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Anglo-endowed Chair in Occupational Hygiene established at Wits

21st November 2014

By: Zandile Mavuso

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor: Features

  

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Multinational mining company Anglo American is to fund a new Chair in Occupational Hygiene at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) School of Public Health to the tune of R15-million.

The Chair has been launched to decrease employee exposure to dust, noise and other health hazards in mining and other industries. The Chair would conduct research and engage in other scholarly activities that are in line with these challenges.

“We are very proud to have been granted the funds by Anglo American for this Chair and we are thankful that Anglo American is collaborating with us to strengthen our response to occupational hygiene in South Africa and Africa,” said Wits vice chancellor professor Adam Habib during the launch.

Wits School of Public Health Occupational Hygiene coordinator Dr Andrew Swanepoel added that occupational hygiene was a discipline of anticipation, recognition, evaluation and the control of health hazards in the workplace.

“As a result, technologically advanced equipment and systems, combined with high-level research and expert practitioners, are needed to identify, monitor and control exposure to harmful dust and all other mining industry-related health hazards,” he explained.

Sharing the same sentiment, Anglo American executive director Khanyisile Kwenyama highlighted that Anglo’s occupational health strategy and management approach was governed by a series of standards, guidelines and assurance processes to prevent employees from being harmed in the workplace.

“We are proud of our partnership with Wits, which leverages the institution’s leading research and teaching expertise across a wide spectrum of disciplines within the area of occupational health and hygiene. The partnership will further see a strengthening of the existing link between Anglo American and the university’s mining engineering degree,” she indicated.

Acknowledging the importance of creating partnerships between the private and public sector, Habib mentioned that the initiative between Wits and Anglo American was pivotal, as it could serve as an example for other initiatives to permeate in the quest to alleviate poverty and economic marginalisation.

“The economic crisis that happened in 2008 polarised our society in fundamental ways. Our society has always been driven by great economic inequality, but 2008 made our challenges more acute, which made the response from various stakeholders further polarise our society. “This is because there was a lack of partnerships to fight this challenge,” he highlighted.

Habib noted that, to break free from this situation, the country had to realise that the inequality that existed would not heal itself. Secondly, he indicated that the country had to recognise the need for forming partnerships between the public and private sectors to redeem the country’s economy.

“There is an urgent need for stakeholders to come together to fight this crisis to grow the economy, as this has become pivotal for rebuilding and healing our society.”

Habib added that, over the next five years, the partnership would increase research output and present short courses, as well as develop and master professional occupational hygiene in South Africa.

The Chair will build on the Wits School of Public Health’s record and strengthen occupational hygiene by increasing the number of master’s and PhD graduates, as well as postdoctoral fellows. The Chair will allow cutting-edge research to take place, which will enhance the health and wellbeing of workers in various industries.

Edited by Martin Zhuwakinyu
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

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