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Safety and Sustainable Development
Safety and Sustainable Development
Overview
The Chamber of mines remains committed to a vision of zero harm in which every mineworker returns home unharmed every day. Our actions are intended at avoiding pain of deaths and injuries in our industry. By 2013, we aim to have a world class safety performance by working closely together with our tripartite partners in government and labour. Through the tripartite Mine Health and Safety Council, the Chamber participates actively in the implementation of the Tripartite Action Plan on Health and Safety that leaders agreed in 2008.
Safety
Strengthening Our Culture of Health and Safety
The mining industry is fostering a culture of care, dignity and respect. To assist industry in this process, the Mine Health and Safety Council is developing a culture transformation framework under the theme "changing minds, changing mines". A group of national and international experts have been appointed to conduct the research that will be the foundation for this framework. The framework will deal with the leadership issues and the systems that enable and sustain a culture of zero harm.
Building Capacity in Health and Safety
The industry is committed to the development of skills also in safety. Our objective is to train 4000 health and safety representatives and union shop stewards. Many of these persons are challenged by their low education levels and the complexity of the risks in mining. Through the Mine Health and Safety Council and the Mining Quality Authority (MQA), gaps in the existing skills programmes have been identified. Innovative training methods are also being explored since the traditional classroom-based, teacher-centred methods have serious limitations.
Critical and up to date technical skills are required in the mining industry to ensure a healthy and safe mining environment. Through the MQA, a team of experts have been appointed to review and update rock engineering learning material.
Improving Research and Development
The challenge the industry face requires world-class research and more effective implementation of the research findings. The Chamber is working with other stakeholders to establish a Centre of Excellence on mine health and safety.
The Mine Health and Safety Council (MHSC) continue to oversee an annual health and safety research programme of approximately R40-million. The Chamber is an active participant in the structures that oversea the programme. The overall research programme is funded by the industry through a levy on companies related to their safety and health risk.
Sustainable Development
Although no body of can be sustainable, as mining by its very nature exhausts these resources, the Chamber believes the mining industry is capable of making a sustainable contribution to the development of South Africa.
The Chamber Participates Actively in Policy Issues on Safety in Mining and Sustainable Development
Sustainability was a key theme in the development of the "Strategy for the Sustainable Growth and Meaningful Transformation of the SA Mining Industry" lead by the Department of Mineral Resources.
The Chamber participated actively in the sustainable development working committee of the Mining Industry Growth and Development Task Team (MIGDETT). The Chamber in particular proposed the establishment of a multi-stakeholder forum to deal with derelict and ownerless mines, a partnership approach to community development to make the impact more sustainable and the need for a longer-term vision (called Mining Vision 2030) that is based on sustainable development principles. All these inputs were based on a Sustainability Fact Base that the industry commissioned during 2009.
The Chamber was a key contributor to the balanced mining report to the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development. Beyond mining, the Chamber is involved in the development of the National Strategy on Sustainable Development highlighting the concerns from the mining industry.
The Chamber Contributes Globally to Mining and Sustainable Development Issues
The Chamber is an association member of the International Council of Mining and Metals (ICMM). The ICMM is a leadership group aiming to improve the sustainable development of mining companies. The Chamber is involved in all the ICMM work programmes and the development on position statements related to climate change, mining – partnerships for development, material stewardship and others.
Key Focus Areas
The department participates actively in policy and performance support issues on Safety and Sustainable Development.
Graph 1: Industry Fatality Frequency Rates
Graph 2: Gold Fatality Frequency Rates
Graph 3: Non-gold Fatality Frequency Rates
Documents
Forums and Committees
Internal
- Occupation Health and Safety Policy Committee (OH&SPC)
- Mine Occupational Safety and Health Task Force (MOSH TF)
- Sustainable Development Policy Committee (SDPC)
- Rock Engineers' Technical Committee (RETC)
- Collieries Committee (CC)
- Gold Producers' Committee
- Executive Council (EXCO)
External
- Mine Health and Safety Council (MHSC)
- Safety in Mines Research Advisory Committee of the MHSC (SIMRAC)
- Mine Rescue Services
- International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM)
- Association Coordination Group
- Executive Working Group
- Health and Safety Task Force
Links To Relevant Websites
