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CurrentResearchPaperInvestigationofsafetyconditionsinsmallscaleminingindustriesinthePhilippinesKEYWORDSSmallscalemining;Environmentalhazards;Occupationalsafetyandhealth;Mercury,cyanidemonitor-ing.
ABSTRACTThisstudylookedintooccupationalandenvironmentalhealthandsafetyconditionsinsmallscalemininginthePhilippines.
Surveyquestionnairesweregivento124respondents,and15werekeyintervieweesonmininghazardsandsafetycompliance.
Aworkplaceinspectionwasdonetoassesstheworkingconditions,workhazards,environmentalwastemanagement,andworkpracticesoftheminers.
49%reportedbeingsickinthelast12monthsbecauseofworkexposure.
Theworkplaceinspectionoftheundergroundtunnelsandpitswasnotcomplainttothestandardrequirementsforminingsafety.
Thestudysuggeststhatthereisaneedforanenvironmentalagendawhichaddressesboththetechnicalandsocialissuesofmininginthearea.
2015TradeScienceInc.
-INDIAINTRODUCTIONMiningremainsanimportantindustrialsectorinmanypartsoftheworldandalthoughsubstantialprogresshasbeenmadeinthecontrolofoccupa-tionalhealthhazards,thereremainsroomforfurtherriskreduction[4].
OneoftheimportantindustriesinthePhilippinesistheminingsector,whichcontrib-utesnotjusttothenationaleconomybutalsototheregionalincome.
BenguetisoneoftheprovincesinthePhilip-pineswheretheindustryofminingiswidelyprac-ticedandacceptedbythelocalpopulation.
How-ever,healthandsafetyfactorsarecompromised.
Small-scaleandlarge-scaleminingoperationsinAsiahaveoftenbeencharacterizedbypoorenvi-ronmentalmanagementandarefrequentlydepictedasenvironmentallyharmful[7].
Also,small-scalemin-ingareknowntolackcapitalthatmayleadtosub-standardworkingconditions[2].
Hathewayin2007saidthattheprinciplesofmaximumextractionareconsistentwithminimallyacceptablefactorsofsafetyfortheworkers[7].
Thisresearchstudyaimedtodetermineoccupa-tionalandenvironmentalhealthandsafetycondi-tionssmallscalemininginaminingcommunityinthelargestgoldproducingareainthePhilippines.
Theresultofthisinvestigationcouldbeanessentialtoolfortheestablishmentofanintegratedprogramonawarenessoftheenvironmentalhazardsassoci-JinkyLeilanieDPLuResearchProfessor7,InstituteofHealthPolicyandDevelopmentStudies,NationalInstitutesofHealth,UniversityofthePhilippines,Manila;NIHBldg,PGilStreet,UPManila,1100,(PHILIPPINES)E-mail:jinky_lu@yahoo.
comEnvironmentalScienceAnIndianJournalVolume10Issue11ESAIJ,10(11),2015[423-428]EnvironmentalScienceISSN:0974-7451.
424InvestigationofsafetyconditionsinsmallscaleminingindustriesinthephilippinesCurrentResearchPaperESAIJ,10(11)2015JinkyLeilanieDpLuetal.
425CurrentResearchPaperESAIJ,10(11)2015AnIndianJournalEnvironmentalScienceEnvironmentalScienceTABLE2showsthepresenceofexposuretooc-cupationalhazards.
Morethanhalfstatedthattheyperceivedtobeexposedtodust(69.
2%)andairpollution(62.
9%),whilestillconsiderablepercent-agescomplainedofexposuretopoorenvironmentalsanitation(33.
1%),chemicalsusedinmining(30.
6%)andtoomuchheat(29.
0%).
However,16.
1%reportedexposuretowasteproductsarisingfrommines.
Otheroccupationalhazardsmentionedincludedsoilerosionandwaterpollution.
72.
6%perceivedthatminingindustrieshadad-verseeffectonenvironmentsuchaspollution,ero-sionandenvironmentaldestruction(TABLE3).
Itwasnotedthatminingaffectsvarioushumanactivities.
Morethanhalfoftherespondentssaidthatminingaffectedlivelihood(83.
1%),financialconditionofthefamily(71.
8%),farmingandplan-tation,riversandlakefisheries(bothwith62.
1%),employmentofwomenandchildren(56.
5%),andsocialconditionofthecommunity(49.
2).
SeeTABLE4.
WorkplaceInspectionoftheundergroundtunnelsandpitsTheworkplaceinspectionoftheundergroundtunnelsandpitsshowedsafetyinfarctionssuchasunsteadytrenches,insufficientslopestothetrenches,possibilityofcollapseoftrenches,andalsotheriskofsubsidenceTABLE5.
DISCUSSIONCyanidelevelsdetectedintheenvironmentareusuallyresiduesfromimproperstorage,handlinganddisposalofwastesinmetalandorganicchemicalsindustries.
Thiswasseeninthisstudywheresmallscaleminersdisposedtheirwastewatercontami-natedwithcyanideormercuryintothegroundorabodyofwater.
Inthisstudy,cyanideandmercurywereusedtoextractgoldfromtherockmaterials.
Theconcentrationofcyanideinruralareas,ac-cordingtoLeducetalisdependentonthewater-shedsizeandseasonalrunoff.
Cyanidevaporizesreadilyanddoesnotremainforalongtimeinthesoilorwater[6].
Ontheotherhand,mercuryhasthreeprimarycategoriesofcompoundsnamely-elementalmercury,inorganicmercurycompounds(includingmercurouschloride,mercuricchloride,mercuricacetate,andmercuricsulfide)andorganicmercurycompounds[6].
Overtheyears,mercurialcontaminationtowatersystemshadbeenwidelydocumented.
