The Minerals Council South Africa has released a statement addressing a regression in the mining industry’s safety performance in August. The Council has also stated its commitment to implement a range of interventions to ensure safer working environments.

The industry recorded eight fatalities in August. In the year to date the total number of deaths is 36 compared to 36 in the same period in 2021, which is deeply disappointing after the industry’s safety interventions delivered an encouraging performance in the first seven months of the year, with record safety achievements in fall of ground and trackless mobile machinery related fatalities.

THE MINERALS COUNCIL SOUTH AFRICA INTERVENES AS THE MINING INDUSTRY’S SAFETY PERFORMANCE REGRESSES AFTER ENCOURAGING FIRST SEVEN MONTHS OF 2022https://t.co/eGVFsryNZR pic.twitter.com/gqDoEHpGLS

“We are fully cognisant of the heartbreak and tragedy that is visited on the families, friends and colleagues of every single person who has died. We affirm our ongoing commitment to the achievement of zero harm in the industry and that our members are proactively addressing the deterioration in safety with all the seriousness and urgency that it deserves,” the statement read.

Despite the Council’s commitment to the goal of zero harm, the industry’s August safety performance – the worst month of the year and demanded an immediate proactive response. The Minerals Council called a special board meeting to agree revitalised safety interventions in the sector as it heads into the final three months of the year, which are historically the period associated with an increasing number of fatalities.

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While the industry has seen reductions in fall of ground and transport-related causes of accidents in recent years, a worrying trend has been observed regarding winch-related fatalities in the mining industry. The Minerals Council hosted the Scraper Winches Day of Learning to share learnings, leading practices and technologies to address the challenges associated with using underground winches which are used to scrape broken ore out of working areas to haul to the surface for processing.

“The Minerals Council is committed to zero harm and will continue to collaborate tirelessly with the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, organised labour and other stakeholders to ensure every mineworker returns from work unharmed” concluded the statement.

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