Morbidity among workers in the mining industry

The paper examines the impact of occupational risk factors in the mining industry on workers’ health and recognizes methodologies and tools for mitigating or eliminating these risks. Reducing the harmful impact of the mining industry is being studied and monitored globally. According to the International Organization for Safety and Health at Work, about 2.8 million people die annually as a result of workrelated accidents or occupational diseases. Additionally, around 374 million people suffer from various injuries and illnesses at the workplace each year. The issues of occupational diseases and industrial injuries are also relevant to the mining industry in Kazakhstan.

Objective. To study the literature data on the impact of occupational factors on the health of workers in a mining enterprise and the international experience of measures to reduce the harmful effects of the working environment in this industry at the present stage.

Materials and methods. The studies and publications on the study topic were analyzed using sources indexed in electronic databases such as e-Library, Google Academy, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus.

Results. An integrated approach to reducing the effects of exposure to harmful factors in the mining industry’s production environment yields positive results.

The results of a literature review on studying occupational diseases and injuries among workers in the mining industry are presented. The features of measures to mitigate the risk of hazardous working conditions in different countries are listed.

Conclusions. A comprehensive approach to control and minimize the consequences of harmful occupational factors in the mining industry has shown positive outcomes. According to the latest data, tobacco smoke is one of the deadly risk factors for deaths in the world. This is an additional approach to existing tobacco control measures.

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