[miningmx.com] — THE month of April has seen the lowest number of
mining fatalities ever, according to Mines Minister Susan Shabangu. She said this was
due to the Mining Inspectorate’s intensified enforcement measures.
Speaking to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Thursday, Shabangu said
three employees had died at work last month.
“There has been a significant improvement on health and safety since the Department
has intensified the enforcement measures at mines,’ Shabangu said. “In fact, the
month of April 2012 has recorded the lowest fatalities ever of three deaths, when
compared with other historical monthly figures which were generally more than 11
deaths per month.’
In 2012, so far, South Africa has lost 39 lives in the mining industry, compared to 42
during the first four months of 2011, Shabangu said. Deaths at mines for the whole of
2011 totalled 123.
Shabangu said the number of injuries had also reduced so far this year; down 35%
from 1,024 during the comparative period of 2011 to 668 in 2012.
Her NCOP address was yet another occasion where she defended her department’s
tough action on mine safety, shrugging off criticism, from especially the platinum and
gold sectors, that the inspectorate was acting rashly when issuing so-called Section
54 stoppage notices.
She said CEOs should do more to improve health and safety at mines, calling for more
visible leadership at mines.
“This will also go a long way in demonstrating the value of caring for mine employees,
which they always talk about,’ she said. “The CEOs are urged to be more involved and
visible within their respective mining operations, including when there is a fatal
accident.’
