State and corporate stances on occupational health and safety in metal mining:

The case of a mine in the Province of San Juan

Abstract

The management of occupational health and safety (OHS) in metal mining sites in Argentina takes place within an institutional framework shaped by a historical process defined by the asymmetrical relationship between capital and labor. This article traces the stances adopted by the State as a starting point to analyze, in turn, corporate policies. Regarding the latter, the corporate policies of the largest mining site in the Province of San Juan are used as a case study. The article is based on the hypothesis that the State's withdrawal from regulating occupational health allows for the consolidation of corporate hegemony. Driven by a cost-benefit perspective, quality management systems seek to mold subjectivities and shift the responsibility for health and safety onto the workers. Furthermore, the outsourcing of prevention services exacerbates the conflict between occupational health and capital accumulation.