Fatal accidents at mines don’t slow down despite Covid-19 lower production

A total of 23 mineworkers have died in mining-related incidents since the beginning of the year despite a significant slowdown in production due to the Covid-19 lockdown.

Information provided by the department of mineral resources in its budget vote on Tuesday showed that 23 mineworkers had died in accidents so far this year, compared to 24 fatalities reported for the same period in 2019 when the industry was operating unhindered by a lockdown.

The fact that South Africa’s mines have some of the deepest shafts in the world poses a critical safety challenge for the sector. The number of deaths from accidents have been declining over the past few years. In 2019, mining operation fatalities recorded 51 deaths, down from 81 reported cases in 2018.

“Seismic and gravity-induced fall-of-ground accidents remain the highest contributor to mine fatalities and injuries,” said the department.

In an effort to lessen the impact of seismic activity on mines, government has set up a task team to study the frequency of earthquakes in different regions and develop monitoring equipment.

Some of the other most common occupational diseases impacting mineworkers are noise-induced hearing loss, Silicosis and TB.

On Tuesday, the mining industry also marked 23 years since 18 miners died following an earth tremor that shook the Hartebeestfontein gold mine near Klerksdorp.

While accidents continue to stalk the country’s mines, deaths from Covid-19 have been slowly climbing since the phased return to production following the easing of the hard lockdown, with 50 deaths registered so far.

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