The milestones that were agreed on by all industry stakeholders at the 2014 Mine Occupational Health & Safety Summit are in danger of not being achieved within the agreed timeline, warns Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) acting mines chief inspector Xolile Mbonambi.

He was addressing mining industry stakeholders at the 2016 Mine Occupational Health & Safety Summit, in Johannesburg, last week.

The milestones include the elimination of all mining fatalities by December 2020 and a 20% reduction in serious injuries (an injury which either prevents the employee from performing his or her normal or similar occupation for a period
totalling 14 days or more or which causes the employee to suffer the loss of
a joint, or part of a joint, or sustain a permanent disability) by December 2016.

As from January 2017, the goal is to achieve a 20% yearly reduction in lost-time injuries, which are defined as an injuries that prevent the employee from performing his or her
normal or similar duties into the next calendar day.

However, Mbonambi pointed out that, in the year to November 14, there had been 73 fatalities recorded in the mining sector, with gold (31) and platinum (26) having recorded the most fatalities. During the same period in 2015, there were 69 fatalities.

He revealed the names of the mining companies that had recorded the most fatalities to date in 2016, with Sibanye Gold having the worst record of 13 fatalities, followed by Impala Platinum (11), Harmony Gold (8), Anglo American Platinum (7), AngloGold Ashanti (6), Lonmin (4), Kumba Iron Ore (3), Petra Diamonds (2) and South32 (2).

He said the fatalities recorded so far this year were a “major setback” for the industry, which had consistently recorded improved health and safety records over the past 20 years, and which had achieved its lowest-ever fatality number (77) in 2015.

Mbonambi stressed that miners had to pay more attention to preventing fall-of-ground incidents, transport-related accidents and the spread of respiratory diseases, all of which continued to be major causes of loss of life at mines.

Further, he highlighted that, since 2004, significant improvements had been recorded in the fight against the spread of occupational diseases at mines. Nonetheless, the numbers remained “stubbornly high”, with several thousand new cases reported each year.

Media personality and event programme director Iman Rappetti introduced Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Des van Rooyen to the conference as the acting Mineral Resources Minister.

Van Rooyen informed delegates that Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane and Deputy Minister Godfrey Oliphant were unable to attend the conference as they were “attending to other official pressing commitments abroad”, which was why he had to deliver the keynote address.

“Today, I am just a messenger and I will do my best to behave and not bring up other things, and only say what I have been instructed to say,” Van Rooyen quipped.

He lamented that the DMR was “extremely concerned” about the high number of fatalities recorded so far in 2016, particularly that so many had occurred at major South African mining companies, which was a major concern for government.

“It cannot be business as usual. Something has to radically change as our workers are still exposed to hazardous levels of dust and noise.”

Moreover, Chamber of Mines (CoM) CEO Roger Baxter, who also addressed the summit, said the chamber was in full agreement with the DMR that the increase in fatalities at South Africa’s mines was “extremely disappointing”.

He remarked that this was particularly so, given the industry’s serious commitment to achieving zero harm and the continued improvement of overall safety trends over the past two decades, as a direct result of the various tripartite health and safety initiatives adopted by the industry. “It is the first reversal in nine years,” Baxter pointed out.

He revealed that, prior to the summit, a tripartite leadership workshop had been organised to reflect on this performance – the workshop was convened in Johannesburg by the Mine Health and Safety Council on October 12 and was attended by stakeholder principals of employers, organised labour and the State under the stewardship of the DMR.

During the workshop, the DMR proposed that the mining industry be “bold” and agree that zero harm was achievable and pledge to have no more fatalities to the end of the current financial year. Baxter stated that, at the end of the workshop, there was consensus among all the partners that things had to be done differently if the sector was to achieve the milestone targets and ultimate goal of zero harm.

The outcome was that a declaration of actions to be taken collectively was urgently needed and five key priorities and related actions were agreed upon, namely that tripartite visible, felt leadership be seen to be practised and relationship building be undertaken; issues of trust deficits be addressed among all stakeholders; communication be improved across all levels to ensure that the message of zero harm reached all mine employees and contractors; empowerment of supervisors and employees take place; and annual company health and safety days be organised.

The pledge was signed by all sector stakeholders, including trade unions the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union, the National Union of Mineworkers, Uasa and Solidarity during the course of the summit.