This fatal accident rate is unacceptable and merits some pragmatic efforts to reverse the trend more especially that most of the fatal injuries are caused by the same known hazards.

The consequences of these incidents are very devastating at both family and national level. The social, human and economic cost of these incidents is immense given a high unemployment and poverty levels in the country. The consequence of the fatalities is very devastating to the surviving members of the family as they face dreadful future without their breadwinners. In some cases, so devastating that surviving innocent children fall out of school due to lack of sponsorship.