ASSESSMENT OF COMPLIANCE TO OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY SERVICES IN THE ARTISANAL SMALL-SCALE GOLD MINES OF MUMBWA DISTRICT, ZAMBIA
Bibliographic record
Abstract
Abstract Mercury-dependent gold mining operations expose workers to occupational health and safety hazards due to mercury’s toxicity. This study assessed occupational health and safety (OHS) services provided in mercury-based gold mines in Mumbwa District, Zambia, aiming to evaluate compliance with OHS standards and identify prevalent health hazards faced by miners. A sequential mixed-methods approach was used. Data was collected through questionnaires from 108 conveniently sampled miners, while qualitative data was gathered through in-depth interviews with safety supervisors. Observational checklists were also used in the mines. Workers were exposed to dust and particulate matter (98%), and mercury exposure (62.7%), among other hazards. Compliance with OHS standards was lacking: only 23.8% of mines complied with training standards, and 33.3% with health checks. No mines had onsite medical services. Higher compliance rates were observed for reporting systems (66.7%), first aid services (62%), and fire safety measures (66.7%). Miners in gold amalgamation processes faced mercury exposure, respiratory risks from dust, and environmental contamination. Among workers in mercury-based gold mines, satisfaction was significantly higher among those who received training (OR = 4.82, p = 0.002), had access to First Aid services (OR = 5.88, p = 0.006), and possessed greater experience (OR = 2.75, p = 0.036), while education showed a non-significant trend (OR = 1.92, p = 0.097), and neither gender (OR = 2.25, p = 0.240) nor fire safety measures (OR = 0.96, p = 0.944) were statistically associated with satisfaction. Facilitators to compliance included a safe work environment, regulations and enforcement, and management support, while barriers included financial constraints, lack of training and awareness, and resistance to change. There is an urgent need for enhanced training programs, onsite medical services, and improved worker participation through OHS committees. Comprehensive strategies are needed to improve OHS compliance and protect miners’ health in Mumbwa, District. Author Summary This study evaluates the level of compliance with occupational health and safety (OHS) protocols among artisanal small-scale gold miners in Mumbwa District, Zambia. Using a mixed-methods design, data were collected from miners to assess adherence to safety standards, availability and use of personal protective equipment, and knowledge of health hazards associated with mining activities. The findings reveal critical gaps in safety compliance, highlighting the need for improved regulatory enforcement, targeted health promotion, and safety training tailored to artisanal miners. This research provides important insights for policymakers and stakeholders to enhance OHS practices, reduce workplace injuries, and promote sustainable mining livelihoods in low-resource settings.
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How this classification was reachedexpand
Full frame machine prediction
Teacher imitationNot calibrated prevalence, not ground truth. Human validation pending. The Gemma side is a direct model label for every work in the frame, read from the title-only record. The Codex side is a classifier learned from the 10,348 direct Codex labels and calibrated to design-weighted sample rates; fields without enough sample support carry no Codex call. Candidate is the union of the two sides; consensus is their intersection. These outputs are machine_predicted_unvalidated and are not human labels.
Distilled classifier scores by category (both heads)
| Category | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Metaresearch | 0.001 | 0.003 |
| Meta-epidemiology (narrow) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Meta-epidemiology (broad) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Bibliometrics | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Science and technology studies | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Scholarly communication | 0.001 | 0.000 |
| Open science | 0.000 | 0.001 |
| Research integrity | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Insufficient payload (model declined to judge) | 0.001 | 0.000 |
Machine scores (provisional)
The two teacher heads of the student model, read on this work. A score orders the frame for review; it never asserts a category, and the validation status ships verbatim with every row.
Baseline scores from an immature model (maturity gate not passed, 7 training rounds). Scores rank; they never assert a category.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · verbatim from the scoring run: score_only means the number may rank works, and no category label ships from itClassification
machine, unvalidatedMachine predicted; a candidate call from one source (direct Gemma or distilled Codex), not a consensus.
How this classification was reached, model by model and score by score, is at the end of the page under "How this classification was reached".