Mining Mirror March 2018 | Page 32

In the stope the bad figures in 2017. We are edging towards the goal of zero harm in mining. Our fatality frequency rates are comparable with international benchmarks. South Africa’s coal mines are safer than coal mines in the US. Remember, accidents in South African mines have a devastating effect on the extended families of mine workers. One mine worker takes care of about eight dependents, on average. The devastating impact of fatalities and injuries is catastrophic — families lose breadwinners. The mining industry closed the year having recorded more than 80 fatalities. Why has the fatality rate increased after a few very good years? Last year, a large number of seismic-related fatalities occurred. It is concerning that we finished 2017 with more than the 73 fatalities recorded in 2016. The issues of safety culture and behavioural safety still need to be addressed. What was your first-hand experience when you worked underground? Does the culture of safety, or the lack thereof, still have an impact on the health and safety of underground workers? Hard-rock platinum and gold mines are still labour intensive. The gold mines’ shafts and infrastructure are ageing. Walking distances to the rock face are increasing, and the risks in terms of depth and fall of ground are now higher than before. The Chamber is doing a lot of technology-related research focussing on mining with nets and bolts to counteract the fall of ground-related incidents and, of course, issues of transport. Mining transport is one of the biggest causes of fatalities. We do look at worker behaviour as well. Who should ideally read this book in the mining environment? Everybody really; the operators, all managers. It can also be used for induction and training programmes in the mines, and if it can be translated, the book [30] MINING MIRROR MARCH 2018 should be provided to production crews as well — it should be used as an illustrative reference for production teams, supervisors, and mine captains. This book should really be a guideline for each and every team leader, shift boss, mine captain, production manager, general manager, and CEO. Were you easily accepted by the underground workers? During the first few days, people were a little shy, but with time they accepted me. They were very welcoming, and I became part of the team. I could speak their language, I am a black person, and we could talk about soccer. Wherever I went underground, I observed, listened, and made notes. I knew when they were happy, and I always knew why they were unhappy. The bonus system was always a big point of discussion, or the shortage of material. How difficult is it to work in an underground mine? What are the challenges for those guys? Look, mining at that level (3km) is not for the faint-hearted. It demands an element of bravery — it is extremely hot and you sweat profusely, despite the ventilation. You must crawl in narrow stopes, it is dark, rocks often obstruct the way, and the hard hat is important personal protective clothing to wear on your head. You must drink a lot of water to remain hydrated. It is tough! Even living in the hostel was a challenge — and the hostels have been upgraded significantly over the past few years. I was out of my comfort zone: the food, waking up so early, going down the cage at four o’clock in the morning in the middle of winter — these things are really challenging. It’s like being a soldier. When mingling with the workers, what were their main concerns? What did they talk about most often? The one thing that bothered them and that they were always talking about, is remuneration. They feel it is a hazardous working environment and that they need to be well compensated. If their opportunity to qualify for a bonus is affected, they feel that management is letting them down. They criticised the bonus system often when it failed to meet their expectations. A big issue at the time of the research on which the book is based, is that these workers were disillusioned with the trade unions — I do mention it in the book. They would often say that the union leaders do not really care about them and are only interested in serving their own agenda. Is safety a critical issue for the underground mine worker? Yes, safety is important to them. I do argue in the book that they have a concern about safety. If they feel it is unsafe, or if they have to complete a task that they feel is not safe and their leader tells them to continue, will they refuse? No, this is unfortunately something we still need to work on. It is not done at the level that everybody wishes. There is still this carrot stick of production bonuses, trying to meet production targets, and qualify for the bonus. And the miners like to supplement their wages. There are still elements of autocratic sup ervision; the culture has not really changed that much. Mining companies need to incentivise safety; some companies are already doing so. Miners must be prevented from taking shortcuts that will compromise their safety. This is where behavioural safety starts playing a role; this is where the book will also make a significant production contribution. We still have a long way to go. Do you think mines have changed over the past 30 years? Is there still a divide in terms of race — the white supervisor and the black worker? Mines have changed a lot. The one thing about the underground environment is that it unites workers across colour differences. But yes, I would say elements of the legacies of the past are still there, but it is a lot better. Mines have improved significantly in that