Lack of quality control in construction industry risky

Two lift technicians critical after lift collapses. The Citizen of 8 April 2009. 'Two lift technicians are in a critical condition after the lift they were repairing collapsed and fell 15m, Durban paramedics said. Netcare 911 spokesman Chris Botha said technicians were repairing a lift at the Checkout supermarket in Umzinto. “The lift gave in and the two technicians were in the lift at the time. The lift fell 15m. “The two technicians sustained multiple injuries and both are in a critical condition,” he said. Botha said both the technicians are in their early twenties. One was airlifted to St Augustine’s hospital and the other was taken to Kingsway hospital.

Boy in nursery gate tragedy. The Star of 7 April 2009. 'A five-year-old boy has died and a three-year-old girl was severely injured after a derailed gate fell on them at a Joburg nursery school. The tragic death of Lwandle Mkhize yesterday morning left everyone at Kids Group nursery school in Winchester Hills traumatised. Johannesburg Emergency Management Services spokesman Percy Morokane said the remote-controlled gate ran off its rail, fell and crushed the two. "They both suffered massive head injuries and our paramedics declared the little boy dead on the scene," Morokane said. The nursery school's director, Philip Kilian, told The Star: "We are deeply sorry and regret this, because kids and their safety are our priority." He said the parents of the 12 children who were at the kindergarten were immediately notified about the incident. When The Star arrived at the premises, distraught parents were arriving to fetch their children. Lwandle's father Muzi said his child had started attending the nursery school a month ago. "I guess this is the will of God, because my boy was a child of God," he said. "He was singing gospel songs before he went to school. Maybe it was some sort of signal," he said. Police are investigating.

MQA enlists educational institutions in bid to improve mines’ safety performance. Miningweekly of 3 April 2009. 'Tertiary institutions, such as the University of Johannesburg (UJ), are the focus of a new major campaign to improve South African mine health and safety standards, reports the Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA). MQA CEO Livhu Nengovhela states that, currently, there is no major drive to identify and nurture health and safety talent among learners who will eventually be employed as front-line managers. “The vital role of front-line managers at mines should not be underestimated. These managers are the link between the workers and top management,” says Nengovhela. In order to find a resolution to this problem, UJ has incorporated a health and safety course into its various mining degrees. Nengovhela reports that the MQA is currently in discussion with the Wits School of Mining and the University of Tshwane to include similar courses in their curriculums. Mine Health and Safety Council (MHSC) CEO Pontsho Maruping reports that the current dire need for front-line managers who have a good health and safety background goes beyond entrenching health and safety courses in tertiary educations. “There is an overall lack of mine health and safety culture. Every employee, from the basic miners to frontline managers and supervisors, should know how to identify a hazardous situation and how to avoid it. The MHSC is in the process of drawing up a health and safety framework which, it hopes, will become commonplace at South African mines,” says Maruping. She adds that, this month, the MHSC will be calling on service providers to propose a viable health and safety framework that can be used on the mines. After a suitable programme has been selected, it will take between three to four months to develop. Maruping reports that the framework should be handed over to the mines between October and the beginning of 2010. The need for effective front-line management training was highlighted at a mine health and safety workshop held last month. At the conference, trade union Solidarity’s Paul Mardon suggested that the entrenchment of a health and safety framework would face many challenges. He reported that it was very hard to enforce a safety culture on workers who were at risk outside the workplace. “You can enforce a safety culture at the mines, but then workers are put at risk when they get into a taxi to go home. How can you promote a culture of safety when a mineworker’s whole life is one of taking risks?” asked Mardon.

Rail regulator has new safety rules. Bday of 3 April 2009. 'THE Railway Safety Regulator yesterday unveiled new safety standards meant to stem rail accidents. It also aims to tighten rules overseeing operators such as the Passenger Rail Agency of SA, Transnet Freight Rail and about 250 smaller rail operators such as miners and farmers. Carvel Webb, general manager of safety assurance at the regulator, said SA had four times more derailments and rail accidents than the international norm. Webb said rail accidents had cost about R2bn over the past three years. Through amendments to the National Railway Safety Regulator Act, the regulator would for the first time gain the clout to impose fines on operators that did not comply with the new standards, which broadly covered infrastructure and rolling stock. Webb said these fines could amount to as much as R100000. Mpumi Mpofu, director-general of the Department of Transport , said: “I wish to point out that Parliament has recently passed the amendment to the National Railway Safety Regulator Act in order to strengthen its (the regulator’s) enforcement capacity through the introduction of fines in the event of non-compliance by operators.” Mosenngwa Mofi, the CEO of the Railway Safety Regulator, said one of the highest risks in railway- operations was where the activities of two or more operators met, or when a train moved from one network to another. Mofi said there had to be consistent standards for train signalling to ensure that there was no misinterpretation of intent. Another example was that the brakes of different locomotives, wagons and coaches on the same train had to be consistent.

Pretoria man drowns in paint container. The Citizen of 2 April 2009. ' A Pretoria man drowned in a paint container on an industrial site on Wednesday, paramedics said. The man was working in Silverton in Pretoria when he fell into the three by two metre paint container, said Netcare 911 spokesman Mark Stokoe. “It is uncertain how long he was missing before his colleagues noticed. “ When they discovered that he had fallen into the container and was submerged, they immediately pulled him out and did what they could for him as well as calling for medical assistance,” said Stokoe. When paramedics arrived they attempted to resuscitate him, without success. “It is believed that he had inhaled and ingested the paint as well as suffering chemical burns to his body. An amount of paint was suctioned from his lungs after intubation which confirmed he had inhaled the paint,” said Stokoe. It is unknown whether the man slipped or was overcome by fumes before falling into the paint container.

Guide fined over trampled tourist. News24 of 27 March 2009. 'A field guide and a company owning several luxury lodges were found guilty of culpable homicide in a regional court on Thursday, after the death of an American tourist. Loren Mummy, 32, was trampled to death by an elephant cow on November 10 2005. Senior prosecutor Renier van Rooyen said it was the first court case of its kind, where a field guide as well as a company were criminally charged and convicted after the death of a tourist. Milton Mnguni, 43, and the Three Cities Group, which owns Nungubane Lodge within the Welgevonden Nature Reserve near Vaalwater in Limpopo, were also found guilty of contravening the Tourism Act. Mummy was a guest at Nungubane Lodge. She died when she and two Scottish tourists went on a walk with Mnguni in the nature reserve. Magistrate Pat Cloete said in his verdict that Mnguni was not a trained or registered ranger at the time of the incident. "It is inhumane to appoint someone who isn't qualified," he said. The court heard how Mnguni let Mummy and the two Scottish tourists come as close as 37m to an elephant cow in the field. When the irritated elephant charged at them, Mnguni did not use his .375 Holland weapon to shoot the animal. He held it above his head and shouted at the animal. The elephant cow, which was the matriarch of her herd, stopped charging and stamped her feet on the ground. She was far from her herd - which included elephant calves - who were grazing elsewhere. While the elephant stamped her feet, Mnguni turned around and ran away. She then charged and trampled Mummy. Cloete said in his verdict that Mnguni did not tell Mummy and the others to get as far away from the elephant cow as possible. When the animal came closer, he told the tourists to squat down. A few moments before she was gored, Mummy was still taking pictures of the animal. Her heart and lungs ruptured due to impact when the animal hit her. Cloete gave Mnguni a R10 000 fine or six years in prison, suspended for five years, on the charge of culpable homicide. He was additionally given R5 000 or six months imprisonment, for contravening the Tourism Act, because he was not registered as a guide. The Three Cities Group was fined R100 000 on the charge of culpable homicide. It was suspended for five years. Cloete furthermore fined the group 10 000, suspended for five years, for contravening the Tourism Act by employing the unqualified Mnguni. Mnguni is now working as a field guide at a lodge in KwaZulu-Natal. The court heard on Thursday that he was still not qualified as a field guide. Leave to appeal was granted.

Gold mine shut after worker dies. Busrep of 18 March 2009. 'A worker at the Moab Khotsong gold mine has been killed in a rockfall and the mine has been shut down. AngloGold Ashanti spokesperson Julia Schoeman said on Tuesday it was unclear how long the mine would remain closed. "It will affect production; about 1 447 ounces (45kg) a day will be lost." Moab Khotsong produced 71 000 ounces of gold in the December quarter, up four percent from the September quarter. South Africa said 168 workers died in its mines in 2008, down 24 percent from 2007. So far more than 30 workers have died in mines in 2009. The Department of Minerals and Energy has been trying to reduce the fatalities and routinely orders a temporary closure of operations when a death occurs.

