Discussion #1 - Question #2
Discussion details
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Question 2. Santé et Sécurité au Travail.
À partir du contexte de votre pays, vos expériences personnelles et les connaissances partagées dans les ateliers de formation,
- Quelles pratiques et stratégies ont été mises en œuvre pour minimiser ou éliminer les risques pour la santé et la sécurité des mineurs ? Quels ont été les résultats ? Partagez vos exemples et idées pour améliorer les pratiques minières.
- Existe-t-il des mesures politiques et des règlementations mises en œuvre qui améliorent la santé et la sécurité des mineurs ?
Documents additionnels ci-dessous et ici (en anglais).
Résumé de la discussion
Cher(e)s Participant(e)s,
Tout d’abord, nous vous remercions pour votre participation et les riches informations que vous avez partagées lors de la deuxième question de notre première discussion sur Capacity4dev !
Le thème de la semaine dernière était « La Santé et la Sécurité au travail ».
Plusieurs points clés ont été mis en avant. Ce document est un récapitulatif des questions abordées et de vos propositions de mesures politiques et pratiques pour une meilleure gestion des pratiques et mesures politiques de la Santé et Sécurité au travail associées à l’extraction des Minéraux de Développement.
Les principales questions abordées étaient :
- Les mineurs artisanaux et à petite échelle (ASM) n'ont pas les capacités techniques et financières pour élaborer et mettre en œuvre des mesures politiques de Santé et de Sécurité sur leur lieu de travail.
- Le gouvernement, par le biais de structures / mécanismes nationaux, régionaux ou locaux, doit veiller à ce que la réglementation et les mesures politiques sur la Santé et la Sécurité dans le secteur des Minéraux du Développement soient correctement mises en œuvre.
- Manque de capacités techniques et financières
Comme vous l'avez souligné, de nombreux mineurs ASM manquent de connaissances sur les conditions et les réglementations en matière de Santé et de Sécurité applicables dans le secteur extractif. Il est donc important de se concentrer sur la mise en œuvre de formations ciblées et d’ateliers de sensibilisation, visant les mineurs des régions éloignées. Ceci permettrait de veiller à ce que de bonnes pratiques de Santé et de Sécurité soient mises en œuvre.
La nécessité d'une approche intégrée pour de meilleures pratiques en matière de Santé et de Sécurité est une stratégie qui a été présentée. Il a été observé que certaines des meilleures pratiques sont habituellement implantées par des propriétaires de mines et de carrières et que les règlementations sont mises en place avant même l'ouverture des sites miniers.
Un autre défi énoncé dans la discussion était que même lorsque les propriétaires de carrières et les mineurs sont informés des pratiques de Santé et de Sécurité sur le lieu de travail, il n'est parfois pas abordable de les mettre en œuvre (coûts élevés des équipements de sécurité par exemple).
Dans le cas des équipements accessibles, leur utilisation doit être appliquée par le fonctionnaire politique local via l'éducation des travailleurs locaux sur les opérations de sites spécifiques.
Les pratiques de Santé et de Sécurité telles que l'hygiène nécessitent une éducation continue au niveau communautaire. Elles doivent être mises en œuvre par le propriétaire de la mine, tout en étant constamment enseignées aux autres membres de la communauté.
- Implantation par les Gouvernements
Il a été énoncé que des partenariats au sein des institutions gouvernementales pour des opérations conjointes peuvent aider à la mise en œuvre des mesures politiques sur la Santé et la Sécurité (par exemple, des ministères tels que le Département de Géologie et des Mines, l'Autorité Nationale de Gestion de l'Environnement, les Associations des Carrières).
Les propriétaires de mines et de carrières devraient également créer leurs propres réglementations basées sur des mesures politiques nationales et aider à la surveillance des pratiques sur la Santé et la Sécurité.
Une stratégie soulignée était la réduction d’achats de matériaux provenant de sites d'extraction où les pratiques de Santé et de Sécurité ne sont pas respectées. Cependant, cette stratégie est difficile à mettre en œuvre, car de nombreuses mines et carrières perdraient leur commerce.
Nous aimerions vous remercier une nouvelle fois pour votre participation à cette discussion. N’oubliez pas que les documents de cette première question sont disponibles pour téléchargement ci-dessous.
