The Minerals Council SA, unions and the regulator agreed on Thursday to revisit their health and safety protocols and to target problematic areas in mining, as the trend in fatalities in 2020 and early in 2021 showed a worrying reversal.
The council, which represents companies generating 90% of SA's mineral output, noted that fall-of-ground incidents in deep-level gold and platinum mines were a major area of focus after the industry recorded a total of 60 deaths in 2020 compared to a record low of 51 the year before. A third of deaths in 2020 came from falls of ground.
In 1999, 309 people died on SA's mines.
Underground rockfalls are the leading source of fatalities on SA's mines, which, after more than a century of mining, are some of the deepest in the world. Harmony Gold’s Mponeng mine at 4km below surface is the deepest.
So far in 2021, the industry had a total of 32 fatalities by July 5 compared to 24 in the same period a year earlier.
In the year to date, fall-of-ground incidents, which include rock bursts and falling rocks, accounted for 11 deaths, the same as in 2020.
While the number of fatal rock-burst incidents stemming from seismic events or earth tremors has shown a comforting downward trend to its lowest point of four in 2020 and one in the year so far, it is the reversal of gains in preventing fatal underground rockfalls that is worrying the industry.
There were 17 deaths from rockfalls in 2020, up from 14 the year before, while 10 people have died so far in 2021.
“We had a regression and so what are we doing about this unacceptable situation?” said Themba Mkhwanazi, CEO of Kumba Iron Ore, adding that a special team in the council had come up with an action plan to eliminate those incidents.
There has been no real step change down in deaths resulting from falls-of-ground since 2012 and the council, along with the department and unions, were looking for fresh ideas to reduce fatalities from these incidents.
Among the initiatives are bringing in experts to develop strategies to better manage the risks inherent in deep-level underground mines; new and improved technologies; better lighting for miners to see the condition of tunnels and working areas; more wire nets to catch falling rocks; and adopting global best practices.
The council will spend R40m over five years on research and development into better ways to prise loose and dangerous rocks from the roofs of tunnels, which is now done by miners wielding long crowbars; rating seismic hazards and real-time monitoring of these events; the use of ground-penetrating radar; and more accurate drilling for rock blasting, said Sizwe Phakathi, head of safety and sustainable development at the council.
The practice of barring, which refers to the manual, crowbar removal of rocks, is the most dangerous activity for a miner, accounting for about two thirds of fall-of-ground fatalities.
The inspectorate had stepped up the need for more comprehensive safety assessments in the mining of old areas and pillars, which are blocks of ground left untouched to support tunnels, said David Msiza, the chief inspector of mines, noting this type of mining was inherently dangerous if not done carefully and properly.
The disruption to mining crews and the rhythm of work caused by the closure of underground mines in March to curb the Covid-19 pandemic and the gradual reopening of those operations in the following months was also a major factor in the higher rate of fatalities, he said.
There has been a marked improvement in fatalities in rockfalls and rock bursts since 2003, when there were 83 and 48 people killed respectively.
All mining unions on Thursday stressed the need for training and skills development as one of the key drivers for improved safety on SA’s mines, which are among the deepest in the world, particularly its gold mines.
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