Risk-Based Methodology for Determining Priority Directions for Improving Occupational Safety in the Mining Industry of the Arctic Zone

Abstract

Over the past 10 years, the mining industry of Russia has seen a greater than three-fold decrease in injury rates, thanks to the successful implementation of innovative labor safety technologies. Despite this, injury levels remain unacceptably high compared to the leading mining countries, which results in increased mining costs. For the mining areas of the Arctic Zone—unlike other regions located in areas with a more favorable climate—the injury rates are influenced not only by the underground labor conditions, but also by the adverse environmental factors. For the Russian Arctic zone, the overall injury risk is proposed to be calculated as the combined impact of occupational and background risk. In this article, we have performed correlation analysis of the overall injury risks in regions of the Arctic zone and regions with favorable climate conditions. Using the Kirov branch of “Apatit”, Joint-stock company (JSC) as an example, we have calculated the risks related specifically to occupational injury rates. We have constructed the relative injury risks and their changes over time and have developed a “basic injury rate matrix” that makes it possible to visualize the results of the comparative analysis of the injury rates on the company’s production sites and to determine priority avenues for improving the occupational safety and lowering the injury rates.