ISSA Mining

The changes in the mining industry in Austria entailed also changes in the mines rescue system. Due to new legal regulations, all mining operations with underground activities were integrated into the mines rescue system. The re-establishment of the Austrian body for mines rescue and gas defense also contributed to set up a well-functioning system. The base of this mines rescue ...

At the heart of cooperation agreements between the Social Accident Insurance Institution for the Raw Materials and Chemical Industry (BG RCI), Heidelberg/Germany, and its member companies is the public voluntary commitment to the VISION ZERO prevention strategy. The goal is to secure higher levels of safety and health in the members’ companies. BG RCI supports member companies, associations and trade ...

The new version of § 13 of the Regulation for the Protection of Health in Mining Operations (GesBergV), which entered into force in October 2019, establishes new measures for underground non-bituminous coal mining operations in the event of fibrogenic mine dust contamination by referencing the Hazardous Substances Regulation and applicable rules of technology. The most important changes are briefly described ...

Back in 2007, I was invited by the Colombian Government to speak at a safety conference that was being hosted in Medellin. I knew only two things about Medellin … it was famous for its coffee and also for violent crime. With a little apprehension, I agreed to participate at the conference primarily because previously we had hosted a delegation ...

The OSHAfrica 2019 Conference brought together stakeholders from across Africa and beyond to discuss the existing challenges in Occupational Safety and Health in Africa. Taking place in Johannesburg/South Africa, from 18th to 20th September, OSHAfrica 2019 featured the 7 Golden Rules and the ISSA’s VISION ZERO approach, which came as an initiative from the ISSA Mining section. During the event, ...

I am very happy today, to see all of you to commemorate the foundation of ISSA Mining 50 years ago, and the remarkable development since then (Figures 1, 2). When ISSA Mining was established in 1969, the founding fathers could probably not imagine what would happen over the following 50 years. Yet, the core alignment did not differ from today’s ...

A few weeks ago, sixteen-year-old Greta Thunberg arrived at the shores of the USA, to support the USA climate strike movement and continue spreading her message in advance of the 2019 UN Climate Summit in New York City in September 2019. Greta is an environmental activist who receives a noticeable amount of attention across the world. What makes Greta so ...

Inn the past, working under precarious health conditions was part of everyday life in many areas of work and is still present today in many countries. Many health risks associated with various naturally occurring or produced substances are only recognized over time. It is important to protect people from these risks. Through the publication of various “Technical Rules for Hazardous ...

The 2018/2019 apprentice competition is geared towards the young employees of the member companies of the Social Accident Insurance Institution for the Raw Materials and Chemical Industry (BG RCI), Heidelberg/Germany. In an individual challenge and a team challenge, participants demonstrated their knowledge and ability in occupational health and safety. The top participants competed in the national final from 26th to ...

Four years of VISION ZERO at BG RCI – one year of VISION ZERO in an international context. This was reason enough to ask Helmut Ehnes, the Head of Prevention at the German Social Accident Insurance Institution for the Raw materials and Chemical Industry (BG RCI) in Langenhagen/Germany, in autumn 2018 to draw up a first interim report in a ...