Industry leaders in mining committed to eliminate fatal risks across one of mining’s highest-risk operational areas.
This was at a morning session of the Scraper Winches & Railbound Equipment Day of Learning, held on Friday, the Silverstar Casino in Gauteng.
Speakers at the session concluded that preventing fatalities around high-energy hazards, depends on more than the equipment itself.
It will take establishing, maintaining and verifying effective critical controls to protect lives, as well as the accurate classification, life-critical rigging controls.
Maphsuka Tibane of the Association of Mine Managers of South Africa, spoke about the importance of visible leadership, at the session, as well as critical control verification and a strong safety culture.
Nomvula Ngcobo of the Minerals Council South Africa shared insights from scraper winch incident data, reinforcing the need for stronger warning systems, proximity detection and rigorous equipment inspections.
Dr Joshua Kembo of the Bureau of Market Research spoke extensively about preliminary findings from the Railbound Equipment (RBE) Data Analysis Project, which showed the need for stronger critical controls.
Presentations reinforced that achieving Zero Harm requires strong leadership, data-driven decision-making and continued industry collaboration.
Maryke Burger of African Rainbow Minerals Limited, who was the keynote speaker, said there should be a relentless pursuit to eliminate fatal risks associated with scraper winches and railbound equipment.
She said controls must be practical, consistently applied and backed by strong leadership to protect the employees most exposed to these risks.
She also highlighted the importance of continued collaboration between employers, organised labour, regulators and suppliers to strengthen safety across the industry.
Picture of Maryke Burger of African Rainbow Minerals Limited: Supplied