Mostinci-dentsidentifiedorganomercurycompounds(fungi-cides)astheprimaryculprit.
Inonestudy,mercurycontaminationledtoseveraldeathsofaquaticandbioticorganisms[13].
StudieshaveshownenvironmentalproblemsHazardsFrequencyPercentageDust8669.
4AirPollution7862.
9PoorEnvironmentalSanitation4133.
1Exposuretochemicalsusedinmining3830.
6Toomuchheat3629.
0WasteProductsfromMines2016.
1ToomuchNoise1915.
3TABLE2:AssessmentofexposuretooccupationalhazardsHazardsFrequencyPercentagePollution(air,water,noise)3528.
2Erosion2822.
6Destructionofnearbyfarms,forestryandmountains2520.
2Dust108.
1Healthproblemstomen43.
2TABLE3:Frequencyandpercentagedistributionofnegativeoutcomesofmining.
426InvestigationofsafetyconditionsinsmallscaleminingindustriesinthephilippinesCurrentResearchPaperESAIJ,10(11)2015JinkyLeilanieDpLuetal.
427CurrentResearchPaperESAIJ,10(11)2015AnIndianJournalEnvironmentalScienceEnvironmentalScienceperofD'Souzain2005discussedthecomplexofdrivers,challenges,constraintsandissuesthatchar-acterizethesectorandconsidersthepotentialsolu-tionsthroughsustainablelivelihoodsinthesectorandoverallpovertyalleviation,institutionalcapac-ity,governance,assistanceschemes,legislation,min-ers'organizations,gendermainstreaming,childlabour,healthandsafety,environmentalprotection,mineraltradingandmarketing,addingvalue,financeandenvironmentalprotection[5].
Alongwiththis,Quirogain2002hasshowninacasestudythatsmallscaleminersareimpoverished,andthereforeout-linesstrategiesonhowtomoveforwardtowardssocialequityvis-à-visforeigninvestors,amongoth-ers[12].
CONCLUSIONThestudyshowedthatminingindustryisindeedwidelyrecognizedinBenguetaspartoftheresi-dents'livelihood.
Mining,withoutsustainableman-TABLE5:ResultsoftheworkplaceinspectionoftheundergroundtunnelsandpitsinregardstandardsResultsoftheWorkplaceInspectionStandardsforUndergroundTrenchesandPitsThetrenchesforundergroundminingbuiltforminingarenotsystematicandposeatreat.
Whentrenchesarenotbuiltproperly,collapseoftrenchesmayhappenandaffectboththeworkerorthecommunityatlarge.
Thegroundwheretrenchesarebuiltisnowunsteadybecauseofmanyyearsofundergroundmining.
Subsidenceofthegroundmayhappenandacommunitymaybeburiedwhenthereissoilerosionorheavyrains.
Thereisnofirmwallinsidefortrenches.
Woodsareusedinsteadofsteelorhardermaterialsforreinforcement.
Thegroundisnotalwaysstable,andmaycavein.
Whatlookslikefirm,stiffclaydriesoutandcrackswhenexposedtoairorwillsoftenandslipafterrain.
Acubicmetreofearthweighsmorethan1tonne.
Workersstayverylongtimeinsidetrenches.
Trenchingisdoneinsmallscalemining.
Trenchesarenotpermanent,andcanbeusedonlyforminutesorhoursastheywilleventuallycollapse.
Itisjustamattertimewhenthetrenchwillcollapse.
Soworkersshouldnotagreetogoinsidetrenchesfortoolong.
Slopestothetrenchesarenotsufficientforsafety.
Slopingsuchasaseriesofstepscanbetothesoiltoprovidestabilitytothetrench.
Eventheslightestslopeisreportedbeneficial.
Workersgoinsidetrencheswithoutanypersonalprotectiveequipmentorsafetyequipments.
Shields/trenchboxesshouldalsobegiventoworkerssothattheyprotectedwhentrenchescollapse.
Shieldsaregenerallymadeofsteeloraluminum.
Thesizeisaround1mto3mhighand2to7mlongThewallsofthetrencheshaveminimumshores.
Shoringcanalsobedonebyputtingsomekindofsupporttothewallsofthetrench,withbracesinbetween.
Workersgoinsidethetrenchesalone.
Workersshouldneverworkaloneorremainaloneinapitortrench,evenforashortperiodoftime,astheseexcavationscollapseeasilyandmayburythemselvesThepitsandtrenchesarenotconstructedaccordingtothe45degreeangulation.
Pitsandtrenchesshouldbeconstructedtomeetsafetyguidelineswithsupportsystemsorthesidescutbackto45degreestodetercollapse.
agementandproperwastecontrolcouldleadtovari-ousenvironmentalhazardscreatingnegativeimpactsonenvironmentandthecommunityresidents'health.
Consequently,futureinvestigationsareneededtofullyunderstandtheeffectsofthesehazardstolocalpopulationoverandabovethosementionedinthisstudy.
Itisrecommendedthatintensiveprogramsbeformulatedonawarenessofcommunitydwellersontheenvironmentalhazardsassociatedwithsmallscalemining.
Thereisalsoaneedforaminingandtheenvi-ronmentalagendawhichshouldaddressboththetechnicalandsocialissuesofmining.
Inthisframe-work,sustainabledevelopmentissoughtsuchasimprovedmetalrecoveryandlessmetalbeingpresentinwastematerial,planningformineclo-sure,publicperceptionandcommunityissues,envi-ronmentalsustainability,andenvironmentalinteg-rity.
ThisstudywasfundedbytheNationalinstitutesofHealth,UPManila.
428InvestigationofsafetyconditionsinsmallscaleminingindustriesinthephilippinesCurrentResearchPaperESAIJ,10(11)2015