La discussion sur la Question 3 relative à vos expériences personnelles reste en ligne jusqu’au dimanche 20 Août inclus. Nous sommes impatients de recevoir vos commentaires !
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Question 2. Occupational Health and Safety.
From your own country context, your experience and from the training workshop’s knowledge sharing,
- What practices and strategies have been implemented to minimize/and or eliminate health and safety risks to the miners? What has been the outcome? Share your examples and ideas of best practices.
- Are there policies and regulations under implementation that enhance the health and safety of the miners.
Reading resources below.
Discussion Sum up
Dear Participants,
First of all, thank you for your participation and the great insights you shared related to the Second question of our first discussion on Capacity4dev!
Last week’s question was on “Occupational Health and Safety”.
Several key observations were raised. This is a recap of the issues raised and your proposals for policies and practices for better Occupational Health and Safety related to the extraction of Development Minerals
The main issues raised were:
- Miners at the ASM level lack of technical and financial capacities to develop and implement Health and Safety policies at the work place.
- The government, through national, regional or local structures/mechanisms needs to, ensure that regulation and policies on Health and Safety in the Development Minerals sector are properly implemented.
- Lack of technical and financial Capacity
As you have pointed out, many ASM lack access to knowledge on the Health and Safety requirements and regulations applicable in the extractive sector. It is therefore important to focus on implementing targeted training and awareness raising activities as well as sensitization workshops to reach out to miners in remote areas and make sure good health and safety practices are implemented.
One strategy pointed out is the need for an integrated approach for better Health and Safety practices. It was observed that some of the best practices usually originated from Mine and Quarry owners and that the regulations are put in place before the opening of the mining sites.
Another challenge stated in the discussion focused on the fact that even when quarry owners and miners are informed about Health and Safety practices in the work place, it is sometimes not affordable to implement them (high cost of the safety equipment for instance).
In the case of accessible gear and equipment, their use has to be enforced by the respective local government official through education of the local workers on the operations at a specific site.
Health and safety practices such as hygiene requires continuous education at the community level. It needs to be implemented by the mine owner but it has to be constantly taught to other members of the community.
- Implementation by the government
It was put forth that partnerships within governments’ institutions in joint operations can help the implementation of Health and Safety policies (I.e responsible government departments’ personnel such as from Department of Geological Survey and Mines along with the National Environment Management Authority, Quarry Associations).
Mines and quarry owners should also create their own regulations based on national policies and help in the monitoring of Health and Safety practices.
One strategy pointed out was the avoidance of material purchases from extraction sites where Health and Safety practices are not respected. However, it was felt that this strategy would be difficult to implement as many mines and quarries would lose out on business.
We would like to thank you once again for your participation in this discussion. Please note that all the referral documents for Question 2 are available for download below.
The discussion on Question 3 on your personal experiences remains online until Sunday 20th August included. We look forward to your inputs!
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The people need to be sensitized first about occupational, health and safety issues in the mining sector until their attitudes are changed
Good ideas obseved
I will send my ideas too later
thank you
SAVERI Tushabomwe
Muhokya Kasese Uganda E.A
+256 772 873 538
In response to Question 2, the mining communities are willing to take up and practice existing Health and Safety policies and regulations. But they are however constrained by non commitment by some District and Sub County Local Governments and Mining Companies operating in the area. The situation is even worsened by some companies who are not fulflling their corporate social responsibilities as mandated by the law.
Thanks,
Betty Nakiru
Moroto, Karamoja-Uganda.
+256772960994
Most miners at ASM level have no capacity to develop and implement Health and Safety policies at work places. One strategy to assist this group is through i training activities and effective use of extension services to reach out to miners in outlaying areas and train ASM implementing best practices in Health and Safety.
Building institutional capacity at the Mines Safety Inspectorate unit to enable the unit carry out its enforcement role and programmes effectively is another strategy adopted.
Thanks
Lyapa
Zambia
Elimination of poor practices in health and safety is a long process in a semi-illiterate community and require a lot of time invested to arrive at the best management practices (BMPs). This would need to be done using integrated approaches and will take a long way. It is observed to-date that the best practices in implementation to minimize/and or eliminate health and safety risks to the miners to be achieved among artisanal miners ought to originate from the mine owners and established leadership before these mines are opened up. This sets up a local safeguard in place but also understanding morals is key need. Health and safety practices in most mines owned locally are not prioritized. Even when the owners are informed about the need of health safety practices, the implementation require a cost. This cost may not be afforded by everyone in the site. Yet the work has to start.
