Occupational injuries and technological development : studies in the Swedish mining industry

The relationship between technological development and occupational injuries is an issue that has received considerable attention in recent accident research. The evidence accumulated so far from studies comparing different technological alternatives as they evolve over time suggests that technological changes have not had a universal preventive effect with regard to injury-event occurrence. The general objective of this thesis is to analyze technological development as a determinant of occupational injuries in the Swedish mining industry. The thesis is based on five separate papers.

Paper I investigates the occurrence and patterns of occupational injuries in the Swedish mining industry with special attention paid to the involvement of contractor workers during the period 1986-1990. The results indicate that contractor workers seem to incur more frequent and more severe injuries, and also to perform different tasks and work under different conditions than mining-company employees at time of injury.

Paper II analyzes the relationship between technological development and occupational injuries in the Swedish mining industry from 1911 to 1990, using three technological stages: handicraft, mechanization, and automation. Some contextual factors related to industrial relations and legislation are also investigated regarding the direction and magnitude of this relationship. It was found that the relationship between technological development and occupational injuries can be regarded as conditional, since changes in technology are not sufficient in themselves to explain variations in injury frequencies.

Paper III consists in a review of the scientific studies of the past two decades dealing with the effects of changes in production technology on industrial injuries. The main features of these studies and the evidence gathered with regard to injury frequency, severity and characteristics are described. The accident co-determinants pointed to by the studies are highlighted. Methodological and theoretical shortcomings are discussed, and a research agenda comprising five questions is proposed.

Paper IV investigates whether non-specific and specific injury risks are equally distributed by time and age category among miners working at the underground-extraction phase of an iron-ore mine whose work activities were suspected to be age-impaired. The impairment factors in focus are the transformations of production technology during the 80s and consequent changes in job content. The findings suggest that it is younger workers who are penalized by technological developments that lead to increased productivity and reduced staffing levels.

Paper V is concerned with the longitudinal representation of injury risk obtained using hours worked and production volume as alternative injury-rate denominators. It investigates injury risks faced by workers employed at the underground-extraction phase in an iron-ore mine over a 41-year period. Six stages of mining development are defined, and three injury rates are employed. It is concluded that choice of an appropriate denominator depends upon the question posed, in particular on whether the interests of the individual worker or the employing organization are in focus.