“Fatalities Among Heavy-Duty Equipment Operators in Ghana’s Mining Sector: An Analysis of Magnitude and Underlying Causes”

Heavy-duty equipment operator fatalities remain a major safety issue in transport-intensive mining operations. Existing research often examines safety management, equipment training, and transport systems in isolation, limiting a comprehensive understanding of systemic fatality drivers in Ghana’s gold mining sector. Grounded in Human Factors Theory, the Resource-Based View, Contingency Theory, and Total Quality Management, this mixed-methods cross-sectional study evaluated the scope and underlying causes of operator fatalities using survey data from 428 mining personnel and expert focus groups. Findings revealed moderate rates of transport accidents (40.2%), operator fatalities (35.0%), and deaths from safety protocol noncompliance (44.2%). Logistic regression showed that technology integration, strategic transport management, and risk management practices significantly reduced fatality risks. Qualitative results underscored supervisory failures, maintenance flaws, complacency, and deficient practical training. The study recommends competency-based training, enhanced hazard reporting, digital fleet monitoring, and stronger regulatory enforcement across all mining operations. Influence of Plantain Pseudostem Fibre on the Tensile Strength of Concrete Michael Opeyemi Babasola1, Olugbenga Ata2, Abdullahi Adeyemi Lawal3 Department of Building, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. mobabasola@oauife.edu.ng This study investigated the effect of plantain pseudostem fibre (PPF) on tensile strength of concrete with a view to assessing the suitability of PPF as a tensile-resistant material in concrete. Characterisation of materials was done according to BS EN933-1, BS EN1097-6 and ASTM D638-10, respectively. Processed PPF, with an aspect ratio of 75 (75 mm length, 1 mm diameter), was incorporated into a 1:2:4 concrete mix at dosages of 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4% by weight of cement. A water-cement ratio of 0.65 was maintained, achieving slump values of 60– 100 mm. Cylinder specimens (100 mm x 200 mm) were cured and tested for tensile strength at 3, 7, 14, and 28 days according to BS EN 12390. Data were analysed using ANOVA and regression analysis. Incorporating PPF at all