In the 2013/14 mining year, South Africa’s overall mine fatality rate decreased by 10%, while the number of workers in the industry was only 2.6% less, the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) notes in its 2013/14 Mine Health and Safety Inspectorate annual report.

The diamond and iron-ore sectors showed the greatest improvements, with fatalities having decreased in both sectors by 100%, despite a 9.1% increase in workers in the diamond sector during the same period. There was, however, a 10.5% decrease in workers in the iron-ore sector.

Meanwhile, the gold sector recorded a 22.2% decline in fatalities and the coal sector a 33.3% decline during 2013/14. These improved performances were amid a 5.3% increase and a 6.7% decrease in employee numbers in the coal and gold sectors respectively.

The chrome mining sector, however, recorded a 70% increase in fatalities during the 2013/14 mining year, while the number of workers in this mining sector only increased by 2%.

The overall mine injury rate declined by 4.9% during 2013/14. Fall-of-ground (FoG) incidents were the primary cause of fatalities, comprising 32 deaths, or 35%, of all fatalities, during the period. Fifteen FoG fatalities occurred at gold mines, 13 at platinum mines and four at other mines.

No FoG fatalities were recorded in the coal sector.

The report also states that the percentage of fatalities caused by trackless mobile machines was 22%, with 20 fatalities recorded. Two of these fatalities occurred at gold mines, three at platinum mines, five at coal mines and ten at other mines.

The coal mining sector has recorded the lowest number of health and safety incidents from 1993 to 2014, DMR chief inspector of mines David Msiza told delegates at the Coalsafe conference, held in Johannesburg, in March.

He noted that mine fatalities had declined by 86% during this period, from 616 in 1993 to only 84 in 2014.

“The coal sector contributed the most to this reduction, with nine fatalities in 2014, down from 90 reported fatalities in 1993 and up from seven fatalities reported in 2013,” he explained.

“The gold mining sector reported 44 fatalities in 2014, [down] from more than 400 in 1993 – [a] 90% improvement,” Msiza stated.
He also noted that the number of deaths that were caused by fires and fumes had increased over the past three years, making fires and fumes the primary cause of fatalities, surpassing FoG accidents.

“Transport-related fatalities is another area of concern for the DMR and is one on which the industry must place a greater emphasis, particularly the coal sector, as it is increasingly becoming more mechanised,” Msiza told the conference.