Mine deaths worsening, Section 28 artisans in many accidents. Miningweekly of 18 March 2009. 'More mine workers had died so far this year on South African mines than in the same period last year, and many accidents involved Section 28 artisans previously unacceptable to South Africa’s Chamber of Mines, the Exxaro safety summit heard on Tuesday. National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) safety head Mziwakhe Nhlapo told the summit at the CSIR Convention Centre that 34 miners had died to date this year, 12 more than for the same period in 2008. “We’re sitting on 34 fatalities for this year. Over the same period last year the fatality rate was 22,” he lamented. UASA sector manager Charles De Carvalho pointed out that his union had found that many of the accidents involved Section 28 artisans, who were previously unacceptable to the Chamber of Mines. De Carvalho said that, in the past, only artisans who had completed a full trade test where acceptable to the Chamber of Mines, but, as a result of the shortage of mining-industry artisans, many Section 28 artisans had been employed. Click here for article.

Gasoond ontplof, eis man se been. Die Beeld van 17 Maart 2009. 'n Man se regterbeen is eergisteraand afgesit ná ’n ontploffing op ’n sakeperseel by die Mittal-klipwerke. Paramedici van Netcare 911 het mnr. Almiros Myburgh (37), ’n werknemer van LTM Mulondo Holdings, wat die eiendom by ArcelorMittal huur, ná die ontploffing na die Vereeniging Medi-Clinic geneem. “Hy het ’n amputasie van die regterbeen ondergaan,” het me. Selka-Ann Badenhorst, hospitaalwoordvoerder, gesê. Myburgh se toestand is volgens haar bestendig. Mnr. Hardus Visagie, besturende direkteur van LTM Mulondo Holdings, het gesê die ontploffing het eergisteraand omstreeks 18:00 in ’n gasoond op die maatskappy se perseel in Vereeniging gebeur.

Injured employee gets R5,8m in damages. IOL of 16 March 2009. 'The State Information Technology Agency (Sita) has agreed to pay R5,8-million in damages to a mathematical statistician who fell down a flight of stairs while he was doing consultancy work for the agency more than five years ago. Gert van der Merwe, of Silver Lakes, east of Pretoria, was left a quadriplegic and mostly confined to his wheelchair. He initially claimed R11,7m in the North Gauteng High Court (formerly the Pretoria High Court), but the court earlier found that Sita was 75 percent liable for the accident and that Van der Merwe had contributed 25 percent. Sita last week agreed to settle the matter, which included that apart from the R5,8m, it would also foot Van der Merwe's legal bill. The accident occurred on September 10, 2003 at about 7pm while Van der Merwe was working as a consultant for Sita. It was stated in court papers that after attending a meeting that night at Sita's offices, he was on his way to his own office to retrieve his briefcase before going home. He recalled that it was fairly dark, as he walked from the building where the meeting took place to the main Sita building where his office was. Along the way he had to ascend a number of stairs, and he recalled that while doing this, he fell. This was his last memory before he lost consciousness. He recalled that when he came around, he was unable to move any of his limbs and he shouted for help. Some of his colleagues who also attended the meeting heard his cries for help and came to his assistance. Van der Merwe recalled that during this time he had difficulty in breathing. He again lost consciousness and was taken to Kloof Hospital. He was later taken to Muelmed Hospital, where it emerged that he had damaged his spinal cord. He remained in hospital for three months, but the extent of the damage to his spinal cord became apparent only over a period of time. Van der Merwe eventually began to get a degree of sensation back in his limbs, but he is unable to walk or to care for himself. He is essentially confined to a wheelchair and he has limited usage of his arms. His wife has to do almost everything for him, including feeding, washing and dressing him. She also has to turn the pages of any book he reads. It is stated in a medial report that Van der Merwe remained as mentally sharp as always. He was leading an active life prior to the accident, but had since not been able to return to work. He spends most of his day doing very little and often feels depressed and negative.

Obviously he was not an employee of SITA but a contractor otherwise he would be deprived of the right to sue for damages in terms of section 35 of the COID Act. I wonder if DoL conducted an investigation?

Sasol fire: Injured man dies. News24 of 13 March 2009. 'Synthetic fuels group Sasol (SOL) announced on Friday that one of three employees injured in a fire at a Sasol Oil Blending station on Wednesday died of his injuries. Piet Smith, a senior process controller, at Sasol Secunda, died in the early hours of the morning on Friday, March 13, 2009. "We are shocked and saddened by what has happened and our hearts go out to the family and friends of our colleague, as well as the families of Mr. Sindane and Mr Du Preez, also injured in the fire," said Pat Davies, Sasol chief executive. Sasol counsellors were assisting the affected families, as well as Sasol staff, within the Secunda operations. The company said it was in close contact with relatives to offer assistance. An investigation into the cause of the fire was under way, a spokesperson said.

Two Sasol workers remain in serious condition. The Citizen of 13 March 2009. 'Two out of the three Sasol workers injured in a fire at the company’s plant in Secunda remain in a serious condition, the company said on Thursday. Two of the three patients remain in a serious condition. Out of respect ŠforÆ the privacy of both the patients and their families, Sasol prefers not to release information regarding the medical status of the injured,” spokeswoman, Jacqui O'Sullivan said. She also said the names of the three workers injured when the fire broke out on Wednesday at a blending facility at the Sasol Tankfarm West plant would not be released. The site where the fire broke out is where fuel components are blended into a final product before it is stored. O'Sullivan said that it is still not known what caused the accident, as the only eye witnesses to the accident were the injured workers. The two seriously injured ones are still unable to speak, while Sasol have not been able to speak to the third worker yet. “We will speak to him as soon as the doctors approve of it,” O'Sullivan said. O'Sullivan said trauma counsellors from Sasol were at the hospital to assist relatives, while counsellors were also made available to staff at the site. “An investigation (into the cause of the fire) is ongoing,” said O'Sullivan.

Drie mans ernstig beseer toe aanleg by Sasol begin brand. Die Beeld van 12 Maart 2009. 'Secunda. – Drie mans is gister hier erg beseer toe ’n brand in die Sasol-aanleg uitgebreek het. Volgens me. Jacqui O’ Sullivan, Sasol se groepskommunikasie-bestuurder, het die brand om 13:15 by die tenkplaas van die wes-aanleg ontstaan. Sy kon nog nie sê wat presies die slagoffers daar gedoen het nie. Volgens haar is twee van die mans Sasol-werkers en die derde is ’n diensverskaffer. Die mans se name word nog weerhou totdat hul naasbestaandes bereik is. “Sover weet ons net dat twee van die mans se toestand ernstig is,” het O’ Sullivan gesê. Sy het gesê die flinke toepassing van noodprosedures het die brand binne minute geïsoleer en dit is kort daarna geblus. “Ons weet nog nie wat die brand veroorsaak het nie. “ ’n Volskaalse ondersoek het reeds begin.” Iemand na aan die ondersoek het gister egter vertel dat twee van die mans sowat 90% brandwonde opgedoen en in ’n kritieke toestand is. Die derde man se gesig het glo verbrand. Nog mense is na bewering by die mediese stasie binne Sasol behandel. ’n Ander betroubare bron het aan Buks Viljoen gesê nalatigheid word ondersoek. Die vonk van ’n voertuig wat glo nie op die perseel moes gewees het nie, het na bewering die brand veroorsaak. Me. Sphiwe Mahlalela, kliëntediensbestuurder van die Hoëveld Medi-Clinic in Trichardt, het teen druktyd bevestig twee mans is in die waakeenheid opgeneem en die derde was toe steeds in die ongevalle-afdeling. “Dokters is tans besig om die mans te stabiliseer en kan nog nie amptelik die graad van die brandwonde bevestig nie. Ek kan egter bevestig dat hul toestand ernstig is.”

3 injured in Sasol fire. The Citizen of 12 March 2009. 'Three people were hurt in a fire at Sasol’s Tankfarm West in Secunda on Wednesday. Sasol spokeswoman Jacqui O'Sullivan said the blaze started around 1.15pm and was put out within minutes. All three injured were taken to hospital, two in a serious condition. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. O'Sullivan said accidents of this nature were of great concern and a full investigation into the cause of the fire has been initiated. “Sasol Human Resources are contacting the families of the injured employees. Our colleagues will receive the best medical care possible and their families will also be assisted at this time,” she said. “We are not going to release the names of the injured until the families have been notified and agreed to it.” O'Sullivan said the extent of their injuries were not immediately clear.“They are being treated at the moment. I have no idea how serious their injuries are.” The fire was isolated and put out within minutes, she said. Wednesday’s fire was the second fire that broke out at a Sasol plant this year. In January, a worker was slightly injured and the Germiston refinery was shut down when a tanker caught fire. In 2004, 10 people were killed in an explosion at Sasol’s polimer plant in Secunda in 2004. An instrument technician, Fanie van Wyk, later pleaded guilty 10 counts of culpable homicide as he admitted to negligence that resulted in the accident. He was sentenced to a year in prison or a fine of R50,000. Solidarity spokesman Dirk Hermann expressed shock at the latest fire. “Sasol’s safety record has improved drastically lately, so this is a big disappointment,” he said. “There will be an investigation into the cause of the fire, and we will be involved in that.” O'Sullivan said the names of the injured workers would only released after their next-of-kin had been notified and gave permission to identify them.

