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RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSA #1624/01 2070811
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 250811Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5191
INFO RUCPDC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0822
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0694
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1559
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 0825
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1400
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 0663
RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PRETORIA 001624 
 
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SENSITIVE 
 
STATE PLEASE PASS USAID 
STATE PLEASE PASS USGS 
DEPT FOR AF/S, EEB/ESC AND CBA 
DOE FOR SPERL AND PERSON 
 
E.O.   12958: N/A 
TAGS: EMIN EPET ENRG EINV EIND ETRD ELAB KHIV SF
SUBJECT: Safety in South African Mines - a Moral Imperative 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY: Persistent fatalities in South African mines 
(increasing to 221 in 2007 from 199 in the prior year) have 
galvanized industry, government, and labor into taking a harder look 
at the way safety is communicated and implemented on mines.  Both 
Anglo American and Gold Fields, the third and fourth largest gold 
producers in the world, have identified safety as top priority and 
sine qua non for engaging in mining.  A conference on Safety in Deep 
Mining was organized by Mining Review Africa to highlight safety 
issues and open discussion on causes and possible solutions to the 
problem.  Minerals and Energy Resources Specialist moderated a panel 
discussion on safety governance and chaired a session on safety 
education and management.  Presentations and discussions covered 
most aspects of mine safety, including technology, and industry and 
government roles in safety research, legislation and governance. 
The major consideration revolved around human factors in safety, 
namely culture and attitude as the determinants of behavior, and how 
senior executive commitment was essential in modifying behavior. 
End Summary. 
 
------------------------------ 
Safety - Moral License to Mine 
------------------------------ 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Recent dismissals of a number of senior mining executives 
for non-performance on safety issues, closure of mines by the 
Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) following fatal accidents, 
and labor action protesting unsafe and unhealthy working conditions 
have cost South African mines hundreds of millions of dollars in 
lost production and export earnings over the past year.  These 
issues have focused industry's attention on the imperative for a 
more wide-ranging, innovative and pro-active approach to mine safety 
and health matters.  Health - represented as HIV/AIDS, TB and 
Silicosis - and recurring power outages have a significant negative 
impact on mine safety.  Technical and human safety issues were 
addressed by the Mining Review Africa Conference on Safety in Deep 
Mining, held July 16-17 in Johannesburg, the hub of South Africa's 
mining industry.  The conference attracted 84 attendees from four 
countries and presentations were made by major South African gold 
and platinum mining companies as well as by Barrick Gold of Canada, 
the biggest gold producer in the world. 
 
----------------------- 
Mining Safety Challenge 
----------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Safety has been a long-standing focus of South Africa's 
mining industry because most of the operations are underground and 
all mines are being compelled to go deeper.  A number of gold mines 
are reaching depths of 4,000 meters and plan to go to 5,000 meters 
should the economics prove viable.  Platinum mines are planning to 
go to 2,500 meters in the future.  Increased depth requires better 
mine planning and rock engineering, increased ventilation and 
cooling, higher levels of technology and skills, and increased power 
for rock haulage, pumping water, and to provide an acceptable 
working environment.  Increased depth also induces seismic events 
around the mine, which are generally of low intensity but sufficient 
Qaround the mine, which are generally of low intensity but sufficient 
to trigger rock falls in working places.  Mine statistics show that 
70% of fatalities are caused by falls of rock from the roof 
(hanging), but most are not related to seismic activity, which 
generally occurs within a few hours of blasting and in-between shift 
changes. 
 
------------------------- 
Modernizing Mining Safety 
------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) A conference keynote address was presented by the Chief 
Inspector of Mines Thabo Gazi who gave a historical review of South 
Africa's mining industry and the role it has played in the 
industrial and socio-economic development and urbanization of the 
country, despite its roots in white-only exclusivity.  He emphasized 
mining's ability to mobilize capital, provide employment and 
training, and earn foreign currency as major benefits.  Gazi drew 
attention to the fact that fatalities had decreased from 1,000 in 
1987 to 212 in 2007, but stated that any deaths were unacceptable. 
He said that mine deaths hampered government's initiatives on 
poverty alleviation and promoted the flight of skills and capital 
 
PRETORIA 00001624  002 OF 003 
 
 
from the industry.  They also had an economic and social impact and 
created a negative image of South African mining.  Gazi identified 
the challenges facing the mining industry as being: 
-- attracting and training skills; 
-- acquiring new technologies and models in rock engineering, 
backfill, explosives, ventilation and cooling; 
-- addressing pollution and emissions; 
-- combating HIV/AIDS and associated diseases; and 
-- assuring appropriate mine design. 
Gazi stressed that safety was the "moral license to mine" and that 
best practices must be employed in all situations. 
 
