An investigation of factors contributing to occupational accidents among mineworkers in the dimension stone quarry mine of the Mutoko Rural District Council, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Background: Globally, quarry mining is one of the popular but highly hazardous industries to work in as compared to other industries. It exposes employees to a range of health hazards Purpose: To investigate factors contributing to occupational accidents in dimension stone quarry of Mutoko Rural District Council, Zimbabwe. Methodology: A quantitative approach using a descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used to investigate factors contributing to occupational accidents in the dimension stone quarry mine of the Mutoko, Zimbabwe. A sample size of 253 was determined by the Slovin’s formula. A stratified selection technique was used to choose participants from all the five dimension quarry mines. A self-administered open and close-ended questionnaire was used to collect the data. Data was coded and entered into a computer using Microsoft Excel 2010, and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Scientists version 26.0. Results :About 87.3% of the participants revealed that there were incidences of unsafe aspects of the work in the quarry that can harm their health. 23% were trained participants on safety precautions, and 46% of the respondents did not use protective clothing while at work. The cross tabulation and the chi-square test was statistically significant, as it showed that education level influences the occurrence of occupational accidents (P= 0.000) Results further revealed that age influences the occurrence of occupational accidents with the conclusion that the older a person gets, the more likely they are to have accidents or get injured at the quarry mine workplace (P= 0.000) Conclusion: The findings take the lead toward a conclusion that participants had work-related health and safety challenges related to quarrying activities. The researcher urges the authorities to ensure that the quarry management and quarry workers follow the regulations on occupational health and safety.