Coal miners in developing countries are more likely to be exposed to health and safety risks than those working in advanced economies, new research has found.

Researchers from Cardiff University, funded by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), have found that a lack of resources in the mines they visited in India, for example, “impacted strongly” on the “substantial inequality in their risk profiles”.

Among those risks are those posed by fire and explosions, flooding, rockfalls and outbursts of poisonous gas, all of which can cause serious injury and death.

The researchers set out to examine how workers are represented on health and safety issues in countries with differing economic profiles. In addition to India, they examined mines in Indonesia, Australia, Canada and South Africa.

They found that, while the risks are ubiquitous to mining globally, “they are not experienced equally in all countries”.

Apart from the lack of resources, other contributing factors to this inequality include mining techniques, age and depth of mines, and geological challenges.

The study found that workers have the potential to significantly contribute to improved health and safety in coal mines in all the countries studied, but this was far more developed in some countries than others.

The researchers said there was a “strong need” for more employer and State commitment towards worker representation and global standards to better protect miners.

In Australia, the researchers noted that mineworkers were able to make effective representations to management on health and safety matters and could stop dangerous work without fear of reprisal.

There is a somewhat similar story in Canada and South Africa.

This is not the case in India and Indonesia. The researchers said worker representation in these countries was restricted in many ways by mine management.

“[There is] a strong need for greater levels of commitment and support for representation from the State and its agencies in these countries in order for it to stand some chance of success. There may be a role for global actors and standards to be more persuasive at this level,” the researchers suggested.

The findings also highlight the issue of resource availability for labour inspections in developing countries, as well as the capacity and competence of existing inspectors.

IOSH policy and public affairs head Richard Jones said it was crucial for more steps to be taken for greater competence development and worker involvement.

“This research supports the principle that effective worker involvement can help [to ensure] health and safety improvement. But, importantly, this doesn’t happen in isolation. It needs effective regulation and management commitment, together with access to good training and protection of contractors,” he said.

He also indicated that the study underlined the potential of international standards in helping transcend national and economic boundaries for health and safety.

“[Apart from] highlighting these important issues, this IOSH-funded research provides useful insight in the form of national case studies. These can potentially assist both governments and organisations in improving health and safety management in the operation of coal mines in countries around the world.”