Health & safety Movers and shakers Falls of ground are one of the biggest threats to worker safety in the mining industry.


However, an initiative in South Africa to identify new solutions in rock hazard identification and safe rock removal – thereby eliminating risk and ultimately saving lives – is quickly shaping up to be a potential gamechanger. Andrew Tunnicliffe talks with Lerato Tsele¸ safety and sustainability senior policy analyst, Minerals Council South Africa, to find out more.


hether above or below ground, mining is fraught with danger. Its safety credentials are, therefore, heavily scrutinised and the subject of tight industrial regulations. But the sad reality is that we’re never far from the next mining disaster, which are usually widely reported on due to their tragic circumstances and frequent multiple-casualty events. Collapses, explosions, fires, floods and heavy machinery incidents are just a few of the hazards. Collectively, accidents result in the deaths of thousands of miners each year, with some estimates putting it at upwards of 15,000. Although that figure is shocking, data from the International Labour Organisation presents an even starker illustration: it says that although mining accounts for just 1% of global employment, it records around 8% of fatal incidents annually.


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World Mining Frontiers / www.nsenergybusiness.com


orld Mining Frontiers / www.nsenergybusiness.com


AlyonaZhitnaya/Shutterstock.com


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