Concept Note

Developing a Strategic Framework on Occupational Health, Safety, and

Environment Services for Artisanal and Small- Scale Mining (ASM) in the
Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Region.

November 2022

KG 597 St 7, Remera

Kigali, Rwanda

Phone: +250 790 003785

E-Mail: info@coeha-af.net
 1. COEHA Profile

The Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health Africa (COEHA) is a pan African institute
that has been established to address the challenges posed to the health of the working populations
and communities in Africa by work activities. The African Continent is experiencing huge expansion
in mining, construction, manufacturing, agriculture, and support services - IT, transportation,
security and food industry. These activities generate enormous health and environmental hazards
with significant impact on the health of working populations and communities.

The number of trained professionals in every discipline of occupational health and safety in Africa
is acutely short. Training and qualification in occupational health; particularly occupational
medicine is also very limited in Africa. There are only a handful of qualified occupational physicians
and occupational hygienists in the whole continent.

To address the above challenges the Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health Africa
works with Governments, Academic Institutions, Trade Unions, communities and all stakeholders
in occupational health and safety to build capacity in occupational health and safety. This is done
through education, training, legislative support, research and digital transformation.

Building capacity for occupational health and safety in Africa is the core business of COEHA. Even
though the center is newly founded in Rwanda, the cumulative experience of its consultants is vast,
and covers all areas of occupational health and safety. This proposed research project addresses
some of the gaps in one of the largest and most economically important sectors in the Region- the
Mining sector and will be part of an overall strategy for OHSE in the Artisan and Small-Scale
Mainlining in the continent.

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2. Introduction

Workers in Artisan and Small-Scale Mining -ASM- make up the largest mining workforce
worldwide. It is estimated that 4 million individuals work directly in ASM in the IGAD
region, with another 6 million providing support services to the sector and thus exposed to
the serious health hazards arising from ASM activities. With regional and national
governmental drives to organize and formalize the sector and with more investment being
directed towards the sector the numbers are likely to greatly increase. ASM workers supply
a wide variety of minerals, in significant proportions, to the world’s raw material
volumes—minerals that are critical to modern communication technologies, low carbon
and clean energy technologies (World Bank 2020), and luxury jewelry goods.

In the IGAD region mining activities are carried out on metallic minerals such as tin
(Cassiterite), tantalum (Coltan), tungsten (wolfram) and gold (3TGs) as well as gemstones
and on industrial minerals such as granite, quartzite, clay, sand, gravel, kaolin, limestone
and aggregates (crushed stones). There is also a long history of coal mining in Ethiopia.

Fostering the establishment of resilient artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM)

communities is one of the pillars of African Mining Vision (AMV). Solutions to improving
occupational health and safety in ASM can be straightforward, affordable, and highly
effective, improving not only the health and safety of miners, their families, and
communities but equally the balance sheet of mining entities and mineral sourcing
companies (Delve Report 2020).

All mining is inherently dangerous whether large, small-scale, or artisanal. Hazards and
risks include blasting, rockfalls, landslides, flooding, machinery, toxic chemicals, and poor
air quality. In the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals- (SDG 8) ,
the need to improve health and safety at mining sites is paramount to achieving decent
work for all through safe and secure working environments. The impacts of poor
occupational health and safety measures at mining sites not only directly affect workers
but also have negative spillover effects on local communities.

Occupational diseases and illnesses; including noise induced hearing loss, respiratory
diseases (pneumoconiosis, silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and lung
cancer are among the common occupational diseases encountered in mining. Infectious
diseases including tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS are also known to be common in the mining
communities.

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In most of the IGAD region countries, the legal framework that covers the mining and
extractive industries lays the foundation for the employers’ responsibility of the miners’
health and safety. It however needs support in developing specific regulations, guidance
and codes of practice to cover the specific mining hazards. Health surveillance- regular
medical checkups- is conspicuously absent.

The primary healthcare professionals in the mining areas in all the IGAD region countries
have not had training in occupational health and are not equipped to deal with the
complicated burden of occupational diseases and injuries; both in the clinical, occupational
and medico legal perspectives.

3. Rationale

ASM is a complex and critical issue; however, a difference can be made by using research
findings coupled with training for government bodies responsible for health and safety,
regulatory systems development, and strengthening the capacity of healthcare providers
for screening and medical surveillance.

4. Objectives

General Objective

The overall objective of the assignment is to develop a national guideline for providing
Occupational Health, Safety, and Environment (OHSE) Services for Artisanal and Small-
scale Miners in the IGAD region countries. These guidelines will be used as a benchmark for
countries to design services, adopt policies and guidelines, and build capacity to offer OHSE
services for ASM.

Specific Objectives

The specific objectives of this assignment are to:

1. Assess the available policies, laws and guidelines on OHS in the IGAD region
countries.
2. Provide recommendations of the policies, laws and guidelines required to provide
comprehensive OHSE services among ASM.
3. Characterize the key demographic and socioeconomic factors in ASM in the target
regions that influence OHSE

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 4. Evaluate the OHS needs, access, strategies, and delivery model of Basic occupational
health services (BOHS) in ASM.
5. Define the intervention approaches for reaching out to artisanal and small-scale
miners with OHSE services.
6. Develop regional guidelines for providing OHSE services among ASM including
guidance on information, education, and communication.

5. Scope of work, activities, and Tasks

The assignment will focus on ASM in IGAD region countries and build on lessons learnt and
best practices across Africa and internationally. Developing the national OHS guidelines
will benchmark various existing national, regional, continental, and international guiding
documents and declarations. A rapid assessment of the available ASM policies, legal
frameworks and guidelines and comparing them with international best practices with
appropriate recommendations for improvement will be conducted at the beginning of the
task to enable a clear understanding of existing gaps.

Specific Activities and Tasks

1. Conduct a desktop review on the OHS status of ASMs with specific focus on policy
and legal frameworks, guidelines, prevalence of occupational lung diseases among
ASM, vulnerable groups in ASM, socioeconomic factors influencing OSH services.
2. Map best practices for provision of OSHE in ASM regionally and internationally.
3. Use the findings of the desk review to inform the development of regional guidelines
for providing OHSE services among ASM including guidance on information,
education, and communication
4. Undertake 3 stakeholder consultation exercises on ASM practices using the draft
report and guidelines

6. Capacity Building Program

While it is envisaged that the assignment will not undertake any specific training activities,
the output of the work will lead to the development of a national ASM strategic guideline
that will be used to strengthen the capacity of the countries on OHSE.

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7. Expected results and deliverables

 An inception report outlining the approach to the assignment.

 Final report on the desktop review with the identified gaps and recommendations
on how the identified gaps will be addressed.
 Three key stakeholder consultation and feedback reports
 Final national guideline for providing OHSE services among ASM including BOHS
model implementation approach and guidance on information, education, and
communication.