To allow for the assessment of safety conditions across all its operations, following the death of six workers at State-owned power utility Eskom’s Ingula underground pumped-storage construction site, near Ladysmith, in KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday, CEO Brian Dames told a media briefing on Friday that work had been halted at all Eskom’s construction sites.

“At the moment, project timelines are the least of our concerns, they are not our priority. The work stoppages will last [until] every Eskom manager and contractor is comfortable that the existing security and safety systems are in place.

“Will this impact delivery? Our policy states there is no production that is more important than the safety of our workers,” a disconsolate Dames said.

The incident occurred on Thursday morning when an 8 t gantry, or platform, came loose from its anchoring and travelled at speed down a 938-m-high inclined underground shaft, connecting with a monorail used to transport workers, as well as two other gantries on which employees were standing.

Dames said two investigations were under way to determine the cause of the accident, one of which was an internal investigation led by corporate law firm Webber Wentzel, while the other was an independent inquiry by the Department of Mineral Resources.

Of the 13 workers involved in the incident, six were fatally injured, four remained in intensive care in hospital and three had been discharged following medical treatment.

Four of the deceased were foreign nationals, while the other two were South African citizens.

Rescue teams were still working to retrieve the bodies of the deceased, three of whom had been employed by Eskom’s primary contractor on the project – CMC. The other three workers were employed by CMC subcontractor Whessoe.

In a searing criticism of the lack of safety standards employed by contractors across the construction industry, Dames commented that he had long appealed to engineering and construction firms under Eskom’s employ to improve safety measures and adhere to the utility’s mandated safety requirements.

“I have been personally disappointed by the lack of interest demonstrated by the heads of [construction and engineering] houses, many of whom don’t pitch up at our yearly safety sessions.

“For the last few years, we have appealed that company leadership take personal accountability for safety in their companies. There have been strides within Eskom, but we have not seen this in those working with us,” he pointed out.

Dames noted that it was “common practise” for contractors to be suspended for safety incidents, adding that, while Eskom had received support for its “stringent” safety measures from organised labour and unions, it had not received this from its contractors.

“We will take tough action [against those at fault]. We‘ve done [this] before in Eskom and we’ll do the same with contractors.  You’re not here to make money out of Eskom, you’re here to help build this country’s energy future,” he asserted.

In a statement released on Friday, Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu said that director-general Dr Thibedi Ramontja and chief inspector of mines for the department David Msiza were on site and had initiated a "comprehensive investigation" to determine the cause of the accident, as well as to propose remedial action.

In terms of government regulation, and a memorandum of understanding signed between the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) and the Department of Labour (DoL), all incidents above the surface are the responsibility of the DoL, while all those below the surface are the DMR’s responsibility.

"This incident has raised concerns around the safety measures at the site, particularly in light of a fatality at Ingula earler this year. Although it is still too early to determine when the investigation will be concluded, the department will expedite and prioritise the process. We cannot compromise on the safety of workers,” she commented.

Once completed, the R2-billion Ingula pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant –originally due to come on line next year – would be the twenty-first largest pumped-storage scheme in the world, boasting an underground power station that would house four 333 MW reversible-pump turbines.