Abstract

The primary objective of this study was to verify the existence of a relationship between, on the one hand, certain characteristics of work organization, and on the other hand, the safety record of underground metal mines in Québec over a 12-month period. In total, 122 miners and 44 foremen from 13 mines were met in structured individual interviews. An indirect relationship was established between accident frequency and certain organizational characteristics such as the purchasing policy, performance pressure, informal communication, worker participation, motivation, recognition and training. Also, the commitment of management, the integration of safety into operations, and supervision are characteristics that, without being directly linked to accident frequency, are strongly associated with the first set of characteristics. By demonstrating the interdependence of certain characteristics of work organization and their relationships to accident frequency, the results of this research identified the aspects likely to help mining companies better orient their accident prevention strategy.