In 2022, 49 South African mineworkers were killed on the job, a record low and a 34% fall compared to the 74 fatalities recorded the previous year. The goal of"Zero Harm" remains elusive, but progress is being made. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy , the industry, the workers and unions all deserve credit on this front.
The goal of “Zero Harm” remains elusive and the bottom line is that miners are still being killed in unacceptably high numbers. It may sound cliche but one death really is too many. But progress is being made and the trend is at least moving in the right direction.“… there has been no mine disaster or an accident where five or more people lose their lives recorded in the past three years.
Last year they accounted for about 12% and efforts on this front are clearly a key reason why the overall toll has fallen. “Over the last couple of years there has been a massive exodus of experienced rock engineers out of the country. In 2020 alone, a total of 20 rock engineers emigrated to Australia and Canada. Another challenge is that most experienced rock engineers are nearing retirement,” the 2021 Action Plan said.
Still, by a range of measurements, including fatality and injury frequency rates, South Africa’s mines have become safer workplaces over the pst few decades. It’s a far cry from the apartheid era when hundreds of overwhelmingly African mineworkers were killed each year and “black lives” meant little in the boardroom.