Global leaders in health impact assessments for development projects
SHAPE provides a range of health consulting services for complex development projects — to anticipate, manage, and measure risks to companies, communities, and lenders.
Experience. Independent. Practical.
Three things clients can expect, on every engagement and in every context.
Operationally tested
SHAPE has supported a diverse range of community and workplace health consultancies for complex projects in challenging settings for the past two decades. We advise based on deep operational knowledge within unique contexts.
Conflict-free counsel
SHAPE functions in a truly independent manner and does not attempt to be everything to their clients. Honesty, integrity and a passion to do the right thing symbolise their work.
Advice that works on the ground
While health challenges and solutions can be complex, SHAPE is focused on delivering advice that is fit for purpose and supports collaboration between client resources and external stakeholders. We strongly believe in co-creation — clients clearly understanding their risks so these can be addressed in a responsible and sustainable manner.
Four core offerings — separate or integrated
Each can stand alone or combine with the others — a single engagement may draw on one offering or several, according to the project.
Community Health & Safety
Health impact assessments at the right depth — scoping, rapid or comprehensive — with baseline health studies, management and monitoring plans, peer review and stakeholder engagement.
Explore the offering →Occupational Health & Risk Management
Independent design and review of project medical services, occupational health and hygiene risk assessment, fitness-to-work and medical surveillance, and well-being programmes.
Explore the offering →Corporate Health Advisory
Outsourced chief-medical-officer support for companies without in-house health expertise — healthcare strategy, guidance and capacity building.
Explore the offering →Health Programme Support
Targeted programmes, standalone or as an extension of the others: malaria and vector control, HIV/TB, public health and facilities, and community health systems strengthening.
Explore the offering →A global footprint, shown at country level
Select a point on the map where SHAPE has delivered health consulting work. Experience is shown at country level only — individual project sites and clients are never identified. Selected case studies are presented under the Insights tab.
Where we have worked
Each point marks a country where SHAPE has delivered health consulting work. Select a point to see the nature of the work delivered there.
Specific projects, sites and clients are deliberately not identified.
Zoom is deliberately limited to country level.
Browse the full country index (39 countries)
Southern Africa
- South Africa
- Multiple community health impact assessments for the mining and energy industry, including gold, diamond, platinum, coal and mineral sands, as well as projects related to underground coal gasification and potential shale gas fracking.
- Human health risk assessment for a manganese ore berth facility.
- Occupational health review and due diligence for small-scale and multinational mining companies at iron ore, chrome, manganese and coal facilities.
- COVID-19 preparedness and response consultancy from an occupational and community health perspective.
- Corporate advisory support for a multinational gold mining company.
- Botswana
- Multiple community health impact assessments for diamond, uranium and copper projects.
- Occupational health and hygiene consultancy for diamond and copper projects.
- Namibia
- Human health risk assessment review for a mining project.
- Health impact assessment for diamond and gold projects.
- Occupational health, cyanide management and health service assurance reviews and improvement plans for a gold mining project.
- Health service reviews and improvement plan for multiple primary health care facilities.
- Mozambique
- Multiple community health assessments for oil and gas (gas-to-liquids and large-scale LNG), mining (coal, mineral sands), dam and agricultural projects.
- Multiple occupational health consultancies in the oil and gas and mining sectors.
- Health risk assessments and development of occupational health plans for a multinational oil and gas company.
- Workplace- and community-focused malaria and vector control reviews and implementation programmes in mining (mineral sands, coal) and oil and gas.
- Health service review and health facility and hospital design at two large-scale coal mining projects and an oil and gas project.
- Evaluation of a potential public-private partnership for health service delivery for an oil and gas project.
- Corporate advisory support on community health and safety for a multinational oil and gas company.
- Madagascar
- Multiple community health assessments for mineral sands projects.
- Health service review and development of improvement plan for a mineral sands project.
- Review and support of malaria and vector control programmes for a mineral sands project.
- Zimbabwe
- Community health and safety assessment and review for a platinum mine.
- Zambia
- Multiple community health assessments for copper and coal projects.
- Health service review and improvement plan for multiple copper projects.
- Occupational health and hygiene reviews and plans for copper projects.
- Review and support of malaria and vector control programmes for copper projects.
- Malawi
- Multiple community health assessments for mineral sands and dam projects.
- Medical and emergency service planning and design for a mineral sands project.
- Occupational health risk assessment for mineral sands projects.
East Africa
- Tanzania
- Multiple community health assessments for an oil and gas project and pipeline, and for gold, graphite, rare earth minerals and nickel mining projects.
- Health service reviews and improvement plan for gold mining projects.
- Review and support of malaria and vector control programmes for gold mining projects.
- Site health review, medical service, occupational health and medical emergency response planning for a rare earth minerals project.
- Corporate health advisory for a multinational company, including assurance reviews and development of improvement plans.
- Uganda
- Multiple community health assessments for oil and gas projects and pipeline.
- Health risk assessments and development of occupational health plans for a multinational oil and gas company.
- Kenya
- Multiple community health assessments for an oil and gas project and pipeline, mineral sands and gold mining projects.
- Eritrea
- Support and review of a community health assessment for a gold mining project.
- Ethiopia
- Occupational health gap analysis and improvement plan for a cement project.
- Rwanda
- Occupational health gap analysis and improvement plan for a cement project.
North Africa
- Algeria
- Occupational health gap analysis and improvement plan for a cement project.
Central Africa
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Multiple community health assessments for mining projects in the gold, copper and cobalt sectors across various parts of the country.
- Health service reviews and improvement plan for copper projects.
- Workplace- and community-focused malaria and vector control reviews and implementation programmes in copper mining projects.
- Corporate advisory support for a copper project.