So far AUC team has made some visits to a few sites in Kyampisi Sub County, Mukono District, covered over 73 sub quarries and generated some data that is not yet processed. However preliminary observations, indicate that to achieve safety, first there has to be an incentivized practice in a long term safety practice will be released. There are other factors such as theft by purchasers of developing minerals which has failed some miners to purchase protective gears; unpaid materials among others lead to failure. Health practices such as hygiene requires to be enforced by the quarry owner and the leadership in place. To achieve health and safety best practices combined require continuous education, education and education. This education needed, should be applied through bio-rights approach. The person to implement the HS ought to be a born and part of that community. Use of protective gears require to be enforced by that local empowered person through educating the local people on the operations at a specific site.
Yes. Uganda has a well elaborated enabling environment in terms of policies and regulations. The challenge is that, this is inadequately interpreted in such societies (local miners). Their implementation virtually stops at district levels and quite often rather not, the district teams are not fully empowered (facilitated) to reach out and everywhere these operations work. Therefore implementation of these policies work in one area and miss out in another.
To arrive at the appropriate implementation, responsible government departments’ personnel such as from Department of Geological Survey and Mines along with the National Environment Management Authority, Quarry Associations, could have joint operations regularly to ensure the policies and regulations of governments are implemented. More so, it could be important each mine to put in place own bye-laws and ordinances that could be followed though linked to national and strategic policy and regulations. But to-date these safeguards are not well entrenched among miners. There is a need of a condition between producers and purchasers maybe, a buyer should not purchase materials where HS pratices are not exhibited. Although a complicated process could be required subject to this practice.
Question 2
Practices and stratégies implemented to minimise health and safety risks.
A better understanding to strengthening knowledge and how it canbe applied within thé two broad performance domaine of routine and non routine is then more probable.
Thé impacts were identified for each of thé thematic areas of health and safety including thé good and bad mitigation practices, and insisted on thé good practices currently empoyed to minimise impacts and suggested alternative measures.
* thé use of ppe, gloves,boots,classes and life jackets.
* adopting new technologies to reduce environmental contamination.
* men, women and youths to come together to appreciate the enormous opportunities that émerge from respecting health and security measures to creat new wealth, cure poverty and improve living standards for thé benefit of their communities.
Gouvernement policies and régulation to minimise environmental impacts.
In Cameroon we encourage efficient mining practice in thé communities, assiste thé sustainable mining régimes based on existing good practices, and facilitate policy dialogue with thé légal framework using thé environmental and mining codes.
Environmental code.
- Law no 96/12 of 05 August 1996 relative to the management of thé environment.
- Decree no 2013/0171/PM of 14 February 2013 fixing rules for thé réalisation of socio environmental impacts studies.
- Decree no 2013/0172/PM of 14 February 2013 fixing rules for thé réalisation of socio environmental audits.
- Decree no 2011/2584/PM of 23 August 2011 fixing rules for thé protection of soils.
- Order no 00001/MINEPDED of 08 February 2011 fixing rules on thé différent catégories of opérations that are subjected to a strategic environmental évaluation or a socio environmental impact studies.
- Order no 00002/MINEPDED of 08 February 2016 defining sample terms of référence and thé content of a notice of environmental impact assessment.
Mining Code.
- Law no 001/2001 of 16 April bearing on thé mining code.
- Law no 2010/011 of 29 July 2010 to modify and complète some articles of Law no 001/2001 of April 2001 bearing on thé mining code.
- Decree no 2002/688/PM of 26 March 2002 fixing rules of application for Law no 001 of 01 April 2001 bearing on thé mining code.
- Decree no 2014/1882/PM of 04 July 2014 modifying and completing some articles of Decree no 2002/688/PM of 26 March 2002 fixing rules of application for Law of 16 April 2001 modified and completed by Law no 2010/011 of 29 July 2010.
- Decree no 2014/2349/PM of 01 August 2014 modifying and complète some articles of Decree no 2002/688/PM of 26 March 2002 to fix rules of application for Law no 001 of 16 April 2001 modified and completed by Law no 2010/011 of 29 July 2010.