Fire chief resigns after airport safety shock. IOL of 10 March 2009. ' Two-thirds of the 62 firefighters stationed at Cape Town International Airport are "poorly trained" and have little or no general firefighting experience. Only 15 percent are fully experienced and have a professional aviation qualification. Training for an aviation qualification includes learning how to open and close an aircraft's doors and how to approach an aircraft when there is a crisis. Should a major emergency arise at the airport, most of the firefighters may not have the skills to respond appropriately. The airport fire service is privately owned and run by the Airports Company of South Africa (Acsa). It is not affiliated to the city or the province's fire services. Some of the firefighters have themselves said they do not feel they have had sufficient training. The airport's chief fire officer has resigned, apparently because of the lack of training provided for his staff. But Acsa is adamant it has "sufficiently qualified staff able to respond to any aviation incident". According to an internal document that lists the skills levels of firefighters employed at Cape Town International Airport and which is in the possession of the Cape Times, 41 of the 62 have insufficient experience or aviation qualifications. Most of the 41 have worked at the airport for three years or less and were not firefighters before taking this appointment. According to the document, 12 of the 62 airport firefighters have an average amount of experience. While some have an internal aviation qualification, others are experienced enough to go for aviation training. Only nine of the firefighters have a professional aviation qualification and are experienced in this field. Most of the nine have worked at the airport for more than 20 years. Eleven posts are vacant and are being filled. A well-placed employee who, for fear of reprisals asked not to be named, said Acsa had appointed inexperienced people "off the street" as firefighters as this was cheaper than employing people with experience. He said that to be hired by the airport, one needed to have passed matric, to have a code eight driver's licence and to have completed an internal three-week basic firefighting course. Hiring inexperienced firefighters was problematic because being stationed at the airport meant they did not have to respond to many emergencies and so did not gain much experience, he said. Another source said the three-week basic course was "nowhere close to that for a professional fire service". "The firefighters are poorly trained and they don't have experience," he said. "Some of them haven't been trained to respond to a structural fire. "Even if they do get further training, it leaves them without experience." The source said Acsa had also "totally ignored" two phases a firefighter needed to complete to gain "a proper" aviation qualification. A firefighter should complete a three-month course first, then a month-long programme before he or she could specialise by completing an aviation course. The source said Acsa was skipping the first two courses and sending firefighters for an internal aviation course. This meant that those who gained an internal aviation qualification "completely missed out on the basics". The firefighters' duties included responding to medical emergencies and carrying out airfield inspections and runway checks. The source said only the nine experienced members knew how to carry out inspections and checks correctly, and they had to "pick up the weight" of the 41 inexperienced firefighters. He said the fire chief, Brandon Wilson, had resigned as he was unable to continue working in such conditions.

Implats boss warns of unintended consequences of section of mine health law. Mining News of 6 March 2008. 'Impala Platinum CEO David Brown has warned that implementation of section 54 of the Mine Health and Safety Act, which empowers mine inspectors to “give any instruction necessary to protect the health or safety of persons at a mine” – including work stoppages, if the inspectors believe conditions or practices at the mine pose a health or safety risk – may have a detrimental effect on marginal operations. In Implats’ ‘Corporate Responsibility Report 2008’, he says: “Safety audits were undertaken by the Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) at all Implats mining operations during the year as part of a national Presidential safety audit, and 13 instructions were received from the DME in terms of Section 54, which resulted in work stoppages for 23 production days at various Impala shafts. “Also, two section 54 instructions were received at Marula, resulting in a total of six days of lost production.” Meanwhile, Brown says that both fatalities and lost-time injuries at Implats operations declined during the 2008 financial year. “Ensuring a safe and healthy working environ ment at Implats is a key strategic motivation for the company. “We fully support the DME’s added focus on safety,” he adds. During the period under review, six fatal incidents occurred at Implats, all of them at Impala Rustenburg. Falls of ground accounted for two of the fatalities, but the common cause of fatalities, according to Brown, was the company’s “failure to ensure that all our employees, including managers and supervisors, adhere to codes of good practice and procedures”. The company’s lost-time injury frequency rate (LTIFR) improved to 2,85 for every million work hours, which, Brown says, was a good performance by industry standards and was an all-time low for Implats. At Impala Rustenburg, the LTIFR improved by 3%, to 3,5, for every million work hours. The best performance came from refineries, which recorded an LTIFR of zero. Despite very difficult operating and social and economic conditions, he adds, both the company’s Zimbabwean operations – Zimplats and Mimosa – maintained a good safety performance.

Similar to the powers of a DoL Inspector in terms of section 30 of the OHS Act. It is based on the inspector's subjective opinion but they make mistakes. I agree with David Brown . RHL

Dozens injured as trains collide. IOL of 5 March 2009. 'One hundred and twenty-six commuters were injured when two Metrorail trains collided in Gauteng on Thursday, a spokesperson for the train service said. Spokesperson Sibusiso Ngomane said two Johannesburg-bound Metrorail passenger trains collided between Lenasia and Midway stations. "All the emergency services and Metrorail engineering and technical teams were activated," said Ngomane. "About 126 commuters were injured, 50 were treated on the scene as they sustained minor injuries and the rest were evacuated to Lenasia and Chris Hani-Baragwanath hospital," he said. He added that buses had been arranged to ferry commuters as the lines remained closed. "Metrorail will perform a risk assessment exercise and the outcome will determine when the service will fully resume. "A board of enquiry will be set up to investigate the cause of the accident," said Ngomane. The accident came just over a month after two Metrorail accidents took place in one day in Gauteng. About 160 commuters, including a pregnant woman, were injured when a Johannesburg-bound Metrorail passenger train smashed into the back of another on February 2. Hours later in Springs, two other trains collided head-on, leaving 131 people injured.

Labour laws 'need tightening. News24 of 4 March 2009. 'South Africa's labour laws need tightening, says the ANC, while the DA feels they are too rigid, it emerged at a meeting in Johannesburg on Wednesday. ANC general-secretary Gwede Mantashe told a business meeting in Sandton that there was a prevailing "myth" that South Africa's labour laws were rigid. "Research has come up with the opposite results... one thing that is difficult to open is a closed mind... once you say there is rigid labour legislation and repeat it, you close your mind. "That is what South Africans are suffering from," Mantashe told the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Political parties had been invited to address organised business on their economic positions and took advantage of the opportunity to unpack their election manifestos to a captive audience. Mantashe added there was nothing "as easy as firing a worker in South Africa". He said what the ANC proposed was finding a way to protect vulnerable workers and also to look into contract labour and outsourcing. He added however that the ruling party was not proposing outlawing contract work, rather it would look at ways to ensure workers were not exploited. The Democratic Alliance, on the other hand called for increased flexibility in the country's labour laws. The party's new chief whip Ian Davidson said the government needed to take a critical look at its labour regulations. He said the current laws were inhibiting investment, adding that more flexibility was required. Congress of the People president Mosiuoa Lekota missed his initial chance to air his views after arriving about an hour late.

Chamber supports mining audit report. Busrep of 27 February 2009. 'The Chamber of Mines on Thursday said it supported recommendations in the Presidential Audit Report on health and safety in mines. A total of 335 mines underwent the audit which was ordered by former president Thabo Mbeki after 3200 workers were trapped underground for 42 hours in October 2007. The report was released earlier in February and was welcomed by the chamber. President of the chamber, Sipho Nkosi, said: "After due consideration of the report and its findings, I am happy to announce that, whilst several statements in the report are generalisations which we cannot comment on in detail, we welcome the report and see it as a tool to accelerate safety and health improvements in the industry." Most of the recommendations in the report had already been implemented by the chamber, he said. It also welcomed moves to strengthen the Mine Health and Safety Inspectorate. "Since the mining environment is complex and highly dynamic, it is essential that the inspectorate is properly staffed and uses appropriate technologies to improve their effectiveness," the chamber said.

5 killed after trench collapses. News24 of 22 February 2009. 'Five construction workers died in Lindley in the north-eastern Free State on Saturday when ground from a trench collapsed on top of them, the SABC said. One of the men became trapped inside the trench and when the four others tried to pull him out, the soil collapsed on them, causing them to suffocate. Their bodies were taken to a government mortuary for identification.

