Roadmap for reducing accidents in the Swedish mining industry

Purpose and goal
The pre-study investigated the accident development and safety initiatives in two Swedish mining companies during the last 30 years. We also studied the accident trend in general for the Swedish mining industry. The pre-study suggests future research for further reducing the accident rate, i.e. to create a roadmap for the future.

Structure and implementation
We divided the study into four parts. In the first part, we outlined the previous research on accidents and safety indicators. The second part examined the available statistics. The third contained an interview study with representatives from two Swedish mining companies and focused on the changes that may have contributed to the decline in the accident rate. In the fourth, we analysed the results and made suggestions on the focus areas suitable for the main study.

Expected results
The results show that the accident rate within the Swedish mining industry has dropped significantly over the last 30 years and that this is usually attributed to extensive changes in technology, requirements for systematic safety management and new forms of organisation. This applies to both companies investigated. The industry is still in need of evaluation of the relative impact of these changes as well as how the different factors have influenced each other.