Industry intelligence
“Nothing fits,” has long been a lament by
women around the world, desperate to
find professional and leisure wear that is
flattering while still being comfortable.
Fortunately, for the women who work
on Exxaro’s mines, this is no longer
something they have to confront.
Following a redesign of their protective
clothing to suit the female body shape,
worries about ill-fitting clothing, hard hats,
and footwear are a thing of the past.
The redesign of the personal protective
equipment (PPE) clothing is just one
initiative undertaken by Exxaro’s Women
in Mining (WIM) committees to attract
more women to mining and empower the
females who work in the male-dominated
industry. Women represent only 13%
of the mining labour force of 464 667,
according to the Minerals Council South
Africa.
“The PPE we provide to our female
employees who work on the mines is much
more comfortable than it was previously,”
says Vanisha Balgobind, executive head of
human resources and WIM chairperson.
“Establishing the committees was a
positive step to empowering women in
mining. And the PPE was identified as
one of many things that didn’t cater for
women who work on mines. So we set
about redesigning the uniform, so it would
Makeover drives Exxaro women
PPE on mines is a lot more comfortable than a few years ago.
be more accommodating to women,” she
says. Balgobind says the designers designed
three types of uniforms and piloted it at
sites to get feedback from female miners
The PPE we provide to our female
employees who work on the mines is
much more comfortable than
it was previously.
Following a redesign of their protective clothing to suit the female body shape, worries about ill-fitting
clothing, hard hats, and footwear are a thing of the past.
[8] MINING MIRROR MARCH 2019
before rolling it out throughout their
mines.
Among many initiatives, some of the
highlights or improvements made by
the WIM committees are: makeover
of change rooms to have a feminine
touch; self-defense courses; Women’s
Day celebrations; embracing the
male counterparts in ensuring Exxaro
is successful; and celebrating their
uniqueness and oneness for the better of
the organisation and society.
Furthermore, to protect the women who
work underground, underground toilets
are reserved for women’s exclusive use as
they are secured with locks to which only
the women have the access codes. There
is also a project under way called ‘Women
in distress button’, where lamps used by
women are to be upgraded to include
panic buttons.
To further ensure their safety, all female
miners have a direct hotline to the CEO
to whom they can report any victimisation,
assault, or issues, says Balgobind.
As part of the women empowerment
strategy of Exxaro, the WIM committee
has established a female networking forum
where female employees can discuss work-
life balance, family demands, how to deal
with pressure in the boardroom, and other
leadership issues, across the business.
Women working in mining at Exxaro
are exposed to opportunities in official
Exxaro programmes involving schools,
communities, learnerships, bursars and
graduates, and professionals. These women
also get exposure in fields like mentorship,
development, succession and career
planning, women networks, coaching, and
building self-esteem.
www.miningmirror.co.za