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Mine safety under the spotlight

Ken Coster
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The recent incident which left seven miners dead and six injured at the Sibanye-Stillwater’s Masakhane mine in Driefontein has yet again brought the issue of safety in the mining industry to the fore.

The tragic incident happened after 13 miners were trapped underground after a rock fall caused by a seismic event caused a fall of ground last week.

According to Cosatu, more than 25 miners have died since the beginning of 2018.

Kenneth Coster, an Occupational, Health and Safety expert from Webber Wentzel, suggests that safety in mining isn’t necessarily deteriorating.

“I think what’s very important to understand is that whilst of course mining is a dangerous activity, there has been a downward trend in terms of mine fatality over the years.”

“Mining is dangerous work, and I think that employers have put various measures into place to comply firstly with the act, and then over and beyond what are the requirements in terms of creating systems that employees can rely on,” Coster explains further.

Click below to watch the full interview:

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