HEALTH AND SAFETY •

By Sharyn Macnamara

Sharyn Macnamara met with Dr Joseph Matjila , Group Manager Health and Safety , of Exxaro , on the back of the company reaching a five-year fatality free milestone to discuss what their secret to success has been . Part 4 of the African Mining series , Stemming fatalities in South Africa covers their journey .

Dr Matjila explains that in terms of the industry zero harm culture journey , which began in 2008 when the mining industry in South Africa was experiencing an unacceptable number of deaths annually and Exxaro itself was experiencing up to five fatalities a year , the Mining Charter set a goal of a 30 % reduction of fatalities for the industry . It was at this time that Exxaro set a company goal of ZERO fatalities , which the company has now reached in the past five consecutive years . “ It is this mind-set from word go that has made all the difference ,” says Dr Matjila . Over and above this , the doctor goes on to add that the company ’ s operation Leeuwpan in Delmas , commissioned now for several decades , and has never experienced a fatality , which is also the case for the previously owned North Block Complex ( NBC ) too , before Exxaro exited that operation .

In addition to the internal target of ZERO fatalities , Exxaro had also set itself the target of ZERO high potential incidents ( HPIs ) on an annual basis . The doctor details that these are serious incidents of a magnitude that could lead to loss of life . “ The company closed 2020 off with a total of three HPIs and has had a significant reduction in that number too , having closed off 2021 with only one HIP . The target on lost time injuries ( LTIs ) was set at a 30 % reduction year on year and the company has met its target there too , having set a target of 0.08 going forward .

As at March 2022 , the last Exxaro LTI took place in November 2021 , and there had been none in Jan-Feb 2022 , which meant the company had achieved a stress-free environment for that period , says Matjila . Exxaro ’ s Belfast mine in Mpumalanga , commissioned in 2019 , recently achieved 500 days without LTIs , which is yet another feather in the company ’ s cap . This particular operation has since set their next goal at 1095 LTI free days .

Exxaro

Dr Joseph Matjila , Group Manager Health and Safety , Exxaro

Zero Fatalities despite the challenges Matjila points out , “ It is quite remarkable that we achieved this performance across the board during a time where there was major constraint on mines due to COVID-19 . In particular I refer to the fact that there was a limitation of supervisory and line function availability . Exxaro remained operational throughout the COVID-19 epidemic , and despite the 7303 confirmed cases , and inconsistency in work attendance , with teams having to swap out with one another to get the job done , we managed to sustain our record safety performance .”

Matjila adds that over the past seven years Exxaro has also undertaken many expansion projects with the R20-billion investment that was allocated to mega projects in the Mpumalanga and Limpopo regions to aid the South African economy . This meant large numbers of contractors on site with over 6800 jobs created within this time . The company confirms that contractors are seen as part of the Exxaro family and the same safety protocols and safety culture is imparted to them while on site . The complexity in managing this situation , once again bears testament to the passion and the seriousness Exxaro imparts to safety measures .

Furthermore , if one considers the sheer size of the Exxaro operations like Grootegeluk , the World ’ s largest coal beneficiation complex operating from a single open-pit , the record fatality-free five years as well as the LTIFR of 0.08 are especially noteworthy , says Matjila .