Working in a Risky Environment: Coping and Risk Handling Strategies Among Small-scale Miners in Ghana.

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.

Local knowledge of risks associated with artisanal small-scale mining in Ghana.

Artisanal small-scale mining is associated with disease, injury, environmental and social risks. These risks negatively impact human health and the environment. This study assesses miners' awareness and perceptions of the risks associated with their activity in three main districts in Ghana.