Researchers examined datasets from two separate studies that measured common demographic variables but different safety performance outcome variables. Of specific interest was how types of experience might relate to workers’ preparedness to effectively mitigate or respond to both routine and nonroutine risk in the mining industry. The results suggest that individual factors such as length of job, industry, and mine experience are predictive of routine safety performance — as measured by self-reported proactive and compliant safety behaviors — and/or nonroutine safety performance — as measured by perceived competence in self-escape knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) — in significant and sometimes unexpected ways. The results provide insight into the usefulness of examining individual mineworker characteristics to design and target interventions for both low-frequency/high-severity events — such as mine emergencies and disasters — and higher-frequency/lower-severity events — such as near misses and nonrecordable incidents — with an emphasis on continuous engagement of mineworkers across various levels of job, and mine site and industry experience.
Full-text paper:
Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (2022) 39:485–494, https://doi.org/10.1007/s42461-021-00536-2