Labour shuts construction site after five buried alive. DoL. 'Labour inspectors have banned all operations at the construction site where five workers died when the trench they were digging collapsed on them in Lindley, Eastern Free State at the weekend. The inspectors are currently probing circumstances surrounding the tragedy that befell the five who were digging the trench to install sewerage pipes at in Ntha Township where a construction worker was working about five meters deep when excavated sand fell on top of him. His four colleagues tried to assist him to get out of the sand when the whole trench collapsed on top of them and killed them instantly. Preliminary investigations have found that the employer has not registered the construction site with the Department of Labour. The Department is assisting the families of the deceased with preparing the relevant documents for The Compensation Fund as well as Unemployment Insurance Fund. The Department of Labour urges all employers and employees to ensure that workplaces comply with the regulations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Any enquiries in this regard can be directed to the Labour Center closest to the workplace. Labour Minister Membhathisi Mdladlana has sent his condolences to the families of the deceased.

Click here for construction regulation 11.

Mdladlana reiterates need to ban labour brokers. SABC of 19 February 2009. 'Labour Minister, Membathisi Mdladlana, has reiterated the African National Congress' view that legislative amendments need to be made to current laws in order to ban labour brokers. He was addressing a Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) rally in Cape Town. Mdladlana says that research has already been conducted to examine the work of labour brokers and likened their work to trafficking. “We must make sure that we amend it because you are deeming people who are not employers as nominal employers, giving them a right to sell people.” At the same rally Western Cape Premier Lynne Brown said the provincial government will soon launch a stimulus package to assist struggling factories in light of the current financial turmoil. She says the package is aimed at saving jobs. About 400 workers are about to lose their jobs due to the closure of a motor component manufacturing plant in Atlantis on the Cape West Coast.

New workers' union to be launched in Gauteng. SABC of 17 February 2009. 'Former Cosatu president Willie Madisha has announced that a new workers' Federation will be launched in Gauteng before the end of this month. Madisha made the announcement at Secunda in Mpumalanga yesterday where he addressed thousands of workers. He says this federation will differ from Cosatu as it will focus on worker's issues instead of politics. “The problem is that the present trade union, particularly those organised under Cosatu, have become political parties instead of them looking into the problems that workers are faced with. They spend lots of money on rallies on a particular political party, instead of using those workers' resources to handle those issues.”

Teenager dies after freak manhole accident. IOL of 27 February 2009. 'A Johannesburg man walking under a bridge died minutes after a manhole he walked on swallowed him when its lid flipped over. Oscar Tsapi, 19, was walking under a bridge on Village Road in downtown Joburg on Wednesday when he fell. According to a witness, Tsapi was trapped by the ribs, leaving only his head and shoulders above the hole. "He managed to get himself out and sat next to the hole," Zenzo Msimanga said. Msimanga said they tried to call an ambulance, but when they couldn't get through, they stopped nearby metro police officers. They then called an ambulance, which arrived about 20 minutes later. Joburg Emergency Management Services spokesperson Percy Morokane said Tsapi was unconscious when paramedics got to the scene. "When we arrived, the guy was unconscious. His breathing was shallow and he had a faint pulse. There were no visible injuries to his body." He said that after calling for back-up, the paramedics put Tsapi on advanced life support, "but he didn't make it". Morokane said the cause of death would be established after a postmortem. Tsapi's 17-year-old brother Noah said he was told that his brother died of internal injuries. "They said his ribs were damaged, as well as his heart."

Worker dies at Anglo coal's Goedehoop mine. The Citizen of 18 February 2009. 'A mineworker was killed in an accident at Anglo Coal’s Goedehoop mine, trade union Solidarity said on Tuesday. The worker died on Monday after being hit by a vehicle, the trade union said. According to Solidarity spokesperson Jaco Kleynhans, the worker was admitted to hospital on Monday morning following the accident, but died in the afternoon as a result of his injuries. “Solidarity believes that although safety at coal mines has improved considerably over the past years, safety problems in the industry should still be kept under the magnifying glass,” the union said. According to the Department of Minerals and Energy, more than 58,000 mine workers are currently employed in the South African coal mining industry. “Based on the number of deaths at coal mines every year, it is, after gold and platinum mines, the third most dangerous mining sector in South Africa,” Kleynhans said. The department and mine management were already conducting an investigation into the cause of the accident, he said.

Minister warns intensified Labour Law enforcement top Government priority. DoL of 16 February 2009. 'Labour law enforcement throughout the country’s workplaces has become one of the government’s top priorities, Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana has warned. Addressing an Imbizo of domestic workers in Stellenbosch, Western Cape on Sunday, Minister Mdladlana said a general feeling right across the labour market spectrum had always been that law enforcement was in dire need of tightening up to curb the rampant workplace injustices. “We have since responded by appointing, for the first time, a national chief inspector who will be responsible for coordinating and professionalizing labour law inspectorate to ensure drastic increase in inspection visibility. We have to demonstrate strong intolerance of each and every employer that refuses to obey the law as we cannot have people turning our country into a banana republic,” he said. Minister Mdladlana stressed, however, that no amount of law enforcement would be enough without the workers themselves, particularly in the domestic sector, organizing themselves through trade unions. “The best and most effective inspector on any given day is the worker him/herself. If workers themselves to not understand their workplace rights and obligations, complete law enforcement would always be impeded to some extent.” The one-day Imbizo was preceded by a process whereby the hundreds of domestic employees of the area made use of government facilities at their disposal to register for various services, including Unemployment Insurance Fund and for inclusion in the national job-seekers database. In a wide-ranging interaction with the Minister and his top management team, workers and some employers posed a variety of questions aimed at helping them understand the law and their responsibilities even better. The Minister said he was pleased with improved labour relations in the domestic sector where more than 700 000 domestic employers and some 663 000 workers have been registered with the department thus far. The Minister will on Friday this week take his Imbizo campaign to the Eastern Cape where the Mkhubiso Burnshill rural community in Keiskamahoek will enjoy the same government services brought right at their doorstep.

Miner audit's minor clout. Financial Mail of 12 February 2009. 'The mine safety audit that Thabo Mbeki called for 18 months ago probably carries about as much clout as the ousted president does. Its findings are as predictable as the outcome of an SA vs Australia one-day cricket match. Minerals & energy minister Buyelwa Sonjica scolded industry for not being up to scratch, while the National Union of Mineworkers piped up from the back of the class about the industry's failings. And the Chamber of Mines says it will work hard to enforce the recommendations of the report released last week. Buyelwa Sonjica - Scolded the industry. But in the depths of SA's mines, workers are still dying. The report gives the mining industry an overall health and safety score of 66%, which sounds no more significant than the length of a piece of string. But it could at least serve as a benchmark for future audits. Under scrutiny were 355 "high-risk" mines. Included in the safety audit were specific aspects such as mine design and explosives control. Each aspect was rated from one to five, and then weighted by importance. The total scores were then tallied to get figures for different commodities and regions. The department of minerals & energy refuses to disclose individual mines' ratings, saying the intention was "never to name and shame". But Jaco Kleynhans, spokesman for trade union Solidarity, says naming the mines will highlight areas that need improvement. Surprisingly, the audit shows diamond and "other" mines (including base metals and quarries) have the worst health and safety ratings - not gold and platinum mines, which in fact cause most of the industry's deaths. Diamond miners scored 66% and "others" came in at a paltry 60%. Gold and coal both got 70% and platinum a C+ at 67%. Sonjica is unimpressed by the scores. "These audits have indicated there are a lot of gaps in the safety standards in the mining industry." What matters though is the fact that, on average, a mineworker died every second day in SA's mines last year. It is true, though, that both the number and rate of fatalities have declined over the past decade. Kleynhans says the report "didn't really include anything new... maybe it was a little disappointing". The compliance percentage figures are outdated, he says. The audit was completed by August last year and industry had already made big strides in safety by then. The month before the audit was completed, AngloGold Ashanti announced its first-ever death-free quarter. The audit was commissioned after 3 200 miners were trapped underground for many hours at Harmony's Elandsrand mine near Carletonville. The release of the audit was delayed after Mbeki was ousted and replaced by Kgalema Motlanthe, who was NUM secretary-general after his release from Robben Island. The chamber says most of the report's recommendations are already in the mining industry's roadmap to achieving "zero harm". In 2008, SA's mining deaths dropped by nearly a quarter to 168 from the previous year's 220. But it can be argued that government's strict policy in 2007 of shutting down each mine for a number of days after a death was more effective in cracking industry into shape. Now the industry has to worry about new punishments. Motlanthe is sitting with a bill that, if signed, could mean up to five years in prison or R3m in penalties for individuals found liable for fatalities. Chamber of Mines CEO Sipho Nkosi says the industry body wrote to the president in December asking him to review the bill. There has been various meetings since and Nkosi is confident there will be an amicable solution.

