ICMM - International Council on Mining & Metals

PROJECTS

Health Impact Assessment (HIA)

ICMM’s Health Impact Assessment Project is evidence of the sector’s focus on health, safety and wellbeing issues of the communities living near mining and metals facilities. It is devoted to providing mining and metals professionals with the best practice on how to carry out Health Impact Assessments (HIA).

What is a Health Impact Assessment?

According to the World Health Organization it is:

"A combination of procedures, methods and tools by which a policy, program or project may be judged as to its potential effects on the health of a population, and the distribution of thoseeffects within the population".  ( European Centre for Health Policy, WHO Regional Office for Europe, 1999 )

Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) help mining and metals managers and health and safety advisors address the public health impacts of their activities on the communities near their operations to better manage their responsibilities.

They are now recognized as an essential part of the overall impact assessment process by international stakeholders such as:

• The World Bank,
• The International Finance Corporation,
• Regional Development Banks and.
• Development NGOs

What is ICMM doing?

ICMM has developed a good practice guidance on the importance of health impact assessments and how to carry them out.

Because of the complex nature of the mining and metals sectors, health and safety professionals and managers must take into account a myriad of factors in order to accurately assess the impact of their activities in a community.

This guide sets out an overview of how mining and metals operations can affect the health and wellbeing of local communities, describes typical health impact assessment processes, outlines a methodology for undertaking a rapid assessment so that in-house practitioners are involved in the process from the start and encourages the need for integrating health assessments with environment and social assessments.

A summary version of ICMM’s Good Practice Guidance on Health Impact Assessment, is also available.

The document introduces the concept of health impact assessment (HIA) and how mining companies can evaluate the health and well-being effects mining operations have on the local communities in which they operate.

It presents an overview of the steps taken during the HIA process, including the integration of environmental and social impact assessments.