Professional risk assessment in mineral processing

Risk assessment constitutes a fundamental element in establishing a safe and healthy working
environment. The responsibility for conducting the risk assessment process lies with employees, as their
active involvement promotes workplace safety, motivation, and organizational trust. Furthermore, risk
assessment serves as an indicator of a company’s sustainability trajectory by contributing to enhanced
capacity development, productivity, and profitability.
In the mineral processing industry, workers are routinely exposed to a wide range of occupational
hazards and harmful substances. Accordingly, a qualitative/semi-quantitative risk assessment was
conducted using the 5×5 risk assessment matrix across four workstations within a mineral processing
plant: flotation operator, filter press operator, mill operator, and flotation shift engineer. The findings
indicated that all four positions were classified as high-risk workplaces, leading to the proposal of
appropriate control measures aimed at hazard elimination and risk reduction.