World's new deepest mine ‘safe, cheap' - AngloGold. Mining Weekly of 10 February 2009. ' The world's new deepest mine was both safe and low-cost, AngloGold Ashanti vice-president Southern Africa Johan Viljoen said of the Mponeng gold mine in South Africa, which had broken through the 3 777 m depth level to create a global record. Viljoen reported that the company had beaten the record held by Savuka gold mine, also an AngloGold Ashanti asset, for the past 28 years. "Last week, we actually went past the deepest point in the world, and every day that we blast at Mponeng, we are actually going deeper," he sold Mining Weekly Online. Important, was that the company had accomplished its task without a single fatality and only two lost-time incidents in the three-year period. "It's official, and we will now apply to the Guinness Book of Records," said Viljoen. The cash costs at Mponeng were far lower than any other deep-level mine, as well as many shallow mines, proving, said Viljoen, that "deep can also be cheap". He said the world's deepest mine was producing gold at $222/oz. Mponeng last year achieved a million fatality-free shifts and was runner-up in the fall-of-ground and the national safety campaign on low fatality, lost-time injuries and dressing cases. "It's leading stuff," Viljoen reiterated. With the current sink, the mine would go down to 4 100 m, which was another 300 m below the current record-breaking depth, and a prefeasibiity was under way for the Carbon Leader project, which would take Mponeng to 4 500 km below surface.

NUM’s political action ‘hurts mining industry’. Business Day of 9 February 2009. 'ATTEMPTS by National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) regional representatives to politicise mine accidents, demand punitive measures against management and put safety inspectors under pressure were causing financial harm to the industry, DRDGold CEO Niel Pretorius said on Friday. He said stoppages after accidents by the Mine Health and Safety inspectorate had now been limited to areas where the event occurred, and not the whole mine as it had been when the policy was first implemented. This was welcome, but there had been a noticeable increase in seismicity after stoppages and DRDGold’s rock engineers were studying whether the halt to production was causing a build-up of underground pressures. Last year DRDGold decided to stop underground mining at its ERPM mine on the East Rand after the death of two workers from gas inhalation. It decided the mine was unsafe because gas emissions were too unpredictable. The closure put 1700 people out of work. Pretorius said retrenchment costs of R34,4m had been fully expensed in the December quarter and the cost of keeping ERPM underground on care and maintenance was R2,5m a month. DRDGold had not received any acceptable offers for the operations, but they could be sold in the future. The company produced 60057oz of gold in the December quarter, 15% less than in the September quarter because of lower production at ERPM and tailings retreatment Crown operation, where the start of the Top Star dump reprocessing was delayed by a month. But revenue was unchanged at R476,8m because of the higher rand-gold price received. DRDGold’s revenue for the six months to December rose to R953,5m from R849,9m in the same period in 2007 and it turned around to make a headline profit of 24,1c per share from a previous loss of 9,2c. Pretorius said the group’s newest project, the Ergo retreatment operation, was on track to achieve the 600000 tons a month by April.

Tragedy hits Gautrain project . Newa24 of 9 February 2009. 'Tragedy hit the main site of the Gautrain project in Pretoria on Saturday when a construction worker accidentally drove over a colleague with a huge truck. The 42-year-old driver was not arrested, but is being investigated for culpable homicide after the 37-year-old victim, a Tembisa resident, died on the scene. The name of the man who died has not been released yet as his next of kin have not yet been informed. The truck was delivering one of several large M-beams to the site in Andries Street at about 7.40am on Saturday. Police spokesperson, Captain Tessa Jansen, said the truck was too big and long to enter the site's gate at the angle it had arrived and had to be manoeuvred to get in. "The victim, who was also in the truck, got out to direct the driver," she said. "He made him reverse and go forward several times so that the truck could get through the entry," Jansen said. Then the co-worker again directed the driver to move forward. "As the driver drove forward, he heard people screaming. "He stopped the vehicle and jumped out," Jansen said. He saw his colleague pinned underneath one of the giant wheels. Kelebogile Machaka, of Bombela, the company responsible for the construction of the Gautrain, said the truck and employees came from Transcor, one of their sub-contractors. Transcor is a transport company that specialises in the conveyance of abnormal loads. Machaka said the truck was en route to the Gautrain site to deliver the M-beam for a bridge that will go over Nelson Mandela Drive. "Bombela deeply regrets any fatalities and injuries on the Gautrain project, whether it is one of our employees or not," Machaka said.

Gold major slashes accident rate, eyes further improvement. Mining Weekly of 9 February 2008. 'Mining major Gold Fields has reiterated its commitment to safety, with the head of the group’s South African operations, Vishnu Pillay, describing safety as the “number one priority” at the company’s latest results presentation. “We have a simple, unambiguous strategy to manage the South African operations, and that is to focus on safety, which is the principal value and top priority in this organisation. We are quite happy to invest in safety – it is something that we want to do, and not something that is seen as a cost burden. This is a commitment that comes from the board, through to the executive and on to the operations. Under no circumstances will we relinquish our responsibilities in this respect, “ he said. Gold Fields CE Nick Holland said that the company did not distinguish between safety and production costs. “Safety is the key way we mine; everything is geared around that. Safety costs are part and parcel of what we do,” he said. Pillay commented that the issue of safety was not “a linear projection of the number of deaths and costs”, with a “significant moral issue” to be considered as well. “The executive team is extremely concerned about every fatality that we have. [We] have worked tirelessly to ensure that step changes in safety are made,” he said. He noted that the cornerstone of Gold Fields’ philosophy regarding safety was: “If we cannot mine safely, we will not mine.” Pillay said that all the company’s senior management had bought into this philosophy, and that its crews now understood this philosophy better, which had resulted in the benefits being seen in its safety performance. Commenting on the eight people who recently lost their lives at Gold Fields operations, Pillay said that the company aspired to have zero fatality and serious injury rates. It had decided that every crew in its South African operations that suffered a serious injury would be removed, and would be subjected to training for a day or two, to ensure that they understood the consequences of the accident, and the remedial action that should be taken going forward. Pillay noted that it took three days to get a mine running again after a day’s stoppage, so a day’s stoppage effectively meant a four-day stoppage. The company said it had experienced significant safety improvements for the quarter ended December 31, 2008, compared with figures for the previous quarter, with a 72% improvement in the fatal-injury frequency rate, a 29% improvement in the serious-injury frequency rate, and a 35% improvement in the lost-day injury frequency rate.

Mineworker dies in N Cape. News24 of 6 February 2009. 'A mineworker died at African Rainbow Minerals' Khumani mine on Friday morning, said the National Union of Mineworkers. Elliot Morwe, 37, from Shaleng village, near Kuruman, was killed when the truck he was driving hit the back of another truck at the open cast iron ore mine at 05:25, said ARM ferrous chief executive Jan Steenkamp. The bucket of the 200 ton truck in front penetrated the cockpit of the smaller truck being driven by Morwe, killing him, he said. Steenkamp said all operations at the mine had since been halted, pending an inspection by the department of minerals and energy. In the meantime, workers were receiving retraining on the procedures and policies around driving. The National Union of Mineworkers claimed that Morwe crashed after his repeated complaints of fatigue went ignored by his shift boss. "This worker was given only 30 minutes to rest after complaining of fatigue and when the time expired he asked for some more time but his shift boss is said to have ignored him," said Seshoka. He had been working a 12 hour shift at the time of the crash, he said. Khumani mine is near Khathu, in the Northern Cape, about 250km from Kimberley. "The National Union of Mineworkers urges the department of minerals and energy to get to the bottom of this and to ensure that if foul play and negligence is established, heads should roll," said Seshoka. Steenkamp said the claim would be investigated and action taken should it be found to be true. He said this was the first fatality at the mine, which was started two years ago and commissioned in June or July last year. It produces iron ore for export via Saldanha port. Describing Friday's incident as "unacceptable", Steenkamp said the mine was giving Morwe's family its support.

Worker dies in accident at mine. IOL of 6 February 2009. 'A worker died at African Rainbow Minerals' Khumani iron ore mine in South Africa when a truck he was driving collided with another, the National Union of Mine Workers and the company said on Friday. ARM spokesperson Jan Steenkamp said production at the mine was continuing as usual, but the area where the accident occurred had been closed for investigation. "There is no reason to stop production as this is an open-cast mine....but the area has been barricaded off and we are waiting for representatives from the Department of Minerals and Energy to arrive to start the investigation," he said. Mines in South Africa, the world's top source of platinum and a major producer of gold, have a 66 percent level of safety compliance, a recent safety audit of 355 mines nationwide revealed. Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica said at the release of the report that tougher penalties were needed. Stricter safety laws passed by parliament last year which threaten jail time, as well as heavy fines for mine bosses, have caused concern among South African mining companies. The amendments to the Mine and Safety Act 1996 will give the state the power to impose fines of up to R1-million, up from R200 000, or five years in jail for mine bosses who ignore safety regulations. The amendments are yet to be signed into law.

