HEALTH AND SAFETY •
SA MINING ’ S JOURNEY TO
ZERO HARM – DISRUPTED
Compiled by Sharyn Macnamara
Industry collaboration and initiatives to improve health and safety on South African mines have gained traction long term , despite regrettable periodic disruption and regression .
Although the official 2023 safety statistics and 2022 health statistics ( with an unfortunate one-year lag ) had not yet been released by the Department of Minerals Resources and Energy ( DMRE ) for South African mines at the time of writing , the Minerals Council South Africa was able to discuss the general trends in health and safety on mines as well as hone in on some of the successful industry safety initiatives at the Investing in African Mining Indaba 2024 in February .
Disappointingly , the industry experienced a regression in safety on mines in 2023 . The number of fatalities increased last year , after the industry ’ s record safety performance the year before . Jappie Fullard , CEO of Glencore Alloys and chair of the CEO Zero Harm Forum at the Minerals Council South Africa said , “ Before the single incident in November in which 13 employees lost their lives , the industry was tracking well on its path to Zero Harm compared to 2022 . This was a shock for the industry , but it was heart-warming to see the industry pull together and assist the company in emergency responses and offers of support .” He emphasised that safety space is not competitive in the industry , but instead it is hallmarked by collaborative efforts by the industry to reach a goal of Zero Harm for the industry . Fullard explained that the Minerals Council ’ s CEO Zero Harm Forum is a vehicle for both members and non-members driving safety initiatives with a philosophy of CEOship at the helm whereby leaders accept 100 % accountability for their employees ’ safety .
The mining industry had set health and safety milestones in its quest for Zero Harm in 2014 and has since shown that focussed interventions targeting the causes of fatalities , injuries and disease have gained significant traction . In the past decade , the industry – led by the Minerals Council in collaboration with the DMRE and organised labour and through company-specific programmes to directly engage employees – achieved a 42 % decline in the number
Disappointingly , the industry experienced a regression in safety on mines in 2023 .
© African Mining , incorporating Mining Mirror
Left to right : Sietse Van Der Woude , senior executive : Modernisation and Safety ; Dr Thuthula Balfour , head : Health ; Jappie Fullard , CEO : Zero Harm Forum ; Mzila Mthenjane , CEO ; and Dushendra Naidoo head : Safety and Sustainable Development Department at the Minerals Council South Africa at the Investing in African Mining Indaba 2024 .
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