Occupational health and safety concerns in the artisanal and small-scale mining sector: A review

This review examines the health and safety record in the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector, offering explanations as to why problems in this area have persisted and intensified over time. It argues that most of the health and safety concerns on display at ASM sites worldwide are attributable to the sector's confinement to the informal economy. After reviewing scholarly work that singles out and examines the pervasiveness of individual health and safety concerns in ASM, and attempts made to address them, the paper pivots to four country cases – Brazil, Colombia, Uganda and Zimbabwe – where research is currently being undertaken by the author and colleagues to profile more closely the health and safety record of the sector. These cases are used to reinforce the argument that the poor health and safety record of the ASM sector is linked to its persistent informality, which regulations and policies are responsible for ‘creating’. • Reviews the health and safety record in the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector. • Offers explanations as to why problems in this area have persisted and intensified in this area over time. • Argues that most of the health and safety concerns in ASM sites are attributable to the sector's informality. • Draws upon ongoing research in Brazil, Colombia, Uganda and Zimbabwe to reinforce these arguments.