• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.163-169
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• 2022

Background: It is estimated that about 13 million artisanal and small-scale miners carry out their activities under harsh, precarious, unfriendly, and risky conditions. Yet, our understanding of the extent to which these workers use personal protective equipment (PPE) and navigate through the various risks and hazards they face is still limited. This article has two main objectives. First, it explores the extent of usage of PPE among artisanal and small-scale miners for the prevention of hazards and risks. Second, it examines the coping strategies used by these miners as a response to experiences of occupational injuries and risks Methods: A cross-sectional survey of small-scale miners was conducted in six communities across three districts in Ghana, West Africa. The mixed methods approach was adopted. A total of 148 small-scale miners participated in the study. Six focus group discussions (FGDs) were held across the six communities. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Chi-square tests were used to analyse the relationship between some socio-demographic characteristics (sex, age, and educational background) and the usage of PPE. Open-ended questions and responses from FGDs were analysed based on the content and verbatim quotations from miners. Results: Findings suggest that 78% of the miners interviewed do not use the appropriate PPE citing reasons such as cost, and their personal discomfort associated with use of PPE. There was no significant relationship between socio-demographic characteristics (i.e., sex, age, education and major mining activity) and the usage of PPE. The study further revealed four main coping strategies used by miners to handle the risks. These are rest, taking unprescribed medication and hard drugs, registration with health insurance scheme and savings and investments. Conclusion: This study shows that very few artisanal miners use PPE despite the significant hazards and risks to which they are exposed. The study recommends to the government to put in place measures to ensure that miners adhere to health and safety regulations before undertaking mining activities. This means that health and safety plans and use of PPE should be linked to the license acquisition process for miners.

• 한국심리학회지:법
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• 제12권1호
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• pp.1-13
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• 2021

본 연구는 지적장애인 대상 성폭력 사건 수사 및 재판과정에서 전문가 의견 활용 실태를 확인하였다. 총 670건의 지적장애 성폭력 사건 하급심 판결문을 분석한 결과, 전체 사건 중 97.5%는 1개 이상의 전문가 의견서가 재판 기록에 포함되어 있었다. 대부분 사건에서 진술분석 전문가 의견서(91%)가 존재하였으며, 이외 의사 소견서(41.1%), 진술조력인 의견서(36%), 전문심리위원 의견서(9.5%) 등이 포함된 것으로 확인되었다. 진술 신빙성 판단이 쟁점이 된 180건의 사건 중 80건(44.4%)에서 법관은 진술신빙성 판단의 근거로 진술분석 전문가가 작성한 의견서 내용을 판결문에 인용한 것으로 나타났다. 특히 피해자의 연령이 13세 미만이거나, 유죄 판결 시 진술분석 의견서를 인용하는 빈도가 더 높았다. 인용된 내용을 살펴보면 준거기반내용분석(CBCA)과 관련된 내용이 가장 많았으며, 피해자의 심리상태, 진술오염 가능성, 인지적 특성에 대한 의견서의 내용이 진술의 신빙성을 판단하는 근거로 판결문에 제시되었다. 진술신빙성에 대한 진술분석 전문가와 법관의 판단은 1건의 제외한 79건에서 일치하였다. 마지막으로 본 연구는 전문가 의견 활용 방안에 대해 논의하였다.