Occupational Hearing Loss for Platinum Miners in South Africa: A Case Study of Data Sharing Practices and Ethical Challenges in the Mining Industry

Liepollo Ntlhakana, Gill Nelson, Katijah Khoza-Shangase and Elton Dorkin
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Liepollo Ntlhakana: Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
Gill Nelson: Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
Katijah Khoza-Shangase: Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, Faculty of Humanities, School of Human and Community Development, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
Elton Dorkin: Anglo American, Johannesburg 2091, South Africa

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 19, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Background: The relevant legislation ensures confidentiality and has paved the way for data handling and sharing. However, the industry remains uncertain regarding big data handling and sharing practices for improved healthcare delivery and medical research. Methods: A semi-qualitative cross-sectional study was used which entailed analysing miners’ personal health records from 2014 to 2018. Data were accessed from the audiometry medical surveillance database (n = 480), the hearing screening database (n = 24,321), and the occupational hygiene database (n = 15,769). Ethical principles were applied to demonstrate big data protection and sharing. Results: Some audiometry screening and occupational hygiene records were incomplete and/or inaccurate (N = 4675). The database containing medical disease and treatment records could not be accessed. Ethical challenges included a lack of clarity regarding permission rights when sharing big data, and no policy governing the divulgence of miners’ personal and medical records for research. Conclusion: This case study illustrates how research can be effectively, although not maliciously, obstructed by the strict protection of employee medical data. Clearly communicated company policies should be developed for the sharing of workers’ records in the mining industry to improve HCPs.

Keywords: electronic data; occupational exposures; personal data; audiometry; healthcare providers; machine learning systems; ethical principles (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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