---------------------------- 
Safety Governance Challenges 
---------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The panel on safety governance engaged panelists and 
attendees in debate on the major issues, causes, failings, and 
possible solutions to the present safety situation on South African 
mines.  All agreed that working conditions in South African mines 
are unique in that mines employ large numbers of unskilled labor who 
work in fairly arduous conditions of heat, humidity and limited 
space, using heavy equipment.  The panel also recognized that safety 
was the collective responsibility of all stakeholders and required a 
bi-partisan and multi-disciplinary approach involving labor, 
management, government and individual awareness and empowerment.  It 
also required action by way of research, sound and effective 
government policy, problem-centered regulation and oversight, and 
the commitment and leadership of executive mine management. 
Australia was cited as producing industry-coordinated and 
cooperative research in safety despite a small government budget. 
South Africa had a relatively bigger research budget but failed in 
these areas because industry research organizations such as COMRO 
(Chamber of Mines Research Organization) had been disbanded in favor 
of company-specific research. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Speakers dealt with technology and technical aspects of 
safety, including essential visibility of miners and machinery using 
strobe lights and sensors, communication equipment and safe-places, 
and respiratory and rescue equipment.  A major issue for South 
African mines is the ability to arrest the free-fall of run-away 
ore-skips and man-conveyances (cages).  These have caused major 
accidents in which many lives have been lost and extensive damage to 
mine shafts and installations.  Prevention though regular inspection 
and maintenance of transportation systems is the only real solution 
because physical methods are limited, depending on the weight and 
speed of a skip or cage.  The issue of declining skills in the 
industry was identified as a key contributor to accidents, 
specifically in regard to the monitoring, maintenance and use of 
equipment and machinery.  Much of this was blamed on government's 
labor and black economic empowerment policies that have caused the 
employment of inexperienced people in skilled jobs, and the 
emigration of skills to Australia and Canada. 
 
-------------------------- 
New Leadership Commitment 
-------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Most presentations dealt with human factors as the major 
Q7.  (SBU) Most presentations dealt with human factors as the major 
cause of and impediment to the reduction or elimination of mine 
accidents.  A provocative keynote address by Barrick's Vice 
President for Health and Safety Don Ritz highlighted the essential 
leadership role of senior mine executives in reducing accidents.  He 
emphasized that safety programs and systems were essential tools in 
reducing accidents, but that a company had to go beyond these to cut 
accidents to zero.  This could only be done if executives were 
committed and visibly involved in safety.  "I must be the change I 
wish to see in others", he quoted from Gandhi.  Ritz said that 
Barrick's CEO had accompanied him on a health and safety inspection 
and promotion tour to all the companies 27 mines and that many of 
these mines had not had a fatal accident in years.  Others had 
fairly high accident rates and there was a direct correlation 
between executive commitment and accident frequency.  He also showed 
that there was a huge return on investment in safety, of the order 
of 8/1. 
 
 
 
PRETORIA 00001624  003 OF 003 
 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Other speakers presented information and statistics 
showing that most accidents: 
-- occur in "safe" areas; 
-- are due to non-compliance by everyone from executives 
   to miners and operators; and 
-- are due overwhelmingly to human factors and 
   conditions. 
Human factors include: 
-- wellness; 
-- lack of experience and skills; 
-- attitude to safety; 
-- culture; 
-- production bonus systems; 
-- working environment; and 
-- non-empowerment of miners to make safety decisions. 
The incidence of HIV/AIDS among South African miners ranges from 
25-40%, an unreliable figure because only voluntary testing is 
legally allowed.  Miners infected by the HIV virus are extremely 
susceptible to TB and silicosis and tend to hide their illnesses 
until their condition becomes obvious.  This has a major impact on 
their safety compliance.  Presenters also qualified behavior toward 
safety as a combination of attitude and culture.  Culture and 
attitude are very difficult to change, but behavior can be modified 
by constant training and the leadership of senior management. 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Safety awareness and training have always been a priority 
in South Africa's mines, particularly the gold mines.  During the 
1980's and 1990's most mines were battling to maintain profit 
margins and it is certainly possible that some safety "corners" were 
cut to increase production.  The arrival of the gold boom around 
2005 increased pressure to manage ballooning costs and maintain 
margins.  The advent of Anglo American's new CEO Cynthia Carroll 
with her focus on safety, the DME's mine closure policy, and labor 
actions have all focused executive attention on the imperative for 
new thinking and technology to be applied to safety and accident 
prevention.  Mining fatalities in South Africa have been reduced by 
almost a factor of five from about 1000 in 1987, but that isn't good 
enough. 
 
BOST