RHL. Click here for more.

Shoppers injured as rocks and stones rain down. The Times of 5 February 2009. 'ROCKS and stones rained over the Doornkloof shopping centre, in Lyttelton, near Pretoria, following an explosion at a nearby dolomite mine yesterday, Gauteng police said. Captain Colette Weilbach said the explosion at the Lyttleton dolomite mine at 11.40am injured three people, one of them seriously. The injured were in the shopping centre’s parking ground. The falling debris also damaged 12 cars in the parking ground. A complaint had been made at the Lyttelton police station about the mine’s handling of explosives, said Weilbach.

'It's raining rocks!'. News24 of 5 February 2009. 'Rocks rained down on people, cars and buildings in Centurion after an explosion at a local dolomite mine on Wednesday morning. Three people were injured after the explosion at about 11:30 at the Lyttelton dolomite mine bordering Botha Avenue. A piece of rock broke the left leg of David Malete, a gardener at the South African Revenue Service, when it hit him in the garden near the Doringkloof shopping centre. Hugo Minnaar, member of the LifeMed emergency staff, said Malete was in a serious but stable condition when they took him to the Unitas Hospital.A rock burst through the ceiling on the third floor of the nearby Soetdoring office building. Fortunately Marthie Erasmus, 50, was not at her desk at the time. "I heard a loud bang and thought it was a car bomb. "The rock hit the window sill, then the wall above my chair, and finally landed on my chair. If I had been sitting there, it might have killed me." Lieb Liebenberg, 58, was sitting outside at a restaurant at the shopping centre with his daughter, Susan Dry, 30, and a client. Liebenberg grabbed his daughter and the client and dove through the restaurant's door. "It was raining rocks and stones!" Twelve vehicles, among them an unmarked police vehicle, were damaged in the shopping centre's parking lot. Five cars parked in the Soetdoring building's parking lot were also damaged. Kobus Nagel, 49, of the Doringkloof Residents' Association, said an incident such as this last happened 10 years ago. "After what happened today, we will have to have a serious word with the mine management." James Duncan, spokesperson for the mine, said at this stage they couldn't say why the broken rocks and stones had come over the mine's protective wall. They are in contact with the Department of Mineral and Energy Affairs and an inquest in terms of current legislation was already under way, he said. In the meantime mining activities had been suspended pending the results of the investigation. Captain Colette Weilbach, police spokesperson, said the police were investigating a charge in terms of the Explosives Act. She asked people who had been affected to report it to the Lyttelton police station.

Click here for more.

NUM: Safety audit 'extremely worrying'. M & G of 4 February 2009. 'The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on Tuesday said the Presidential Mine Safety Audit report released this week contained "extremely worrying trends". It also called industry comments on the report an attempt to "camouflage and paint the situation as rosy". The audit report, which was released on Monday, revealed that South African mining industry compliance with mine safety legislation is a mere 66%. Welcoming the report's release, the NUM said the 66% compliance rate confirmed its long-held view that mine health and safety is compromised in the interest of bonus payments. The NUM said it was also "appalled" that over 100 cases against mine bosses from as far back as the year 2000 have been allowed to pile up at the offices of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). "This is very worrying that the NPA can allow criminality to take place without any proper action," said the NUM general secretary Frans Baleni. "It is worrying that in cases where action has taken place, companies have been fined between R2 500 and R5 000 for negligently claiming the life of mineworkers," he added. The trade union said some of the worrying trends identified by the report include poor hazard-identification and risk-assessment processes, slow reporting of accidents, failure to submit occupational hygiene returns and others. "The NUM calls for a technical audit to be conducted as a matter of urgency as the current one is mainly and purely a compliance audit," the trade union said.

Workers disunited by 'thuggery'. By Terry Bell. Busrep. 'Leading unions fragmented by drive for positions, patronage Political manipulation and a drive for positions, power and patronage are threatening the stability of at least two of the country's major trade unions.

Metrorail vows action on train smashes. The Citizen of 4 February 2009. 'Two accident-hit train lines resumed normal services on Tuesday, as Metrorail announced a number of safety interventions. “Metrorail has resumed normal services on both the Vereeniging and Springs lines after train collisions disrupted the train service last Monday night,” said Metrorail spokesman Sibusiso Ngomane in a statement. He said a number of safety checks and interventions would be implemented immediately, especially in terms of signalling infrastructure, equipment and practices. “A national plan for the upgrading of all signalling equipment is at an advanced stage; this will minimise incident risk and ensure speedy transit of trains,” said Ngomane. A zero tolerance policy would be adopted if train operations staff and drivers deviated from working rules, particularly signalling procedure. Earlier, SABC news reported that the SA Rail Commuter Corporation would invest R1.6 billion to upgrade the train signalling system over the next three years. This comes after signalling was identified as one the main possible causes behind the accidents which left hundreds of commuters injured. Ngomane said Metrorail would also be increasing the number of medical and substance abuse tests it conducted on its staff. While he was not aware of any specific accidents having been caused by substance abuse or health issues such as poor eyesight or hearing, increased testing would be a “precautionary measure”. Metrorail would like to conduct these kinds of tests and health checks both on a weekly basis; as well as occasionally as an ad-hoc measure.” Metrorail would also ensure up-to-date and experience-based driver training would be provided, said Ngomane. “To this end, the organisation is in the process of purchasing a simulator for train driver training. "Metrorail regrets these accidents and would like to thank its customers for their patience and understanding during this period,” said Ngomane. On Tuesday, SA Rail Commuter Corporation CEO Lucky Montana said that in Gauteng alone R800 million would be put aside over the next three years for signalling upgrades. “This is so that the signalling system can be world-class, can be reliable and we can move trains faster and more safely. “These measures will go a long way in making sure...that we deliver quality services to passengers,” he said. About 160 commuters, including a pregnant woman, were injured when a Johannesburg-bound Metrorail passenger train smashed into the back of another on Monday morning. Hours later in Springs, two other trains collided head-on, leaving 131 people injured.

Prohibition remains as Labour Inspectors probe Epol fatality. DoL of 8 February 2009. 'The prohibition notice that the Labour Department issued against pet food producer Epol earlier this week remains in force as investigations into Monday’s gruesome death of an employee at the company’s Pretoria West plant are still underway. The deceased worker was standing above a pit hole in the silo when a conveyor belt was started. He was subsequently conveyed into a pit, where he was covered by the raw product from the silos resulting in his untimely death. Investigations by Labour inspectors are continuing in terms of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and a report will be forwarded shortly to the Offices of the National Prosecuting Authority and the Department’s Chief Inspector Occupational Health and Safety for consideration. Labour Spokesman Page Boikanyo today (Thur) confirmed that the prohibition notice remained in force at the plant. He said the notice was forbidding entrance of any silo where the prescribed measures have not been complied with in terms of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 85 of 1993, as amended..

Was the entire plant closed down via the Prohibition Notice or just that section of the plant where the accident occurred. If the former, it is illegal! If the rest of the plant / factory is safe an inspector CANNOT by law close it down. Only the sections of the plant that may pose a threat. This abuse must be stopped. RHL. Click here for more.

Mining safety a concern says Sonjica. Business Report of 3 February 2009. 'South African mines scored a "concerning" 66 percent in a safety audit, Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica said in Pretoria on Monday. "The 66 percent should be of serious concern to all in mining," said the minister adding that gold mines had "not done well" on health risks management. Gold mines scored 53 percent in health risk management in the audit. "We think health and safety is a responsibility and obligation to all." Sonjica was releasing a safety audit ordered by former president Thabo Mbeki. The audit, of 355 mines, focused on the health and safety of mines in South Africa. More

Click here for the Audit.

‘Neglect caused rail accidents’. The Citizen of 3 February 2009. 'Metrorail resumed normal services on its Vereeniging and Springs lines yesterday, as trade unions and opposition parties fired a heated fusillade of recriminations at the government over Monday’s devastating train crashes. The two train wrecks, coming only 10 hours apart, involved four trains and left more than 300 commuters injured. They come in the wake of a litany of other serious accidents, stretching back to 2005. Military paramedics had to be called in to assist their counterparts in the Emergency Medical Services, and hospitals struggled trying to cope with injured people. Faulty signal lights are thought to be behind the two collisions, but MetroRail has thus far refused to be drawn into a discussion on the cause of the accidents, saying it would await the findings of an official inquiry before commenting. This did not deter Cosatu from issuing a fiery statement yesterday decrying what it perceives as a “serious under-investment” in public transport in general, and MetroRail’s infrastructure in particular. Cosatu’s Siphiwe Mgcina said South Africans were paying the price for the government spending billions on prestige projects such as the Gautrain, while pleas to upgrade the ailing existing public transport system fell on deaf ears. The Democratic Alliance’s (DA) James Swart echoed Cosatu’s concerns, also lambasting government for choosing to spend money on “vanity projects” at the expense of infrastructure maintenance, and saying the DA had been warning that Gauteng’s commuter rail infrastructure had been in dire need of repair for more than five years. Collen Msibi from the ministry of transport contested these suggestions, pointing out that the government had put aside R18 billion to rupgrade the country’s rail infrastructure.

