Working together to ensure a transparent approach to the problems posed by deep-level mining will further improve safety conditions in mines, says gold-miner Simmer & Jack (Simmers) CEO Gordon Miller.

Miller tells Mining Weekly that recent incidents in the mining indus- try have resulted in safety standards coming under the spotlight.

He believes that a collective approach will improve safety standards.

“A collaborative participation with all stakeholders will be far more effective than a punitive approach, which assumes that mine managers do not care about safety,” he adds.

“It is a challenging environment, and for most mine managers and mine owners, safety is their first priority,” says Miller.

He adds, “At Simmers, we believe that for safety training to be effective, there has to be a culture of responsibility, in which everyone is responsible for the safety of colleagues and themselves.”

The cornerstone of Simmers’ safety model is a strict adherence to the right to withdraw, which insists that every employee and contractor has the right to withdraw from any situation without fear of reprisal.

“Our training initiative, ‘the Simmers way’, is based on the concept that safety is both a right and responsibility of every employee, and everyone is actively encouraged to monitor his or her own behaviour and that of colleagues. Training is paramount, especially for new recruits and employees assigned to new work areas,” explains Miller.

Miller adds that the emphasis on safety is more critical when combining construction with mining.

He refers to the refurbishment of the high-grade No 5 shaft at Buffelsfontein mine, and says that Simmers has taken the approach “to report delays rather than fatali- ties”.

Buffelsfontein mine has 4 500 employees, and has achieved one-mil- lion fatality-free shifts to March this year, the first time from February 2004. It achieved the 500 000 fata-lity-free shift mark in September, regrettably with one fatality shortly thereafter, explains Miller.

First Uranium, a Simmers subsidiary, has a zero-fatality record and Transvaal Gold Mining Estates (TGME), another subsidiary, reported no fatalities for the current financial year.

Miller says that the company began investing in additional technologies to improve safety standards last year. This included the introduction of fibre-reinforced shot-creting to stabilise and strengthen the underground workings, and to reduce incidents of falls of ground, at Buffels- fontein and TGME.

Bufflelsfontein has limited work in seismic-prone areas during the night shift, in order to avoid falls of ground triggered by seismic activity in the wake of blasting.

“Buffelsfontein also contracts the services of an independent rock engineering specialist to ensure wider and more accurate coverage of seismic events,” explains Miller.

He adds, “A seismologist analyses data and determines high-risk areas so that advance warnings can be given to crews, and technical assistance mobilised.”

This is part of a regional initiative to share information on seismic events and its impact on the entire Klerksdorp area.