Reports being received by the media about the South African National Standards (SANS) mark being printed on a certain type of underground mining cable, even though the cable appears to be non-compliant with SANS stipulations, is concerning. Insight provided to the media suggests that such cable is placing underground mining at unnecessary risk.
Most mining companies take safety very seriously and, as a first step, they should ensure that cable bought has inspection authority certification from accredited test laboratories. Stringent flameproof enforcement in underground coal mining in particular is an absolute must. As public-sector enforcement appears to be absent, consideration should be given to the formation of a private-sector organisation tasked with ensuring that safety-critical products conform with laid-down standards.