The International Council on Mining and Metals’ (ICMM) 2025 Safety Performance Report shows that the sector continues to grapple with persistent fatality risks, despite incremental improvements across several key indicators.
Covering 2025 data from its global membership, the report provides a consolidated view of industry safety performance and asks, despite all of the technological advancements in the industry, “Why are we still unable to guarantee that every worker returns home safely at the end of the day?”
In 2025, across ICMM’s membership, 39 people lost their lives in work-related incidents, down from 43 fatalities recorded in 2024. The IMCC notes that with anyone still dying on the job, progress is not moving fast enough.
According to the report, while the total number of fatalities decreased slightly in 2025 compared to the previous year, numbers have generally been tracking upwards since 2021, which the ICMM observes reinforce the need for fatal risk prevention and critical controls.
These critical controls are essential for reducing the harm from potentially catastrophic events and require clear direction and action by each individual company.
The report also highlights the return of ‘catastrophic incidents’, with two major events taking place in 2025 for the first time since the Brumadinho dam collapse in 2019.
Total recordable injuries (TRIs) were recorded at the lower number since the ICMM began collecting safety data in 2008, reported at 6,183 injuries.
Many companies use easy-to-remember rules to reinforce safety behaviours with the goal of establishing clear expectations for risky work, such as working at height, mobile equipment, energy isolation, and lifting operations.
The ICMM notes that these rules are most effective when they’re linked to critical controls, with strong support from leadership, and with routine verification in the field. The goal is to encourage people to stop working when the conditions are unsafe.
Despite the slight reduction in fatalities and record low total injuries, the ICMM’s 2025 report makes it clear that a step-change in safety outcomes is necessary for the metals and mining industry.
The return of catastrophic incidents and the continued rise in fatality trends since 2021 underline the need for stronger critical control management, consistent field verification, and leadership that empowers workers to stop when the work is unsafe.
Write to Amy Rotman at Mining.com.au
Images: ICMM
