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Safety

The Minerals Council provides expert advice and support to members in respect of safety in the mining industry.

www.safetyandhealthinmining.co.za

Context

Every day, around half a million people go to work in the mining industry. Mining, as with many other industrial activities, brings with it associated risks and hazards, which require unremitting commitment and adherence to safety and health standards and procedures. Much has been achieved in recent years, with employers, labour and government working together to protect the safety and health of all mine employees.

SUPPORTING VISION ZERO

VISION ZERO is a global prevention strategy developed by the International Social Security Association (ISSA), targeting a working environment in which nobody is injured, killed or falls so severely ill that she or he suffers lifelong harm. The Minerals Council is a proud member of ISSA Mining and a key driver of VISION ZERO in the mining industry throughout Africa.

Please visit the VISION ZERO page on the Mining Industry Association of Southern Africa (MIASA) website to learn more.

www.miasa.org.za

Adoption of Leading Practices on Health and Safety

The Minerals Council established the Learning Hub in 2009 to encourage mining companies to learn from the pockets of excellence that exist in the industry. Learning from others is anchored on the philosophy: “by industry for industry”, underpinned by industry ownership, eager and early involvement, engagement and collaboration, people-centredness, non-competitiveness and a holistic approach.

Context

The leading practice adoption process involves identifying, documenting, demonstrating and facilitating widespread adoption of leading practices with the greatest potential to address the major risks in health and safety areas such as falls of ground, transport and machinery, dust and noise.

www.mosh.co.za

Key activities

  • Develop an expert understanding of the risk situation using the causal chain risk summary table or the influence diagram.
  • Conduct preparatory work towards the selection of a leading practice with greatest potential, including but not limited to:
    • conducting risk assessment analysis;
    • undertaking visits and holding discussions at mines;
    • reviewing research and development outcomes; and
    • soliciting input from selected experts and industry adoption team members.
  • Convene and facilitate structured planning workshops to identify, consider and select potential leading practices with the greatest occupational health and safety benefits.
  • Identify potential adoption mines and their key and appropriate persons who are to be interviewed in the direct enquiry process to establish their knowledge gaps, misperceptions and mistaken beliefs which can act as barriers to adoption of a selected leading practice.
  • Investigate and document the leading practice at the source mine where it has been proven to be working – this includes the full value case, that is, the business case considerations including the strategic benefits and financial impacts associated with adoption of the leading practice.
  • Develop a user-friendly leading practice adoption guide document that contains all the information (that is, the technical details, behavioural communication and leadership behaviour) that a potential adoption mine needs to voluntarily decide whether or not to adopt the practice, and to then successfully adopt the practice should it decide to do so.
  • Customise the leading practice at the adoption mines to fit in with the mine-specific circumstances.
  • Initiate the widespread adoption process by convening and facilitating a Leading Practice Adoption Workshop.
  • Facilitate ongoing adoption through the establishment of interest groups and/or Community of Practice for Adoption (COPA), which serves as mechanism for mines to acquire guidance, assistance and specialist training to achieve successful adoption of the leading practice.
  • Ongoing facilitation of adoption through establishment and COPA.
  • The process of continuous improvement never stops.
  • Conducting preparatory work towards the identification of fit-for-purpose and ensuring that the Minerals Council member companies derive value for money from the research outcomes.
  • Facilitate the implementation of key initiatives of the CEO-led Khumbul’ekhaya health and safety strategy relating to digitisation of safety data; multi-disciplinary, independent peer review; incident reconstruction simulations; and training for holistic incident investigations.

External committees

  • Mine Health and Safety Council (MHSC)
  • International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM)
  • Regional health and safety tripartite forums (RTFs)
  • Community of Practice for Adoption (COPAs)
  • Industry adoption teams
  • Days of Learning on Topical Risk Issues
  • Risk area-focused indabas

Resources

2024

2023

2022

2020

Safety and health awareness
Information about the coronavirus

2019

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