The use of personal protective equipment by artisanal and small-scale miners remains a big dream in the local setup. This could be attributed to the lack of knowledge on the dangers of the dust produced from crushing the stones and the seemingly exorbitant prices for the equipment.
However, the coming in of the Southern Africa TB & Health Systems Support Project in Mzimba North seems to be breaking this anomaly. A grouping of artisanal and small scale miners at Sonda has successfully managed to procure masks as a starting point in conforming to good mining practices. This is as a result of the orientation that the Project is having with such groups in the district.
The group says that after being oriented by the Project staff on the benefits of using PPE’s decided to start saving. They have since bought the masks and are using them when crushing the stones. A dedicated committee member has been elected to ensure that masks are used at all times when they are working.
