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Harmony accident major setback – Shabangu

Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu

Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu

13th February 2014

By: Natasha Odendaal

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

  

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JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The multiple fatalities reported in separate incidents at four of Harmony Gold’s South African operations this year were a “major setback” for the mining industry, Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu said this week.

Speaking at the memorial service for the nine workers who died in an accident at Harmony’s Doornkop mine, west of Johannesburg, last week, she noted that recent years had seen improvements across the health and safety spheres, with the lowest number of fatalities recorded during 2013.

Following a 2003 agreement to be “world class” by 2013 by reducing mining fatalities by 20% a year over a ten-year period, South Africa had outpaced the performance of Australia, Canada and the US, with fall-of-ground fatalities, for example, declining by 80%.

However, Chamber of Mines head of safety and sustainable development Sietse van der Woude previously told Mining Weekly Online that it would take until 2040 to reach a level of less than five fatalities a year.

In 2012, South Africa’s mines recorded 112 fatalities – 158 fewer than the 270 who died in 2003 – and by November last year, 87 fatalities were reported.

Shabangu previously indicated that the updated health and safety performance statistics for the year would be released imminently.

“It is of great concern that Harmony has had four separate fatal accidents so far this year, with 12 mineworkers having lost their lives to date,” she said, noting that the gold sector recorded 14 deaths since the year started.

Nine workers died on February 4 after a 2.4 seismic event triggered a fall-of-ground accident and a subsequent fire some 1 733 m underground at Harmony’s Doornkop mine.

Two days later, the company reported two more fatalities at the North West-based Kusasalethu and the Free State-based Joel mines.

A Harmony employee was also fatally injured last month in a tramming accident at the Masimong mine, near Welkom.

“We must get to the core of what transpired here and led to this tragic event,” Shabangu commented.

A Department of Mineral Resources- (DMR-) led investigation was currently under way, with a Section 54 instruction to stop mining operations at Doornkop until all necessary measures in making the mine safe were implemented.

Further, the DMR instructed Harmony to comprehensively review its Mine Health and Safety Strategy and Management System, as well as be subject to independent experts’ audit of current measures in place at the gold producer’s operations.

“The mining industry has, for decades, been the backbone of our economy and a major provider of employment in South Africa. But the benefits of these contributions to development have always been overshadowed by the continued loss of life, occupational diseases and injuries,” Shabangu said.

A “quantum leap” in commitment was required to mitigate fatalities, she added, indicating that the gold sector in particular needed to pay more attention to this matter.

“We should continue to work together to improve the health and safety of mineworkers in the industry. Let’s face it, without mineworkers, we will have no mining industry to speak of,” Shabangu stated.

The industry needed to “effectively implement” existing research outcomes and continue further research, because, despite the advances in technology, accidents still occurred.

“The department has adopted the fundamental stance that if mines cannot mine safely, then they should not mine at all until the necessary measures have been put in place to protect the lives of all mineworkers,” Shabangu concluded.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

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