Health & safety
Fortunately, safety is improving, with many mining countries reporting falling casualty numbers year-on- year – although this varies considerably. South Africa is one such nation, announcing a record low number of deaths in 2022; 49 compared with 74 in 2021. Provisional data shows that, this year, mining-related deaths and injuries have continued to follow that trajectory. “January 2023 was indeed a good start to safety in the mining industry, with zero fatalities by any means in the South African industry – which is a record month,” says Lerato Tsele, safety and sustainability senior policy analyst at the Minerals Council South Africa.
Fighting through the FoGs Sadly, despite the promising start, there have since been seven deaths related to falls of ground (FoGs) as of the end of May 2023. FoGs – which come from roofs and sidewalls of tunnels, as well as the faces of underground working areas or stopes – usually occur when rocks become detached from the rockmass through gravity or seismic activity. Mining can damage or fracture rock during blasting, increasing stress and making it easier for it to separate from the rockmass. Tsele says that, historically, FoGs have been the largest source of fatal injuries in South Africa. But action taken is beginning to bear fruit, with only six incidents in 2022, down from 22 the previous year. “Our aim is to reduce FoG fatalities and injuries to zero as part of our broader campaign to achieve ‘Zero Harm’,” she explains.
The Minerals Council South Africa – formerly the Chamber of Mines – is a lobby and advocacy body representing members of the mining industry. Established in 1889, today it encompasses 78 mining companies and associations, spanning global blue chips to one-person operations, and exploration companies – collectively generating 90% of the country’s annual mineral exports by value. Over the past couple of years it has drawn particular attention to the dangers of FoGs. In 2012, the council’s Zero Harm Forum was established, continuing the work carried out by the CEO Elimination of Fatalities Team before it. At the time, it said its formation was on the belief that the industry’s CEOs needed to lead by example and drive health and safety initiatives to address key challenges and accelerate the journey to zero harm. At its March 2021 meeting, delegates reviewed the safety record of the previous year. They heard that research had shown FoGs accounted for 22 of the 60 overall fatalities (37%) the previous year, and that declining figures had plateaued. The meeting asked the Rock Engineering Technical Committee of the Minerals Council and the South African National Institute of Rock Engineering to develop an action plan.
World Mining Frontiers /
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It is this action plan that has resulted in the improving health and safety environment. “The Falls of Ground Action Plan (FOGAP) may have contributed to that good performance – [zero deaths in early 2023] – as well as the record low FOG-related fatalities in 2022,” says Tsele, “along with many other initiatives that have been introduced into the industry.” The FOGAP, supported by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy and the Mine Health and Safety Council, focuses on the key reasons for poor FoG performance in what Tsele described as a “holistic way” through six pillars, coupled with a near $2.5m investment over five years.
8%
The percentage of global fatal incidents accounted for by the mining industry annually.
International Labour Organisation
fatalities by any means in the South African industry – which is a record month.”
The pillars include the introduction of “leading practices”; research and development of new ideas for reducing and controlling FoGs; rock engineering skills development across the industry; addressing policy issues that impact rock engineering; the creation of an “enabling environment at the workface for zero harm production” and systems to monitor and report on progress. As part of this, in early 2022 a joint initiative was launched to identify solutions for rock hazard identification and safe rock removal, develop, test and pilot them.
Can tech lead the way?
The Rock Hazard Identification and Safe Removal Innovation Challenge is a collaboration between Minerals Council South Africa, the Mandela Mining Precinct, Sibanye-Stillwater and Impala Platinum, created to invite proposals for innovative products and services. “Participants had to submit a proposal to solve the issue of loose rock identification by any means at their disposal,” explains Tsele. “These were
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