Programme Director
Chairperson of the MRS Board
President of AMMSA
Members of the MRS Board
DMR Officials
Leaders from organised Labour
Leaders from organised Business
General Manager of MRS
Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
I am pleased to be part of the team that officially open the newly created Steelpoort Mine Rescue Services Station. The Mine Health and Safety Inspectorate of the Department of Mineral Resources like all of us are committed to the health and safety in South African mines. Our involvement in the opening of a new Mine Rescue Station (MRS) in an area where there are many mining operations, illustrates the seriousness of the situation as well as our commitment to their mandate.
During 2010 there were three very serious global incidents which just once again illustrated the dangers associated with mining. First there was the explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia where 29 out of 31 miners were killed. This disaster ultimately led to the permanent closure of Upper Big Branch.
The second was the 33 Chilean miners who have been trapped underground at the San Jose mine. With the assistance of South Africa, all 33 miners were rescued.
Unfortunately the workers at the Pike River coal mine in New Zealand were not so fortunate after an explosion during November of that year, they were trapped and rescue services were unable to go in and save these 29 workers who subsequently died, amongst them also a South African.
Unfortunately we also had the disaster at Driefontein Mine near Carletonville where five miners were killed after a fire broke out underground, at the end of June of this year.
Mining is a major contributor to our economy and is also one of the biggest employers in the country. The considerable rise in the gold price during the past year has led to rising production of the metal- something which we welcome. However, as is commonly acknowledged, production and safety do not always go hand in hand. Here we need to learn a great deal to ensure the correct balance between growing output without compromising health and safety. When safety and health of the workers are compromised, in the medium to long term technical operations and financial profitability suffer too.
I want to thank the MRS Board for their vision and leadership in deciding to establish a new Mine Rescue Station in Steelpoort. The mining industry has grown significantly in Limpopo.
The number of mines has increased by 31 percent from 68 in 2007 to 89 in 2012. Similarly the employees have increased by 154 percent from about 25 000 to 63000 in the same period. The Waterberg coal fields will ensure that future generations have adequate energy to meet their development needs.
It is important to highlight the fact that the equipments used in Mine Rescue Services in South Africa is rated amongst the best in the world. The mining industry has invested in a Colliery Inertisation system to fight fires underground; Large Portable Rescue Winder that is capable of lowering 5 people at a time to a depth of 3100 metres. There is also a project to procure a new Rescue Drill Unit.
Health and Safety Performance
The history of mine safety in South Africa is not a good one. In the past the mine safety performance was appalling. The Mine Health and Safety Council has set a milestone of a 20% fatality rate reduction year on year by 2013. Unfortunately this has not materialised yet. The total fatalities reported in South Africa in 2011 were 123, a small reduction compared with the 127 fatalities reported in 2010. However, the 68 fatalities reported so far this year, does not bode well for a reduction in actual fatalities in 2012.
All necessary steps must be taken to ensure a balance between production and safety, where safety should and must always outweigh production, in other words: The loss of life should always be of greater concern to mines than the loss of production. I do believe that almost all injuries are preventable. That is why safety should be integrated at operational level into every activity. If a task cannot be completed safely, it should not be performed. Every person has a responsibility not only for his/her own safety but for the safety of those around them.
Every level of an organisation must be proactive in implementing safety processes that promote a safe and healthy environment. Together, we can achieve our goal of a total health and safety culture. We have had to use instruments such as legislation and regulation to ensure an environment of good health and safety on each and every mine in the country.
The ultimate goal of the department is zero occupational diseases, fatalities and injuries. We believe that a state of zero harm can be achieved if all our stakeholders, namely, labour, employer and the Inspectorate work in sync towards achieving this goal.
The department is greatly concerned with the safety performance of the mining industry in 2012. I will use each and every opportunity to appeal to the mining companies CEOs to place more emphasis on health and safety. I want also to urge labour to ensure that the safety and health of their members is promoted and awareness is created.
Mine Health and Safety Legislation
In May 1994, President Nelson Mandela appointed the Leon Commission of Inquiry to conduct a comprehensive review and to make recommendations on the state of health and safety on mines. The then repealed Minerals Act focused predominantly on safety issues in the mining industry with no emphasis on promoting the occupational health of miners. This deficiency provided the impetus for the Commission to recommend, amongst others, the drafting of a new Mine Health and Safety Act.
The Act made provision for a comprehensive legal framework to create an improved health and safety working environment. The new Act also focused on protecting the health of workers by introducing medical surveillance and occupational hygiene, the prevention of rockfalls and rockbursts, strategies to prevent methane and coal dust explosions and restructuring of the research institutions.
The department pioneered the Mine Health and Safety Act which was ultimately promulgated in 1996. This was done to ensure the health and safety of mine workers who were the worst sufferers under the conditions that were prevalent at the time. The Act is supported by other legislation such as the regulations, guidelines for codes of practice and national standards.
The regulations stipulate that every employer of every underground mine must maintain one team were there are between 100 and 1 100 employees, two teams where employees number between 1 101 and 3 600, and three teams for employees numbering between 3 601 and 8 100. The regulations compel an employer of an underground mine to enter into a contract with a Mine Rescue Service Provider. The regulations also stipulate the requirements for an organisation to become a mines rescue service provider, and training requirements for rescue team members.
The general practice is that there are mines that must maintain their own teams. The second category is mines that do not have their own teams. The second group can call for assistance from neighbouring mines through Mine Rescue Service Provider.
The guidelines places emphasis on the important aspects with which the mines must comply. Each mine must be equipped with a detection and early warning system in order to ensure that emergencies are detected as early as possible and workers/staff warned timeously. Another critical component in any emergency is communicating systems. The mines must provide appropriate emergency medical care and facilities. When making provision for emergency medical care, a decision must be made on the locality of facilities, provision of suitably trained medical personnel, response times, and capabilities to treat and evacuate persons with multiple injuries.
The guidelines also stipulate that mines must provide an evacuation and escape procedure. This also includes the provision of places of safety or refuge bays. It is also important that mine employees are trained on how to deal with emergencies and the correct use of emergency equipment. The emergencies must be reacted to timeously with adequate rescue and response capability. The effective management of emergencies will ensure that an emergency can be brought under control and mitigate further loss of life and/or property.
All emergencies must be properly recorded and reported to the department.
Recently there were three Mine Rescue Services Stations, located at Carletonville, Welkom and Evander. Due to the significant expansion of mines in the east, I am proud to be involved in the opening of the fourth station today which will hopefully further the goal of zero harm.
Conclusion
Fellow stakeholders in the mining sector; I state the obvious by saying that we in South Africa have no choice by to work together tirelessly to ensure a change of culture towards “mining with zero harm”. All stakeholders have things to do in this regard. One key requirement is that the Mine Rescue Services Station must be located in close proximity of the mines. This will ensure a short response time in case of an emergency. I am confident that new Steelpoort Rescue Station will provide the mining sector in Limpopo with an efficient and effective service. Let this be the first step in our renewed commitment to mining with zero harm!
I thank you!
Address by Mr Godfrey Oliphant, MP, Honourable Deputy Minister Of Mineral Resources of South Africa, at the official opening of the Steelpoort Mine Rescue Station
