The Mine Health and Safety Council (MHSC) is currently implementing a business plan for its centre of excellence, which is scheduled to open by the end of November.

This is according to MHSC research COO Nkhensani Masekoa, who was addressing delegates at the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy’s 2017 MineSafe conference, earlier this month.

This would mark the culmination of a long journey, which started in 2008, when the idea behind the centre was first agreed during the Tripartite Occupational Health and Safety Leadership Summit.

The centre would seek to undertake research; build capacity; facilitate research outcomes for the mining sector in areas such as rock engineering, human factors and occupational health and hygiene; and provide health and safety-related training at all levels.

Masekoa highlighted that the centre would also enhance capacity and strengthen domestic research collaboration by drawing on local existing research strength, infrastructure and other funding sources.

Further, she stated that the centre aimed to develop beneficial relationships with major international research centres and programmes, while attracting and retaining top talent in mining research, with particular emphasis on occupational health and safety (OHS) research.

“The centre will provide high-quality training in innovative and internationally competitive OHS research, along with the facilitation of the education and training of mineworkers on health and safety, in partnership with the Mining Qualifications Authority,” Masekoa noted.

She commented that a major reason for the establishment of the centre was the continued negative impact the decline in the amount of mining research being conducted locally was having on the South African mining industry.

Masekoa noted that mining companies no longer had budgets to fund large, internal, research and development (R&D) programmes as a result of the downturn in the South African mining sector since the 1990s.

She stated that mining R&D initiatives had been lacking in South Africa over the past 20 years, largely owing to the closure in 1993 of the old Chamber of Mines Research Organisation, which was commonly known as Comro, and which was once one of the largest mining technology research institutes worldwide.

“The industry has also been faced with [a situation whereby] mining professionals [are] leaving the mining sector to take up opportunities in other sectors, and the loss of expertise owing to immigration has contributed to the decline in local R&D,” Masekoa highlighted.

She said that the MHSC had earmarked nine ‘quick-win projects’ for the centre to improve OHS for mineworkers, two of which had already been completed.

The projects include the development of specifications for underground and surface communication systems; rock-mass condition assessment tools; independent support testing capability; continuous dust monitoring and suppression; missing persons locator systems; collision management systems (completed); understanding the impact of technology on people in South Africa’s mining sector; diesel particulate matter measurement and controls; and statutory equipment (completed).

“The conclusion of all these specifications and the eventual implementation of these projects will undoubtedly have a substantial impact on improving OHS for mineworkers. They will also assist the industry in achieving its goal of ensuring zero harm to all,” Masekoa concluded.