131 injured in train crash. News24 of 2 February 2009. 'More than 100 people were injured when two passenger trains collided head-on at Springs West train station in Ekurhuleni at 5.20pm on Monday afternoon. ER24 emergency medical services spokesperson Werner Vermaak said 131 commuters were injured but there were were no fatalities and no serious injuries. A a temporary medical station had been opened near the station on the corner of Plantation and Springs West roads. Patients were checked at the station before being taken to nearby hospitals who were on stand-by after the accident. Paramedics from Netcare 911, ER24, provincial emergency services and disaster management services were on scene. More services from the East Rand, from Pretoria and from Johannesburg were on stand-by. The cause of the accident was unclear and the line remained closed. Railway Safety Regulator spokesman Kwazi Kwaza confirmed that this was the second train accident in Gauteng on Monday. "Details of the incident are still very sketchy," Kwaza said adding that he was on his way to the scene. The regulator would urgently engage with the operator in order to ensure that no similar incidents occurred in the future. "In line with the decision relating to the earlier incident, the Railway Safety Regulator has decided to conduct its own investigation into the incident," Kwaza said. In a separate accident about 160 commuters, including a pregnant woman, were injured when two passenger trains rear-ended each other between the Lenasia and Midway stations about 7.15am on Monday.

Harmony reports fatality at Free State mine. Mining Weekly of 2 February 2009. 'A mineworker died in a locomotive accident at South African gold-miner Harmony Gold's Masimong mine, in the Free State province, the company said on Friday evening. Management and the Department of Minerals and Energy will begin investigations into the incident on Monday, the firm said.

Audit shows ‘gaps’ in SA mine safety standards – Minister. Mining Weekly of 3 February 2009. 'South Africa’s Minister of Minerals and Energy, Buyelwa Sonjica, on Monday released the long-awaited national Mine Safety Audit, which was ordered by past President Thabo Mbeki, to investigate compliance with safety regulations in mines across all sectors. The average compliance across all sectors was found to be at 66%, with some sectors performing better than others. Gold-mining operations scored an overall 70%, as did the coal sector. Platinum mines were found to be 67% compliant, followed by diamond-mining with an average 66%, and ‘other’ sectors with an average of 60% compliance. “These audits have indicated that there are a lot of gaps in the safety standards in the mining industry. We are, therefore, calling on all stakeholders involved in this sector to take the findings and recommendations of the report very seriously,” Sonjica said. She stated that the low-hanging fruit recognised, which took top priority in the recommendations, were the issues of maintenance of mining infrastructure, and the training of mineworkers. The audit focused on certain areas within mine health and safety, and these were: mine design; statutory reports; legal appointments; safety risk management; occupational health and safety (H&S) policy; health risk management; codes of practice; occupational H&S training; H&S representatives and committees; mine explosives control; mine water management; and public H&S. The four critical issues that were said to stand out with particularly undesirable results: firstly, mine design, which scored an average of 70%, and required interventions with regard to safer shaft installation, communication systems, back-up power, and secondary outlets. Secondly, and thirdly, health risk management, which scored an average 56%, and safety risk management, which scored a of 68% average, and required improved risk assessment and implementing controls. The fourth area of particular concern was that of H&S training, which scored an average of 66%. The training of H&S representatives was a particular problem area, and needed better training of managers in occupational H&S, as well as inspectors, and occupational H&S representatives. The Minister said that there were comprehensive recommendations in the report that addressed all established structures responsible for mine health and safety – including the Mine Health and Safety Council, mining companies, labour organisations, government departments, and the Mining Qualifications Authority. The report was not made available to journalists. Ministerial spokesperson Sputnik Ratau told Mining Weekly Online that stakeholders would have about two weeks to go over the audit in greater detail, whereafter another multi-stakeholder meeting would be held. Stakeholders should make plans as to how they could implement the recommendations made in the report. The audit recognised the severity of mine health and safety issues in mines, and would inform the agenda going forward, in trying to stop the significant number of deaths taking place in the South African mining industry. Mbeki ordered the safety audit in 2007, after 3 200 workers were trapped underground at Harmony Gold’s Elandsrand mine. There were 168 fatalities in the mining industry in 2008, and this compared with 220 in 2007. The Minister urged all stakeholders to build on this 24% improvement in safety statistics, which set a new benchmark for the mining industry. The South African Chamber of Mines welcomed the report and said it would respond to the recommendations therein, once it has had the opportunity to study the report in greater detail. The Chamber added that the release of the Presidential Audit was an opportune time to focus on compliance within the mining industry. “The Chamber calls on all stakeholders to thoroughly consider the findings and recommendations of this report and to work together towards preventative action and compliance, rather than allocating blame or introducing new punitive measures at a time when safety is significantly improving,” it said in a statement. Further, the Chamber added that this should be done under the auspices of the Mine Health and Safety Council. “It is only by jointly addressing compliance issues that there will be a continuation and, more importantly, an acceleration of the trend toward safety improvement in mining.” Trade union Solidarity also welcomed the release of the report and asked for speedy implementation of the recommendations. “Despite the improvement in the fatality rate in the mining industry over the past year, the industry’s compliance figure for safety is only at 66%. Accordingly, there is still a lot of room for improvement,” added Solidarity spokesperson Jaco Kleynhans.

PE man crushed by crane. News24 of 30 January 2009. 'A 30-year-old man was killed on Thursday when his head was crushed by a crane boom at Markman in Port Elizabeth, police said. Inspector Dumile Gwavu said the crane driver extended the boom in order to pick up a container loaded with scrap metal at about 11:15. "At the time man who was the driver's assistant was directing him, the cable of the boom broke off from the crane. A four-legged hook block fell on top of the assistant's head, killing him instantly." Police have opened an inquest docket. Gwavu said the name of the man would not be released until his relatives were informed of the tragedy.

PE man crushed by crane. The Citizen of 30 January 2009. 'A 30-year-old man was killed on Thursday when his head was crushed by a crane boom at Markman in Port Elizabeth, police said. Inspector Dumile Gwavu said the crane driver extended the boom in order to pick up a container loaded with scrap metal around 11.15 am. “At the time man who was the driver’s assistant was directing him, the cable of the boom broke off from the crane. A four-legged hook block fell on top of the assistant’s head, killing him instantly.” Police have opened an inquest docket. Gwavu said the name of the man would not be released until his relatives were informed of the tragedy.

Click here for Driven Machinery Regulation 18.

Assault on inspector: Duo fined. News24 of 28 January 2009. ' The Ladysmith Magistrate's Court has fined two men R2 000 each for assaulting a labour inspector, the labour department said on Wednesday. The pair attacked the man on September 22 last year while he was inspecting their father's printing business in Ladysmith, spokesperson Page Boikanyo said in a statement. The inspector was "trying to discuss areas of labour law non-compliance" he found at the workplace when he was beaten up. He suffered a cut to the face, a bump on the head and cracked ribs. A contravention notice was later served on the employer for the occupational health and safety violation. The court imposed a R2 000 fine or three months imprisonment, suspended for five years, on each man. "A briefing session was also conducted at the workplace for both the employer and employees to raise awareness on the need for compliance regarding the basic conditions of employment," said Boikanyo. "An inspector of the department has the power to visit any employer at any time to conduct inspections. "Anyone who obstructs or hinders an inspector from performing this function, is breaking the law," Boikanyo said. The inspector had since returned to work.

