WOMEN IN MINING

A health and safety perspective

AGENDA

• Physical work capacity

• Reproductive health

• Infrastructure (culture barriers, workplace environment, etc.)

• Design of mining equipment (machinery, ergonomics, etc.)

• Personal protective equipment

• Rehabilitation and functional assessment

BACKGROUND

• Mining - male dominated industry & historical hostile to women’s participation

• Women were rarely employed in mining as it was considered to be a highly male dominated activity and women were considered unfit for the hard labour associated with working in the mines.

• South Africa - until the new Constitution and the Mine Health and Safety Act, employment of females underground was prohibited through an ILO convention.

• Most of the jobs of women on mines related to either administrative or to menial lower rank activities like sweepers, cleaners or office attendants.

• Mining equipment and PPE available are unsuitable for women posing significant risk of workplace injuries to women.

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PHYSICAL WORK CAPACITY

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Factors impacting on work capacity

Females are physiologically disadvantaged

• Lower haemoglobin concentration and arterial O2 content (Mitchell et

al. 1992)

• 15 to 30% less aerobic capacity than their male counterparts

(Wasserman, 1999)

• Physical strength: women are weaker than men, usually attaining

between 60 and 90% of the men’s muscle strength and work output

(Kroemer et al. 2001)

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♀ Lifting capabilities • From ground level: 84% that of males

• From waist level: 79% that of males • Above-the-shoulder: 57% that of males

VO2 max: ♂ vs. ♀

• Maximum aerobic capacity: ♀ 15-30% below ♂

• Fatigue: for the same physical task ♀ closer to aerobic capacity than ♂; more likely to become fatigued

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• With regards to size, men are generally taller than women. Although

more flexible than men, differences in muscle mass, body

composition and size, can place women at risk of injury.

• Based on SA statistics (SIMRAC Health 817), approximately 4% of

the females tested failed the Heat Tolerance Screening (HTS). The

corresponding figure for male mineworkers ranges between 0,5% and

4%. The difference between general heat tolerance of males and

females are not as significant as generally believed.

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10%

33%29%

18%

10%

26%

52%

16%

4%2%

< 20 20 - 25 25.01 - 30 30.01 - 35 > 35

Physical profiles of the overall workforce Body Mass Index (BMI)

Females (n = 24 734) Males (n = 251 917)

© Rehabilitation and Functional Assessment Joint Venture All rights reserved

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3%

93%

4%0% 0%2%

60%

27%

10%

0%

< 20 20 - 40 41 - 50 51 - 60 > 60

Age distribution of the overall workforce Females (n = 25 271) Males (n = 254 821)

© Rehabilitation and Functional Assessment Joint Venture All rights reserved

Age distribution of the overall workforce

> 70?

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REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

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Women are very different from men physically and biologically, and pertinently in one specific aspect - namely that they can fall pregnant and thus become two people that must be considered; the mother and the baby, with very specific risk factors.

Challenge

Most women can continue working during pregnancy. How long depends on the nature of the job and personal risk for medical or obstetric problems. OH - concerns are around biological and physiological issues arising out of pregnancy and interacting with workplace hazards and risks

Primarily focused on PROTECTING the individual and NOT discrimination

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Reproductive toxicity Reproductive and development toxicity refers to the continuum of adverse health effects that may befall an exposed child, parent or pregnant women and her offspring exposed in utero. Teratogenesis (congenital malformation) results from interference with normal embryonic development by a biological, chemical, or physical agent. Exposure of a pregnant female may, under certain conditions, produce malformations of the foetus without inducing damage to the mother or killing the foetus. Agents currently identified as human teratogens include infections such as rubella, metals such as lead and mercury, chemicals including PCBs, and ionizing radiation.

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Reproductive toxicity (2) • The foetus is protected from some toxic chemicals because the placenta prevents them from entering the fetal bloodstream • However, many toxic substances, such as lead, easily cross the placenta. • Damage to the foetus (embryo) is most likely to occur in early pregnancy, particularly during the first 8-10 weeks. • During much of this critical period, many women are not even aware that they are pregnant.

