Abstract
Introduction: the present article presents the results of a literature review on the health of mine workers on the Chilean copper market. Objective: To depict the evidence produced regarding the diseases that affect the health of Chilean mine workers.Method: A scoping review, indexed on scientific journals and other sources, for the 2008-2019 period, centered on the analysis of 20 documents that reported empirical results. Results: The main physical conditions of copper mine workers were found to be problems related to high-altitude work, the inhalation of silica dust, and noise exposure; eating and musculoskeletal disorders, cardiovascular and respiratory disorders, accidents, and low back pain. Regarding mental health conditions, the following were highlighted: psychologi-cal demands, the impact on the sleep quality due to shift work, fatigue, anxiety, depression, violence on subcontractors, and worsening of life standards after relocation, due to silicosis.Discussion: working in copper mine impacts the global health of workers, increasing the exposure to health conditions that increases the sense of suffering and worsens their qua-lity of life.
Highlights
The WHO (World Health Organization) [1] recognizes the need to develop actions that benefits the health of workers, like prevention and protection against risks and hazards, as well as promotion of workplace health
One action that can help to lessen occupational health risks and ensure more healthy surroundings in the national copper mining industry is the increase of knowledge about the group of diseases ailing the workers of this market
A contribution in this topic is this scoping review, which is the first one on the subject in Chile and Latin-America, a region where there are other countries, such as Peru, where copper mining is important for national development
Summary
A scoping review of literature, indexed in scientific journals and other sources. Published documents from 2008 to 2019, about worker’s health at Chilean copper mines. Titles, abstracts, and introductions were read and the complete documents Those who met the following criteria were included in the review: they reported empirical results of research about the review subject; they were published within the selected time interval (2008-2019). This interval was chosen, as it was interesting to depict the evidence produced after the entry into force of Law No 20.123, which regularized outsourced work in Chile, a system that has been widely questioned by copper mine workers because it poses negative impacts on occupational health and safety. On the fifth phase, the main results of the review were clearly stated, and discussed in relation to the existent literature on the subject
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