Former miner, Braulio Mamani, takes us down into the silver mines of Bolivia where generations of his family have worked out their lives. Mining is a dangerous business. In the goldmining village of Chima in Bolivia at least four hundred people are estimated to have been killed after a mining accident there last month. The story's the same elsewhere in the world: China recorded over three thousand deaths in mining accidents in just six months last year. Yet up to 200 million people mine for a living worldwide. And half of those work for small-scale operations rather than the more visible large-scale mining sector. Their employment is more precarious, their wages are lower and safety standards - by and large - are lower still. Since the workers and not the employers shoulder the risks, physical and financial, it's not suprising that small-scale mining activities have spiralled over the last five years around the world and the trend is set to continue. Braulio Mamani is a former miner in the silver mines in Potosi in Bolivia. These silver mines have claimed the lives of some 8 million since they started in the sixteenth century. He takes us on a tour around his old workplace to meet the miners working there today... Braulio Mamani from Potosi worked with Ben Cramer to make that report on the miners of Potosi in Bolivia. News peg: 28th April is the UN's World Day for Safety and Health at work.
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