Analysis of Health and Safety Culture in Nigerian Mining Companies: Evidence from North Central States

Health and safety culture is widely recognised as a leading indicator of accident prevention performance in mining organisations, yet culture measurement and improvement programmes are rarely applied in Nigerian mining companies. This study analyses the health and safety culture profile of mining companies in Plateau, Kogi, and Nassarawa states in North Central Nigeria. The Nordic Occupational Safety Climate Questionnaire (NOSACQ-50) was adapted and administered to 380 mine workers and supervisors across 12 operations. Factor analysis was used to identify cultural dimensions including management commitment, safety system adequacy, worker involvement, communication, and prioritisation of safety over production. Focus group discussions with worker representatives and management teams provided qualitative depth to quantitative findings. Results reveal that the management commitment dimension scores highest across all operations, while worker safety communication and non-punitive incident reporting score lowest, indicating a compliance-driven rather than a learning-oriented safety culture. Operations with dedicated safety officers score significantly higher on safety system adequacy. The study demonstrates a significant correlation between overall culture score and lost-time injury frequency rate across the sample. Recommendations include the adoption of a safety culture improvement roadmap by each operation, anonymous incident reporting systems, and non-punitive safety behaviour incentive schemes. Keywords: safety culture, health and safety, mining companies, North Central Nigeria, NOSACQ.