HEALTH AND SAFETY •
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Trends in occupational health Per the Minerals Council , there are continuing reductions in the incidences of most occupational diseases , but there are still areas that need more focus to ensure a downward trajectory .
The incidence of noise-induced hearing loss is rising , requiring special attention from mining companies . In 2022 , there were 776 cases compared to 738 the year before .
The mining industry ’ s biggest achievement , said Fakude , is that tuberculosis incidences continue to trend lower and remains well below the national rate of infection – this was a target the industry set and has achieved since 2017 . In 2022 , there were 278 cases per 100 000 employees compared to 537 per 100 000 in the general population . In 2020 and 2021 , with reduced screening , there were 220 and 224 incidents per 100 000 in the mining industry . During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 , mining companies focused on screening and treatment of the COVID-19 , causing reduced screening and monitoring of other occupational diseases . Since 2022 , as the work environment has normalised , and health interventions of mines returned to pre-COVID levels , there has been a renewed focus on higher levels of screening and monitoring , which were bound to result in an apparent increase in incidences compared to the COVID period . “ TB in our gold sector is , however , still high at around the national incidence . This has prompted our Health Policy Committee to establish a Gold TB Working Group that will focus on all interventions possible to reduce TB in the gold sector ,” said Fakude .
Gender discrimination and GBV “ Our health and safety work is not limited to the occupational hazards we have been speaking about for so many decades . We are also working tirelessly to eliminate gender discrimination in mining , as we continue to seek to increase the presence of women in mining occupations . A critical part of that work is the need to invest
significant time and energy in addressing the issue of gender-based violence ,” Fakude expounded .
The industry is attempting to fight the scourge of GBV – not only at mine level , but at community level too – through the Minerals Council ’ s women in mining programme and through the Mine Health and Safety Council ’ s Women in Mining Advisory Committee . There is still much to be done across the industry to make mining a fully safe and supportive industry , where women can not only work but also fully develop and progress in their careers .
Watch this space for more on the facts and figures in part two of our series on the industry ’ s update with regards Health and Safety in South African Mining . •
Source : https :// www . mineralscouncil . org . za / special-features / 1364-nationalday-of-health-and-safety-in-mining-2023
References :
1 . The Khumbul ’ ekhaya campaign goals include and have been expanded to :
• Prevent fatalities and eliminate occupational exposures and diseases .
• Integrate health and safety into every aspect of our work .
• Intensify vigilance and effort on both .
Khumbul ’ ekhaya campaign , meaning ‘ remember home ’ in Zulu urges us to think of the human impact of every health and safety decision we make . www . africanmining . co . za African Mining Publication African Mining African Mining • October 2023 • 29