1. Women in mining
C.J. Badenhorst, T. Hofmann, and MAC La Grange

3. BACKGROUND
• Mining was a male dominated industry and hostile to women’s
participation in work
• Women were rarely employed in mining as it was considered to
be a highly male dominated activity and women were
considered unfit for the hard labour of working in the mines.
• South Africa - until the new Constitution and the Mine Health
and Safety Act, employment of females underground was
prohibited through an ILO convention
• Most of the jobs of women on mines related to either
administrative or to menial lower rank activities like sweepers,
cleaners or attendants in the mining offices.
• Mining equipment and PPE available are unsuitable for women
posing significant risk of workplace injuries to women.

4. BARRIERS TO THE EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN IN MINING
• Physical work capacity
• Reproductive health
• Infrastructure (culture barriers,
workplace environment, etc.)
• Design of mining equipment
(machinery, ergonomics, PPE, etc.)

5. PHYSICAL WORK CAPACITY

6. Gender differences in physiological composition
The following has been documented in literature:
• Women may, in many cases, be superior to men, especially in jobs
requiring accuracy, patience and alertness and perseverance (The
Physiology of Work, K Rodahl, 1989, Taylor & Francis).
• With regards to physical strength, women are weaker than men, usually
attaining between 60 and 90 percent of the men’s muscle strength and
work output (Ergonomics How to design for ease and efficiency 2nd
Edition, K Kroemer, H Kroemer, K Kroemer-Elbert, Prentice Hall, 2001).
• With regards to fitness levels, the maximal aerobic power, i.e. the
maximal oxygen uptake as an expression of an individual’s physical
work capacity, is, for females, on average 65-75 % of that of men. In the
case of heavy or very heavy manual work, women exposed to the same
physical work load as men may have to exert themselves some 25-30 %
more than men (The Physiology of Work, K Rodahl, 1989, Taylor &
Francis).

7. Lifting capabilities
• From ground level: 84% that of males
• From waist level: 79% that of males
• Above-the-shoulder: 57% that of males
VO2 max: vs.
• Maximum aerobic capacity: 15-30% below
• Fatigue: for the same physical task closer to
aerobic capacity than ; more likely to become
fatigued

8. • With regards to size, men are generally taller than women. Although
more flexible than men, differences in muscle mass, body composition
and size, can place women at risk of injury.
• Based on statistics (SIMRAC Health 817), approximately 4% of the
females tested failed the Heat Tolerance Screening (HTS). The
corresponding figure for male mineworkers ranges between 0,5% and
4%. The difference between general heat tolerance of males and
females are not as significant as generally believed.
- Heat intolerance: 35%; 5%

9. Rehabilitation and Functional Assessment
• Rehabilitation and Functional Assessment (RFA) Test Battery
developed over the past 11 years
• (Joint Venture between Anglo American Platinum and AngloGold
Ashanti)
• Forms part of medical surveillance as an objective assessment of
the physical and functional work capacity in relation to inherent
job requirements
• Minimum standards for fitness to perform manual work in a safe
manner
• Test standards originally derived from:
- Internationally accepted scientific principles
- Field studies
- Testing healthy, in-service employees
(SA mining industry)

10. RFA Assessment

11. • All jobs are
specifically
assessed for risk for
Occupations with physical demands women and suitable
jobs identified
• By doing individual
physical
Very heavy Heavy Moderate Light Roaming assessments
it is ensured for
starters that there
Criteria Criteria Criteria Criteria Criteria are no health
or physical
constraints
PWC/FWC PWC/FWC PWC/FWC PWC/FWC PWC/FWC present when
requirements requirements requirements requirements requirements employing the
person, minimizing
risk when pregnant

12. FEMALE WORK CAPACITY vs. MALE WORK CAPACITY
- profiles as determined by work capacity assessment
New Recruits in the SA Mining Industry
RFA Test Outcomes
100
75
50 43% Females (n = 19 572)
39%
36% Males (n= 64 000)
25 20%
18% 15%
8% 10%
7% 4%
0
Sedentary Light Moderate Heavy Very Heavy
Graph 1: New recruits’ work capacity profiles according to intensity of work

13. In-Service Employees in the SA Mining Industry
RFA Test Outcomes
100
75
50 Females (n = 5 692)
44%
Males (n = 172 658)
34%
29%
26%
25
19% 20%
7% 10%
6% 6%
0
Sedentary Light Moderate Heavy Very Heavy
Graph 2: In-service employees’ work capacity profiles according to intensity of work

14. REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
Women are very different from men physically and
biologically, and pertinently in one specific aspect - namely that
they can fall pregnant and thus become two people that must be
considered, the mother and the baby with very specific risk
factors
Dilemma
Most women can continue working during pregnancy. How long
depends on the nature of the job and personal risk for medical or
obstetric problems.
OH – concerns are around biological and physiological issues arising
out of pregnancy and interacting with workplace hazards and risks
Primarily focused on PROTECTING the individual and NOT
discrimination

15. What are the physical implications?
Health must be protected
• Physical (Lifting heavy loads, vibration, heat, noise, radiation);
• Ergonomic (Physically strenuous work, prolonged sitting or standing
or physical & mental strain);
• Chemical (Gasses - Carbon monoxide, liquids, solids such as lead &
mercury, organic solvents, tobacco, alcohol, herbicides, pesticides);
• Biological ( Hepatitis, HIV, TB, Toxoplasmosis, brucellosis, rubella,
chickenpox etc) hazards

16. What are the physical implications?
Safety –injury must be prevented
• Heat tolerance
– health risk but also safety risk
• Impaired work capacity and errors of judgment
– Unfit or unable to perform specific job exposes individual and
pregnancy to harm
• Physical ability
– Lifting of heavy goods
– Morning sickness: employees unable to perform early shift work.
Exposure to nauseating smells may aggravate morning sickness.
– More frequent visits to the toilet: require reasonable access to
facilities and consideration for “unattended” tasks
– Employee’s increasing size and discomfort
– Employee’s balance
– Tiredness

17. INFRASTRUCTURE
• Ablution facilities and change houses
• Work-life balance (Long working hours)
• Childcare facilities
• Personal safety and security
- Sexual harassment
- Individual security searches
- Female’s safety in the cages & underground
- Security at change houses
- Illness, injuries and emergency medical treatment

18. DESIGN OF MINING MACHINERY
• No specific mining equipment requirements are set
for female workers
• Make use of mining equipment as is, of which the
design is generally male based (and even those
designs are in most cases based on populations
other than the local population)
• May pose a range of ergonomic risks
• Requirements and specifications for
mining equipment adjustable for female
employees must be set by industry to
manufacturers and suppliers of mining
equipment

19. Personal Protective Equipment
• No specific PPE requirements are set for female workers
• Make use of general available PPE, of which the design is
generally male based
• In general most other related PPE issues has
to do with the size of items (normally too big)
• Although seemingly insignificant, incorrect
sized PPE pose a risk on itself.
• Requirements and specifications must be
set to manufacturers and suppliers for
appropriate female (smaller) sizes

20. CONCLUSION
• Females’ physiological composition differs from that of their male
counterparts.
• In many instances (e.g. when required to perform manual material
handling) these differences impact on females’ capacity to perform
manual type of work.
• Machinery and equipment as used in the mining industry, has mainly
been designed to suit a male population.
• Due to differences in body size and dimensions, females are often
placed at a disadvantage from an ergonomic perspective when
required to operate machinery and to use equipment.
The trend towards decreased physical activity and a more sedentary
type of lifestyle, especially amongst younger females, and the
impact thereof on work capacity must also not be underestimated

21. WAY FORWARD
Factors impacting on work capacity must be taken into account during
the recruitment and placement of women
• Create awareness within the community with regards to the
importance of physical activity and a healthy diet.
• Recruitment processes must be revised considering the effect of
factors such as inactive lifestyle, poor nutrition, body size, body mass
etc. Taking cognisance of these factors, the most suitable candidates
should be recruited.
• Training programs must be considered, possibly with the inclusion of
physical exercise in conjunction with an introduction to mining, in
order to provide prospective mine workers with knowledge and insight
in terms of what a career in mining entails.

22. • The system of medical surveillance must be fair; females must not
necessarily be excluded from certain occupations requiring more
physical strength; yet, processes must be in place to determine
individuals’ level of work capacity, and to place accordingly. In case
of a risk being identified in terms of a prospective candidate having
limited work capacity for the proposed occupation, such individuals
must not be placed at risk in terms of exposure to the specific
occupation.
• Employment of woman in their productive years requires specific
action to ensure that there is no significant risk of exposure that may
effect reproduction, health and safety before and during pregnancy,
the unborn child as well as mother and child during breast feeding.
• Planning aimed at redesign of mining tools, equipment and
environments (and PPE) to accommodate females in the
workplace, must also be included in terms of future strategies.

23. There are no barriers to the employment of women in
mining provided –
• Inherent H&S requirements of the jobs are met;
• Risks attached to pregnancy are identified through
specific risk assessment;
• Reasonable accommodation for pregnancy is done,
taking note of pregnancy complications; and
• Socio-economic impact challenges are addressed