COMMENT
SAFETY FIRST
T
he issue of occupational health and
safety is a pressing one in industry,
but particularly in industries that
carry an inherent risk due to the
nature of work, such as the mining industry.
Surface mining carries its own set of safety
concerns, which are often ignored in the
media and rather focus on the dangers of
underground mining.
Nevertheless, the men and women who
work to ensure that the health and safety of
everyone on site remain a high priority and
are safeguarded and protected are often the
unsung heroes – only garnering attention when
something goes wrong.
This issue of Quarry Southern Africa
focuses specifically on the issue of health and
safety in surface mining, and I was privileged
to be able to not only attend a meeting
of Aspasa’s Health and Safety Committee
late last year, but also to attend one of the
audits carried out annually on its member
quarries. This allowed me to gain a better
understanding of the issues faced by those in
the industry, both from an operational point
of view, and in terms of the ever-changing
legislative and regulatory requirements.
Perhaps the most important – and
potentially most challenging – aspect of this
area is the need to develop a safety culture
throughout the workplace. No matter how
dangerous your everyday conditions are, it
can be easy to become complacent. It is in the
nature of human beings to adapt, and anything
can become mundane, given enough time. This
makes it all the more important to promote
conscious recognition of potential hazards in
the workplace – to get buy-in from employees
at all levels and to maintain health and safety
best practice at all times.
In the quest for zero harm, there is a
tendency across all industries to increasingly
rely on technology. It is important that
we remember that no matter how much
technology may advance, it will always be
people who ultimately drive industry forward
and people who are responsible for ensuring
that technology, no matter how advanced, is
properly implemented and used. So, while
the industry is working to complete risk
assessments and, where necessary, implement
proximity detection technology on site, it is
vital that mines continue to focus on updating
and enforcing their policies and procedures
to make sure that they both comply with
the relevant legislation and are properly
understood and implemented on site.
And while the focus on safety is important,
it is also important that we don’t forget the
health aspect, which includes areas such
as fatigue management and ergonomics.
Employees who are in good health, both
physically and mentally, will perform better
– not just to minimise safety risks, but to also
improve efficiencies.
Overall, health and safety is an area in which
knowledge and best practice are continually
updated, and in which improvements are
measurable not only in figures, but in lives.
This year, as part of our quest to improve,
let us focus on not just preventing harm, but
also promoting health, therefore ensuring a
productive, safe and healthy environment for
everyone working in the industry.
Robyn Grimsley - Editor
[email protected]
QUARRY SA | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 _ 1