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Perceptions of mineworkers of environmental risks in the mining sector : a case study of the Walvis Bay Salt Holdings (WBSH) mine in Namibia
Author(s)
Shaanika, Hilma Kaunapawa
Date Issued
2022
Type
Thesis
Publisher
Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Abstract
Background: This research study was conducted to investigate the causes of environmental risk at a salt mining operation in Namibia, specifically from the perspective of the perceptions of general mineworkers of the types of risk to which their work exposed them and their environment. At present, although there is a prodigious amount of literature pertaining to the causes of environmental risk in mining, there is relatively little that is based on the perceptions of mineworkers themselves. In addition, the researcher elected to base the evaluation of the perceptions of general mineworkers on critical realism theory, as opposed to the positivist assumptions upon which assessments of environmental risk that are usually carried out in the mining sector are traditionally based. Critical realism theory permitted the researcher to evaluate the subjective perceptions of mineworkers in relation to a real world that exists independently of human perceptions and to discern how they were influenced by factors such as socioeconomic backgrounds, levels of educational attainment, and political affiliations (Von Kotze, 1999).
Methods: A mixed-methods approach was adopted to conduct the study and the researcher made use of both quantitative and qualitative research methods to collect data. The qualitative data was obtained from in-depth one-on-one face-to-face interviews, focus group discussions, direct observations of mineworkers in their working environment, and secondary sources, such as document analysis. The quantitative data was collected through the administration of a survey questionnaire. The sets of qualitative and quantitative data were systematically analysed through the use of computer-aided analytical software, namely, Atlas ti and SPSS respectively.
Findings: The findings that the analyses generated suggested significant differences between the perceptions of environmental risk and safety, and health on the mine of members of the management workers and general mineworkers. They also demonstrate measures to ensure the safety and health of mineworkers have been largely ineffective for some groups, particularly contractual workers, despite the drafting of legislation and regulations to ensure safety and improve working conditions at mines. The findings of the study should make a valuable contribution to the existing body of knowledge that research in the fields of environmental management, the management of environmental risk, and working conditions in mines in southern Africa generates.
Methods: A mixed-methods approach was adopted to conduct the study and the researcher made use of both quantitative and qualitative research methods to collect data. The qualitative data was obtained from in-depth one-on-one face-to-face interviews, focus group discussions, direct observations of mineworkers in their working environment, and secondary sources, such as document analysis. The quantitative data was collected through the administration of a survey questionnaire. The sets of qualitative and quantitative data were systematically analysed through the use of computer-aided analytical software, namely, Atlas ti and SPSS respectively.
Findings: The findings that the analyses generated suggested significant differences between the perceptions of environmental risk and safety, and health on the mine of members of the management workers and general mineworkers. They also demonstrate measures to ensure the safety and health of mineworkers have been largely ineffective for some groups, particularly contractual workers, despite the drafting of legislation and regulations to ensure safety and improve working conditions at mines. The findings of the study should make a valuable contribution to the existing body of knowledge that research in the fields of environmental management, the management of environmental risk, and working conditions in mines in southern Africa generates.
Additional information
Thesis (MTech (Environmental Science & Occupational Studies))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2022
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