‘Fifteen to twenty people are killed in Sverdlovsk Region’s mining and metallurgical enterprises every year; in 2009, fifty-one people were also seriously injured. In any case, it’s too early to speak of decreasing casualty figures just now: a tragedy can happen any minute, with new names added to the list,’ says A. Sokolov of Russia’s Mining & Metallurgical Trade Union.

‘Most accidents happen at enterprises which employ a large number of workers. For one, Vysokogorskiy Ore Mining & Processing Enterprise (VGOK) and Nizhniy Tagil Iron & Steel Works (NTMK) are two of the most accident-prone companies with a great number of employees,’ Sokolov added.