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Health must be protected • Physical (Lifting heavy loads, vibration, heat, noise, radiation); • Ergonomic (Physically strenuous work, prolonged sitting or standing or

physical & mental strain);

• Chemical (Gasses - Carbon monoxide, liquids, solids such as lead & mercury, organic solvents, tobacco, alcohol, herbicides, pesticides);

• Biological (Hepatitis, HIV, TB, Toxoplasmosis, brucellosis, rubella, chickenpox etc) hazards

What are the physical implications of pregnancy at work?

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Safety - injury must be prevented • Heat tolerance

- Both a health and safety risk

• Impaired work capacity and errors of judgment - Being unfit or unable to perform a specific job exposes the individual and fetus to harm

• Physical ability - Lifting of heavy goods - Morning sickness: employees unable to perform early shift work Exposure to nauseating smells may aggravate morning sickness - More frequent visits to the toilet: require reasonable access to facilities and consideration for “unattended” tasks - Employee’s increasing size and discomfort - Employee’s balance - Tiredness

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• Ablution facilities and change houses

• Work-life balance (long working hours)

• Childcare facilities

• Personal safety and security - Sexual harassment - Individual security searches - Females’ safety in the cages & underground - Security at change houses - Illness, injuries and emergency medical treatment

INFRASTRUCTURE

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DESIGN OF MINING EQUIPMENT

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• No specific mining equipment requirements are set for female workers

• Use of mining equipment as is, of which the design is generally male based (and even those designs are in most cases based on populations other than the local population)

• May pose a range of ergonomic risks

• Requirements and specifications for mining equipment adjustable for female employees must be set by industry to manufacturers and suppliers of mining equipment.

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Body size and shape (anthropometry)

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PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

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• No specific PPE requirements are set for female workers

• Make use of general available PPE, of which the design is

generally male based

• In general most other related PPE issues has

to do with the size of items (normally too big)

• Although seemingly insignificant, incorrectly

sized PPE pose a risk on itself

• Requirements and specifications must be

set to manufacturers and suppliers for

appropriate female (smaller) sizes

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REHABILITATION & FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT

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• Rehabilitation and Functional Assessment (RFA) Test Battery

developed over the past 11 years

• Minimum standards for fitness to perform manual work in a safe

manner

• Test standards originally derived from:

- Internationally accepted scientific principles

- Field studies

- Testing healthy, in-service employees (SA mining industry)

• RFA Database comprises of 324 235 work assessments

• 10 mining companies using the test battery

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RFA DESIGN

• Realistic simulations of the work environment and specific job tasks

• Falls within the frame of reference of the local mining industry

• Test elements are flexible to accommodate a large spectrum of jobs

• Reliable and objective test results

• Test standards need to be non discriminatory to older workers, workers with disability and gender neutral

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RFA ASSESSMENT

Objective assessment of work capacity

Consists of: A 10 minute step test

Aim:

To determine the inherent aerobic capacity to perform manual work

Consists of: 22 simulated work activities and

environmental obstacles

Aim: To assess functional abilities

necessary to perform a specific task

Physical Work Capacity Test Functional Work Capacity Test

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• All jobs are specifically assessed for risk for women and suitable jobs identified.

• By doing individual physical assessments it is ensured for starters that there are no health or physical constraints present when employing the person, minimizing risk when pregnant.

Occupations with physical demands

Very heavy Heavy Roaming Light Moderate

Criteria Criteria Criteria Criteria Criteria

PWC/FWC

requirements

PWC/FWC

requirements

PWC/FWC

requirements

PWC/FWC

requirements

PWC/FWC

requirements

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FUNCTIONAL WORK CAPACITY

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• Females’ physiological composition differs from that of their male

counterparts.

• In many instances (e.g. when required to perform manual material

handling) these differences impact on females’ capacity to perform

manual type of work.

• Machinery and equipment as used in the mining industry, has mainly

been designed to suit a male population.

• Due to differences in body size and dimensions, females are often

placed at a disadvantage from an ergonomic perspective when

required to operate machinery and to use equipment.

CONCLUSION

The trend towards decreased physical activity and a more sedentary type of lifestyle, especially amongst younger females, and the impact thereof on work capacity must also not be underestimated

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TAKEAWAY POINTS

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There are no barriers to the employment of women in mining provided

that potential risks are recognised and addressed in:

– Risk assessments …..(incl. pregnancy)

– Control strategies…..(incl. recruitment & equipment design)

– Education, information & awareness

– Monitoring programmes

THANK YOU