As the world watches the 33 Chilean miners being pulled to the surface, the media are taking a closer look at employee safety in mining. ICMM president Anthony Hodge talked to Jonny Dymond from BBC Business Daily.

He discussed the dangers of coal mining and whether or not he would go down a Chinese mine.

“There are good guys and there are shysters,” said Anthony Hodge. “For the good operators in China – in the coal side of things as much as any other – I would have no problem going down their mines.”

He stressed that safety is not linked to the size of a company or the type of mineral extraction, but to commitment and investment in expertise, technology and safety systems.

“Ninety percent of injuries and fatalities are caused by human error,” he said. “It comes down to a commitment to live by a culture of safety.”

Listen to the interview on the BBC World Service.