TITLE:
Human Factors in Mining Accidents: A Systematic Review of Behavioral Safety Interventions
AUTHORS:
Victor Sifamen Sekei, Jianming Wang, Klu Kwame Prosoer, George Kofi Agordzo
KEYWORDS:
Mining Safety, Human Error, Behavioral Safety Interventions, Risk Perception, Safety Culture, Leadership, Accident Prevention
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.13 No.12,
December
10,
2025
ABSTRACT: The mining industry has always had a known status as one of the riskiest sectors when it comes to work environments. Even though technological interventions have helped in reducing noticeable instances of mechanical failure and mining accidents and fatalities to a certain extent, human behavior has always remained a threat when it comes to mines’ safety. The topic of this systematic review is to review and analyze how BSIs can and have achieved success as a tool in reducing factors related to human behavior in mining safety. The sources for this systematic review are a total of 85 peer-reviewed sources and industry reports between 2010 and 2024. The sources will aid in finding key human factors related to mining risk perception and sources related to factors like safety culture and leadership involvement and provide a perspective regarding how and to what level different BSIs have contributed to making mines a safer place. The systematic review will yield a relevant finding that mining can observe a reduction in workplace safety occurrences of up to 40% if successful BSIs are appropriately and efficaciously incorporated and supplemented with a proactive leadership strategy. However, success in all mining initiatives is challenged and impacted adversely regarding sources related to factors like resistance to changes and mining policies.