“You'll Be Fired if You Refuse” - Human Rights Watch

A national-level official at MUZ who works on safety issues said that the government safety
department’s general ineffectiveness was particularly damaging in the context of the
Chinese-run mines:
A major problem is that MSD has inadequate support. It’s quite difficult for
them to be monitoring the mines all the time, as they are very understaffed,
they are very few.… The other issue is that the employer must have the will to
ensure safety. So there’s the political will from the government, and then the
company’s will. If [the political will] is there, things are okay. But since the
government is giving inadequate support, it comes down to the companies.
With the Chinese, it’s a sad story. It’s been difficult to get them to the
standards. The safety officers, at NFCA for example, are just a rubber stamp.
They are controlled by the management and can’t say anything—often they
don’t even report accidents, as they’re just protecting their jobs. Compare this
to some of the other mines, to the systems at Chibuluma or KCM. You can see
the programs in place when safety departments have something to add. At
those places, there are internal audits to discover potential safety problems. 221
When asked by Human Rights Watch about the department’s shortcomings, Bright Kateka,
deputy chief inspector in the MSD, described a severe understaffing and underfunding of
the department. He said that although the MSD has nine allotted positions for machinery
inspections, only two are filled; there are likewise 17 positions for general mining
inspections, nine of which are filled; and only two positions for explosive inspectors—both
of which are filled, though one of the inspectors said “that’s not enough for one mine,”
much less all the mines in Zambia. 222 Kateka said that qualified inspectors leave to work
for mining companies “after a year or two” because of better pay. In addition, the
government has imposed a hiring freeze on many ministries, including the Ministry of
Mines, meaning the MSD cannot hire staff to replace attrition vacancies. 223 The result is
that inspectors are hopelessly overstretched and have to “multitask”—making
determinations on infractions in areas outside their expertise. 224
who came, we took him to see the CEO, and that is how we produced a certificate saying that the winder is OK’ … When an
official proves to be difficult, they take him to the higher management, so he is given something there.”).
221 Human Rights Watch interview with MUZ safety official, Kitwe, July 18, 2011.
222 Human Rights Watch interviews with Bright Kateka, Deputy Chief Inspector, Mines Safety Department, Kitwe, July 28, 2011;
and with an explosives inspector in the Mines Safety Department, Kitwe, July 28, 2011.
223 Human Rights Watch interview with Bright Kateka, Deputy Chief Inspector, Mines Safety Department, Kitwe, July 28, 2011.
Kateka said that the freeze affected all but the Health, Education, and Agriculture Ministries.
224 Ibid.
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