- Republic of the Congo
- Multiple community health assessments for the oil and gas and mining sectors, including iron ore and potash projects.
- Development of a community health and safety plan to interface with the social investment plan for an iron ore project.
- Health risk assessments and development of occupational health plans for a multinational oil and gas company.
- Workplace- and community-focused malaria and vector control reviews and implementation programmes in a potash project.
- Chad
- Desktop community health assessment and support for an oil and gas project.
- Gabon
- Community health assessment for an iron ore project.
West Africa
- Nigeria
- Health risk assessments and development of occupational health plans for a multinational oil and gas company.
- Ghana
- Multiple community health assessments for various gold mining projects.
- Health service reviews and improvement plan for various gold mining projects.
- Health risk assessments and development of occupational health plans for a multinational oil and gas company.
- Corporate health advisory for a multinational company, including assurance reviews and development of improvement plans.
- Ivory Coast
- Community health assessment for an agri-fuels project for a multinational oil and gas company.
- Review and support of malaria and vector control programmes for a gold mining company.
- Health risk assessment and development of occupational health plan for a multinational gold mining company.
- Liberia
- Community health assessments for two palm oil projects.
- Human health risk assessment and community health assessment for a gold mining project.
- Sierra Leone
- Multiple community health assessments for the mining sector, including a gold and a mineral sands project, as well as for a biofuels/ethanol plant in the agricultural sector.
- Health service reviews and improvement plan for a mineral sands project.
- Occupational health review and development of occupational health plan for a mineral sands project.
- Development of an outbreak preparedness and response plan for a gold mining project.
- Guinea
- Multiple community health assessments for the mining sector, including iron ore (mine, rail and port), gold and bauxite projects.
- Health service reviews and improvement plan for a gold mining project.
- Development of a range of health management plans — including malaria and vector control, outbreak response, workplace health and hygiene, medical emergency response and a comprehensive medical and emergency services plan — for an iron ore project.
- Site health review and development of health management plans for an iron ore project.
- Occupational health review and development of occupational health plan for an iron ore project.
- Review and support of malaria and vector control programmes for iron ore, bauxite and gold mining projects.
- Corporate health advisory support for a multinational company, including assurance reviews and development of improvement plans for a gold mining project.
- Senegal
- Review and support of malaria and vector control programmes for a gold mining project.
- Mali
- Health service reviews and improvement plan for a gold mining project.
- Health risk assessments and development of occupational health plans for a multinational oil and gas company.
- Mauritania
- Health service reviews and improvement plan for a copper/gold mining project.
- Occupational health review and development of occupational health plan for a copper/gold mining project.
Middle East
- Iraq
- Desktop community health assessment and support for an oil and gas project.
- Saudi Arabia
- Desktop support for occupational and community health standards in the mining sector.
Caucasus
- Armenia
- Community health assessment for a gold mining project.
- Advisory community health and safety support for a copper/molybdenum project.
South Asia
- Sri Lanka
- Communicable disease risk assessment and management approach for a multinational mineral sands company.
Southeast Asia
- Philippines
- Review and advisory support for a community health assessment for a copper-gold project, including mine, transport corridors and port facility.
Oceania
- Australia
- Corporate advisory support through delivery of a communicable disease risk assessment and development of a framework disease management approach for a multinational mineral sands company.
South America
- Argentina
- Community health assessment and support for a copper project.
- Occupational health advisory support for a copper project.
Central America & Caribbean
- Panama
- Community health assessment and support for a copper project.
- Health service review and development of improvement plan for a copper project.
- Occupational health gap analysis and improvement plan for a copper project.
- Corporate advisory support for a copper project.
- Dominican Republic
- Health service review and development of improvement plan for a gold mining project.
North America
- United States of America
- Communicable disease risk assessment and management approach for a multinational mineral sands company.
Europe
- United Kingdom
- Corporate advisory support for a multinational copper and nickel mining company.
- Corporate advisory support on occupational health and safety for a multinational diversified mining company.
Mark Divall
Mark is a medical doctor with over two decades of experience in remote-area health practice across the natural resources and extractive sector, with postgraduate qualifications in anaesthesia, occupational health and medicine, tropical medicine and hygiene, and environmental medicine. He is a recognised authority in health impact assessment, having led well over one hundred assessments across mining, oil and gas, pipelines, power and agriculture, and has acted as a global health advisor to a multinational mining organisation since 2015.
SHAPE delivers through Mark as principal, working alongside colleagues and a curated network of specialists and associates drawn in project by project. This keeps the firm small, focused and principal-led — while giving every engagement exactly the right depth of expertise.
Working alongside Mark are Senior Consultants Dr James Moodie and Izak Olivier, supported by SHAPE’s network of specialists and associates.
Built for the people who carry the responsibility
Operators in the sector
Mining houses, oil and gas operators, pipeline and infrastructure developers, and agricultural concession holders carrying real health duty-of-care responsibilities across communities and workforces — often in jurisdictions where local health systems are limited.
Lenders and project finance
Development finance institutions and banks operating under the Equator Principles, who require independent, methodologically sound, internationally aligned assessment work. Our assessments have passed rigorous lender review across multiple jurisdictions.
Regulators and host-country authorities
The environmental and health authorities who review and approve impact assessments and management plans. Our work satisfies local regulatory requirements while remaining aligned with international good practice — the two are reconciled in every assessment.
Peer consulting firms
The engineering, environmental and social consultancies leading broader impact assessment programmes, for whom SHAPE is the specialist health partner — collaborative in working style, disciplined in delivery.
A short introduction to who we are
Tell us about the project.
Whether you need a health impact assessment, an independent review of medical services, or senior health counsel at board level — tell us about the project, and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right firm for it.