Work Accidents Related to Heavy Equipment in the Open Pit Extractive Industry: A Systematic Review

Open pit extractive industry (OPEI) is one of the most dangerous industries, with high rates of accidents associated with the production process and working conditions. This work aims to perform a systematic literature review to identify and characterise the accidents that occurred in OPEI. The review followed the PRISMA Statement approach. Ten databases were consulted with the following combination of keywords: “accident”, “hazard”, “mine”, “extractive industry”, “open pit”, “open cast”, “quarry”, and “equipment”. Papers prior to 2018 not published in journals and languages other than English were excluded. Only papers addressing occupational accidents with mobile equipment in OPEI were included. From the research 4,521 papers were obtained. After applying the defined exclusion and inclusion criteria, 12 papers were considered for detailed analysis in this review. The main accidents reported were slips, trips and falls at the same level, at different levels, and/or from the equipment. The main reported causes were loss of control of the equipment, insufficient lighting, lack of road and inadequate equipment maintenance. Implementing risk management processes that are adequate and adapted to the conditions associated with the production process is essential.