HEALTH AND SAFETY •
ZERO HARM REQUIRES VIGILANCE , LEARNING AND IMPROVING – ALWAYS ( PART 1 )
Compiled by Sharyn Macnamara
On 17 August this year the Minerals Council South Africa hosted the sixth National Day of Health and Safety in Mining with the theme “ Always : Vigilance , Learning and Improving ”. There have been glimpses of the achievement of the target of Zero Harm over the past year – but the quest requires an ongoing , relentless effort on many levels from all stakeholders .
This year ’ s National Day of Health and Safety in Mining was opened by the president of the Minerals Council , Nolitha Fakude on a sombre note – a minute of silence was dedicated to all those mining colleagues who have tragically lost their lives on mines in South Africa . She noted that this year ’ s theme , “ Always : Vigilance , Learning and Improving reminds us to always remain vigilant in protecting the lives and well-being of every one of us at work in our industry . It also reminds us that we can only succeed in this commitment to eliminate fatalities by continuously learning through research and development – as well as from each other – to ensure implementation of best practices .” She added , “ The safety performance in January 2023 gave us hope because , for the first time ever , we had a fatality-free first month of the year . These milestones are a confirmation that our aspiration of zero fatalities is realistic and achievable . We will be disappointed if 2023 does not see a further reduction in fatalities compared to last year .”
National Day of Health and Safety in Mining with a purpose The overarching message of the day was that this event is always an inclusive and collaborative , non-competitive engagement between the Minerals Council ( and its more than 70 member companies and CEO ’ s ), senior government officials , the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy ’ s Mine Health and Safety Inspectorate and leaders of organised labour . With additional addresses , safety updates and sentiments shared on the day by David Msiza , chief inspector of Mines , Gabriel Nkosi from the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union ( AMCU ), Duncan Luvuno from National Union of Mineworkers ( NUM ), Hanlie van Vuuren from Solidarity Chris Smith from United Association of South Africa ( UASA ) and Japie Fullard , Chair of the Minerals Council ’ s CEO Zero Harm Forum , it was reiterated by all that since its inception in 2018 , the goal of this national day has been to demonstrate initiatives and efforts made by the industry in addressing health and safety-related issues , to reinforce industry commitment , and to learn from one another to reach the common quest of Zero Harm .
“ It urges us to think of the human impact of every health and safety decision we make . It challenges us to prevent fatalities and injuries by integrating health and safety into every aspect of our work . And it inspires us to keep improving our performance and standards .” She noted that the campaign has yielded results – “ For the first time in history , we recorded fewer than 50 fatalities in a calendar year . Nonetheless , the Minerals Council mourns the tragic loss of 49 employees who perished in mine accidents in 2022 . We know that every life lost or harmed is one too many . And we know that we have a responsibility to our workers , their families and our society to ensure that mining is not only profitable , but also safe and sustainable .” •
Ricardo Gomez Angel | Unsplash
In 2019 the Minerals Council launched the Khumbul ’ ekhaya campaign 1 , meaning “ remember home ” in Zulu . Fakude explained ,
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