The 2024 outlook of employee safety technology in the mining industry

The prevalence of ecological concerns, impending deadlines for global climate commitments, and the increased need for mines to source materials to support the skyrocketing electric vehicle industry, position 2024 as a transformative time for the mining industry. Yet, even in an evolving mining landscape, the bottom line remains the same: safe mines are profitable mines.

Mining is one of Canada’s oldest and most profitable industries, contributing billions yearly to the national GDP. Yet simultaneously, it remains one of the most dangerous for the human capital that keeps the industry functioning. Mines, as workplaces, hold reputations for demanding physical labour and increased risk of catastrophic accidents, such as floods and chemical leaks, compared to any other industry. Maintaining employee safety in mines requires continuous implementation of new technologies to support workers’ physical and psychological safety. In 2024, mines must look to technological innovation as a way to support employees on the path toward zero-harm mining in Canada.

The state of safety in Canadian mines

a. Physical safety

An increased commitment to physical safety in mining in Canada has been steadfastly effective over the past decade. According to the most recent report from the Mining Association of Canada, both fatal injuries and non-fatal injuries have steadily fallen to just four and 161.6 injuries per 10,000 employees, respectively. However, the goal remains set at a zero-harm mining industry in Canada.

Four provinces in Canada account for the majority of mineral production for the entire country through their mines. Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador each produce billions of dollars in annual revenue, yet are governed slightly differently based on provincial jurisdictional requirements. Because of this, occupational safety issues differ slightly, and required resolutions and improvements may take different forms accordingly.

In Ontario, exposures remain the most common lost-time injury incidents, accounting for 44% of incidents that required employees to take one or more days off work in 2022. These prominent incidents are followed by bodily reaction and exertion incidents at 27%, contact with equipment or objects at 13%, falls at 7%, and other adjacently related incidents at 8%. From these incidents, the top occupational ailments affecting Canadian miners include hearing loss, respiratory diseases, and circulatory diseases.

In British Columbia, the most common incident report in the 2022/2023 fiscal year was related to out-of-control equipment, followed by incidents involving explosives and unexpected outbreaks of fires. The injury rates in quarry mines remain consistently higher in comparison to coal, underground, and metal mines in the province.

Despite down-ticking trends that show positive improvements in mine worker safety standards, it was not that long ago that Canadian news outlets were covering stories of missing miners in Quebec and, more recently, the sudden death of a miner in Labrador.

With each incident that comes to light, the local occupational health and safety office takes part in the investigation that follows. However, these reactive measures do little to protect future miners from the same vulnerabilities that the injured fell victim to. Mining companies must use the insights and hard lessons learned from mining accidents to embrace innovation and technological advancements and apply them to safety gaps in mines.

b. Psychological safety

While physical safety is often regarded as the paramount concern of mining corporations and regulatory bodies, psychological safety is more susceptible to being overlooked. Psychological safety in mines is interdependent on multiple environmental, psychosocial, and systematic factors that create unique experiences for each employee. Employees’ mental well-being can directly affect their ability to complete the physical demands of a job and know when a task is potentially dangerous. In psychologically unsafe environments, employees are more likely to experience demoralization, threats, and disengagement from the tasks at hand, issues that can be life-threatening in a mine.

Current trends in miner safety

Constant updating of safety mechanisms in mines is necessary for companies to keep workers safe and avoid the hefty fines and reputation damage associated with failing to live up to this duty.

Implementing mechanisms such as cooling vests, portable gas detectors, and thermal imaging cameras are newer technologies that help miners navigate formidable daily conditions. In an effort to improve safety before workers enter the mine for the day, some sites are implementing breathalyzers and toxicology screening to ensure employees are in adequate physical and cognitive health to work that day

The Mining Association of Canada regularly updates its protocol to ensure that there is a high national standard for safety in Canadian mines. Canada is fortunate to have a robust culture of protecting the health and safety of miners and the communities they work in. However, as suggested, there is always room for improvement.

a. On-site technology

Looking forward, the focus will be on removing humans from the frontlines of the most dangerous tasks in mining and allowing machinery to fill these functions. Teleoperating and drone monitoring will be crucial for keeping miners at a safe distance from potentially harmful tasks. Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) are allowing the exploration and discovery of mines through autonomous robots, removing human miners from high-risk jobs.

Advancements in radiofrequency technology are also ensuring individual miners are accurately tracked, alerted when machines or other miners are nearby, and can monitor potential slopes within the mines.

Extensive training goes into becoming a miner in Canada, which can also be enhanced with new technology. Virtual reality (VR) is creating the opportunity to simulate the underground experience without posing a risk to novice miners. With continual advancements in interactive software, miners trained in VR simulators are better equipped and more confident when facing the unsettling environment of a mine for the first time.

b. HR technology

Miners sit on the frontline of danger, and upper management is not always in tune with potentially harmful behaviour or assignments that are taking place in the mines. Therefore, miners will be the first to suspect danger or risk inside the mines. However, they may not always feel comfortable bringing this to the attention of supervisors or management.

Technology, such as gives employees an outlet to address concerns related to workplace safety. Through either a 24/7 hotline number or an online intake form, employees are able to securely report wrongdoing in the workplace that is posing a potential risk to themselves or other employees. Having these outlets on-site as well as remotely available will help ensure employees feel safe to make reports when needed. Similarly, employers must ensure that no employee is retaliated against for making a report. By imbedding anti-retaliation into workplace policy and encouraging employees through comprehensive training on the tools, anonymous reporting mechanisms can be an effective vehicle for improving safety in mines.

Implementing employee safety technology in mines

Training all employees on best practices for using new technology and equipment will help develop a shared responsibility for holding each other accountable to create a safe and respectful workplace. As of June 2023, the Mining Association of Canada’s TSM Safe, Healthy, and Respectful Workplaces Protocol calls on employers to update processes and programs to support psychological safety, effectively train employees, and set continual improvement targets for physical safety in mines.

With this focus on preventative technologies, there is light at the end of the tunnel for a zero-harm workplace in the Canadian mining industry. With new personal protective equipment and technological advancements of machinery, paramount physical risks in mining are being reduced. Additionally, the “see something, say something” mentality in mining is growing to support the psychological safety of miners, and HR technology, such as whistleblower reporting mechanisms, further supports this. However, it is up to the employer to ensure complaints are taken seriously, employees are not retaliated against for speaking up, and anonymity is maintained in order for everyone to feel safe making a report. The path forward requires mining companies to embrace technology that can proactively address common issues in the high-stakes industry. 

Shannon Walker is the founder of WhistleBlower Security Inc. (WBS) and executive vice-president of strategy at Case IQ. Shannon frequently speaks around the world on whistleblowing, ethics, corporate culture, and diversity.