ENVIRONMENT IN FOCUS
HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK –
DIFFERENT FROM SITE TO SITE
By Ntsako Khosa | Photos by Pixabay
Safety in the mining industry has been in the spotlight to improve on its efforts to create zero
harm for employees. Bryan Keague, general manager of the mining division at operational risk
management firm NOSA, shares that the quarry industry’s safety management paints a different
picture from the industry at large.
Quarries or opencast mines do not face the same kind of risks that an underground mine would face.
Ntsako Khosa (NK): What is the
general overview of your role?
Bryan Keague (BK): The mining
division in NOSA is decentralised into
all regions and they look after the mines
in that area. I am in charge of the mining
division, so any technical issues or
problem areas within the mining industry
are referred to me. If they want to visit the
mines, they contact me and I go and deal
with any issues. I am also responsible for
business development into Africa and I
assist the sales staff.
NK: What is NOSA’s role in assisting
the mines?
36_QUARRY SA| MARCH/APRIL 2019
BK: Our role is the same in mines as it
is in any industry: to ensure nobody gets
injured. We have programmes in place
like the NOSA Five Star System, which
is a safety management system that
companies can implement and through
implementation, they can manage safety,
health, and the environment in their
workplaces. If managed properly, they are
going to minimise injuries and incidents
and provide safe, healthy workplaces.
We also have training programmes
and consultancy services to assist
management in managing safety,
health, and the environment properly in
the workplace.
NK: What are the major
occupational health and safety risks
on an opencast mine/quarry?
BK: Every type of mine has different
risks — there is no blanket/universal
risk. This is why it is critical that all these
organisations and quarries perform their
risk assessments.
A risk assessment is paramount,
because you are identifying the risks
in that particular organisation. In
identifying risks, you highlight where
your hazards and your problems are,
and you identify what you need to do in
response to those risks to prevent those
risks from becoming an issue that will
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