Chile ratifies ILO convention on mining safety amid challenging context

Chile will enact ILO Convention 176 on the rights of mining workers to health and safety into law as of June 14, 2025 amid a bleak outlook in terms of accidents and fatalities in the sector.

Although between 2010 and 2023 fatalities in the Chilean mining industry decreased from 45 to 13, and accidents from 41 to 12, between January and May this year, four accidents and four fatalities have already been recorded, according to the national geology and mining service Sernageomin .

One of the cases occurred in the Radomiro Tomic division of state copper miner Codelco in March when a female operator died due to a fire in the CAEX truck she was operating, and another occurred in Pampa Camarones in July when a scoop machine driver was trapped 260m deep in the underground mine due to a collapse, although he was eventually rescued.

The incidents, whether fatal or not, are mainly caused by being hit by rocks, falls from heights and the use of motorized vehicles or rolling equipment, Sernageomin says in the document.

In terms of fatalities, mining is the country's second economic activity with the highest rate after transportation. It has 7.5 deaths per 100,000 workers, compared to 10.1 in the transportation sector, the local mining council reported last month.

The study reveals that the mining industry is behind in accident rates compared to manufacturing, agriculture, fishing, construction and transportation.

The decree on the ILO Convention 176 ratification signed by mining minister Aurora Williams and labor and social security minister Jeannette Jara on Saturday comes almost 30 years after the standard was created. Brazil, Peru and Uruguay joined in 2006, 2008 and 2014, respectively.

The situation goes hand in hand with the "lack of training and education by companies towards their workers," Walter Muñoz, director of the Chilean mining chamber and a risk prevention engineer, told BNamericas.

Social security regulator Suceso recorded 37 accidents in 2023 and up to May this year, 18 of which were caused by the use of machines, resulting in entrapment, amputations, falls or blows.

The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), which brings together 25 of the world's leading mining companies, including BHP, Anglo American, Antofagasta Minerals, Barrick, Glencore, Freeport-McMoRan, Rio Tinto, Sumitomo, Teck and Vale, with operations in more than 50 countries and nearly 562,000 direct employees, reported 36 fatalities last year.

The ICMM report contains three more cases than in 2023, and although South Africa accounted for the majority globally with 13 cases, in Latin America Chile was the first country, followed by Brazil and Colombia.

The ICMM attributed the incidents to a lack of integration of human factors into mining plans, inadequate safety protocols and non-compliance with regulations.

In general, accidents occur due to human errors and overconfidence. For this reason, in addition to strengthening risk prevention plans, providing personal protective equipment and training staff, there is an increasing trend towards prioritizing automation and remote operation of equipment and machinery.