Harmony aims to halve lost-time injury rate. Mining Weekly of 27 January 2009. 'Gold-mining major Harmony Gold is targeting a 50% improvement in the company's lost-time injury frequency rate (LTIFR) by the end of the year. CEO Graham Briggs reports that the targeted reduction – from ten lost-time injuries for every one-million work hours to five lost-ime injuries – is significantly higher than the 20% year-on-year improvement the company was aiming for in the past. The company has made significant improvements on its safety record over the past five years. Between 2003 and 2008, it slashed its LTIFR from 25 lost-time injuries for every one-million work hours to ten lost-time injuries. This announcement follows two challenging years for South African mines, with mine safety consistently under the spotlight. Briggs reports that Harmony has adopted a more practical approach to safety, rather than a theoretical approach. "There are still theoretical courses being run on mine safety, but the company feels that, if management takes an active step and puts what it teaches into practice, then more will be achieved," says Briggs. Another key measure that needs to be taken is tackling cultural challenges that are mine specific. Briggs states that the company realised that there were different safety cultures in the different provinces of the country. He adds that the company's policy on safety is open to adaptation, with senior managers in each province being encouraged to adopt safety standards that will be applicable to their province. He adds that the company has also adopted a system whereby it praises mines that put in good safety performances and deals harshly with those that perform unsatisfactorily from a safety point of view. One mine that was recently acknowledged by the company for its improving safety performance is Phakisa mine, in the Free State. During the last quarter of 2008, Phakisa mine reduced its LTIFR to 0,98 lost-time injuries for every one-million work hours. The mine reported 173 days of injury-free shifts and 96 lost-time-injury-free days.

Prioritise safety wear, local company urges mining houses. Mining Weekly of 27 January 2009. 'While South Africa embraces stringent health and safety legislation in the mining industry, uniform solutions company The Kit Group’s mining division operating officer, Richard Christophers, says that safety wear needs to play a greater role in the industry, especially in smaller, independent mines. Christophers tells Mining Weekly that while blue-chip mines have excellent safety policies, smaller, independently owned mines, which make up about 30% of the industry, do not implement the correct safety measures because they do not have the right infrastructure to enforce the policies. “Statistics show that 80% of miners exposed to 90 dBA on a continuous basis will develop hearing loss within three years. “Sixty-five per cent of hand injuries occur as a result of the supply of inadequate hand-protection gear. Money spent on safety clothing for an employee is never a waste and should never be compromised,” he says.He adds that the cost of providing safety wear far outweighs the medical expenses that may result from injuries sustained as a result of not wearing safety gear. Providing the correct safety gear for mineworkers should be seen as an investment, not only in the long-term sustainability of a mining business, but also in the long-term health and well- being of employees. “So often we hear of miners who have retired with hearing or sight impairments and lung diseases such as silicosis. The mines should take heed of this and ensure the protection of employees to the best of their ability.” Meanwhile, the company has started manufacturing a new brand of footwear. Significant research and development investment have been pumped into this project. Christophers indicates that this footwear is generally imported from China, and does not meet the needs of the South African market. “The average South African male has a much longer and broader foot, and the climate and terrain in South Africa is very different compared with China’s,” he says. The company is currently working on the development of a training and information service, which is an educational safety tool for mine managers and employees. The tool reminds mine man- agers and employees of basic safety tips, training workshops and when there is a need to replace old safety gear. “The mine operator should provide, free of charge, the personal protective equipment that is to be worn when hazards cannot be eliminated, and ensure that it is worn properly and maintained in good condition. “The SMS service allows them to practice such behaviour with due diligence,” says Christophers.

Two survive silo 'quicksand' ordeal. IOL of 27 January 2009. 'Two workers have survived a five-hour ordeal after falling into a grain silo filled with maize meal which engulfed them like quicksand. The drama unfolded at Meadow Feeds in Paarl at about 5pm, after two workers, believed to be in their early 30s, had been cleaning the inside of a giant 40m-high grain silo. Gary Arnold, Meadow Feeds' chief operating officer, said a contract worker had apparently slipped and fallen into the maize and sunk down up to his shoulders. Another worker had then tried to rescue him, but had also fallen in while trying to dig his colleague free. "As you dig maize away from someone, it just flows back in. It's a bit like quicksand," Arnold reported. The rescue services were alerted and paramedics from Metro Rescue and ER24 ambulance service immediately began rigging a rope system to allow rescuers to abseil down to the stricken pair. Ignus Dreyer, a paramedic with ER24, said they had attempted to dig out the men. The second worker, up to his hips in maize, was freed quickly. But the first to have fallen remained submerged. Paramedics scooped the maize away from the man's chest to aide his breathing, but they could not extract him. The silo was then emptied, while the man was held by rope straps to stop him sinking. And after more than six hours - at about 11.30pm - the man was eventually freed.

Click here for General Safety Regulation 7 of the OHS Act.

Woman sues over pothole. News24 of 27 January 2009. 'A woman is suing the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government for R1.1m over injuries she sustained in an accident allegedly caused by a massive pothole on the R33 between Keats Drift and Tugela Ferry on December 6, 2004. Hluphile Elda Zuma, 53, lost her arm after the accident. According to documents before Judge Jan Combrink in the Pietermaritzburg High Court, the pothole in question was allegedly nine metres long and 2.5 metres wide at its widest point. KZN Premier S'bu Ndebele and Transport MEC Bheki Cele are defending the part-heard case, which is proceeding in the high court this week. The driver of the taxi, Zamani Langa - who has been accused of negligent driving - and taxi operator DK Sithole, have been joined in the matter as third parties. Zuma alleges that provincial employees responsible for the upkeep of all provincial roads in KwaZulu-Natal were negligent for failing to keep the road in a safe condition. It is alleged on her behalf that those responsible for doing so, failed to regularly inspect the road, failed to repair the road, failed to erect signs warning motorists of the dangerous condition of the road and failed to close the road or sections of it until the potholes were repaired. It is alleged in the court papers that, as a result of their negligence, the vehicle in which Zuma was a passenger overturned, causing an injury which resulted in the amputation of her arm below the elbow, as well as other injuries. Her claim totalling R1 181 600 is for past and future medical costs, her disability, pain, shock, loss of earnings and loss of future earning capacity. According to court documents, Zuma worked as a chef at Church of Scotland Hospital in Tugela Ferry at the time of the crash, and could no longer continue with her work due to her injury. The province has pleaded that its responsibility to maintain provincial roads is governed by section 9 of the KZN Roads Act, which sets out that the minister is "within available financial resources" responsible for the construction and maintenance of provincial roads. They allege that their employees were not wilful or negligent, but did not do what they should have done "by reason of limited financial constraints". The province further alleges that the negligent driving of the taxi driver, contributed to or was the sole cause of the accident. The case is continuing.

Child shocked at Zoo Lake. The Citizen of 27 January 2009. 'When Dayne Hobb’s family decided to celebrate his eighth birthday at Zoo Lake, they had no way of knowing it would end in tragedy. Dayne was playing soccer with his friends near the corner of Westwold Way and Princess of Wales Drive when he slipped and grabbed on to a nearby grounding cable, sending thousands of volts of electricity through his body. His grandmother, Felicity Johnson, said: “Luckily, it happened near a group of people and one of the men leapt up and kicked at Dayne’s arm, knocking him free from the cable.” His friends ran off to get help and a doctor who was picnicking nearby went to Dayne’s aid as the family called for an ambulance. Emergency services cordoned off the area while Dayne was rushed to Garden City Clinic, where he is in a critical but stable condition. Johnson said: “The doctors are still concerned about the damage that might have been done to his heart. It is clear that there is an earth leakage problem there. It’s just so dangerous. “There were so many families and children there, not to mention the pedestrians who walk where the pole that the grounding cable is connected to is mounted. “We would like the community to be aware of the danger so no more people become victims of this negligence.” City Power spokesman Louis Pieterse said yesterday the matter was under investigation.

Worker dies at Anglo Platinum mine. The Star of 26 January 2009. 'A worker was killed in an accident at Anglo Platinum's Paardekraal shaft two operation, the mining company said on Monday. The death occurred on Sunday above ground, spokesperson Simon Tebele said. A Section 54 notice had been issued and the Department of Minerals and Energy had ordered that all work be suspended at the shaft, Tebele said.
Paardekraal shaft two is situated near Rustenburg.

Minerals and Energy rapped for not finding inspectors. Cape Times. 'THE Department of Minerals and Energy has been rapped over the knuckles by MPs for spending millions of rands advertising posts and then failing to find crucially needed safety inspectors for mines'.

Worker crushed to death by locomotives. IOL of 21 January 2009. ' A 33-year-old Transnet employee was crushed to death by two locomotives at the Louis Trichardt railway station in Limpopo on Tuesday, police said. "The locomotives were towing each other before being stationed at Louis Trichardt to be worked on by the employee," said Captain Ndwamato Vele. "The locomotive at the back then moved toward the one at the front, trapping the man in-between." He was stuck for some time before a technician managed to separate both locomotives. Paramedics declared him dead at the scene. Transnet spokesperson Mike Asefovitz said it was believed that the employee was crushed while he was busy with the shunting of the two locomotives. "He was either coupling or uncoupling the locomotives when the two came together and caught him in-between. We are not 100 percent sure about the circumstances surrounding the accident, but it is being investigated." Asefovitz said Transnet offered its condolences to the man's family. "This is a sad and tragic loss to the Transnet family," he said.

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