Improved safety needed in gold mining

Feb 14, 2025 Letters

Dear Editor,

There is a very high frequency of deaths that occur in the gold mining sector. The common cause is that of the wall collapsing from excessive water being used in the open pit. The current mining process is extremely dangerous and there are a number of publications available for open pit design. The wet conditions in the pit are usually kept to a minimum and the designs allow for wet tropic mines with the appropriate pit dewatering and drainage. This is what the industry experts emphasize as very important to pit safety. Slope collapse can easily occur if dry conditions are not maintained.

It is also encouraged to stop the open pit mining process during heavy rains. There is also software to help with the design process. Most small-scale miners do not consider these tools and would benefit from such a service if provided jointly by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Labour. The joint development of safe open pit designs for each mining claim will help prevent further loss of life due to mining accidents, and will help the Ministry of Labour review the worksites to ensure the safety of workers. It is CRG’s hope that the Government will pursue such an initiative and work towards saving the lives of our workers in the gold mining industry.

Best regards,

Mr. Jamil Changlee

Chairman

The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana

(Improved safety needed in gold mining)

(Improved safety needed)

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deaths, drainage, gold mining sector, industry experts, pit dewatering

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