Overview: Health and Safety in the Italian dimension stone quarrying industry

When it comes to human health and safety, the extractive industry represents one of the most hazardous activities. When accidents occur in mines, quarries or processing plants, consequences are usually very serious. A description of Italy’s state of the art is made herein, with a special focus on occupational injuries occurred during the 2012-2019 period of time as well as fatal injuries of the last eight years. The mining and quarrying economic activity had been intensely scrutinised and its outcome was further applied to the 5 economic division as per NACE classification. A further investigation was lead on the quarrying of stone, sand and clay, which is the most affected division with regard to occupational safety. The causes of fatal accidents of the past six years, were analysed and reported in this treatise. Based on the outlined data, the study aims to assess the main safety risks linked with the mining and quarrying industry with a focus on the Dimension Stone sector. It also analyses the diamond wire sawing process in more detail. Suggestions and ideas are offered to mitigate risks.