Mining Weekly reports that following a spate of fatalities at its SA mines this year, Sibanye-Stillwater has appointed Dr Kobus de Jager as corporate head of safety, with a mandate to review and enhance the company’s safety management.  

He holds a visiting adjunct professorship at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and has over 40 years’ experience in mine safety with academic and practical credentials in leadership and behavioural safety.  The precious metals producer has also committed to funding an independent study, to be conducted by a visiting academic at Wits, with the aim of developing practical recommendations for enhancing risk management effectiveness at Sibanye’s operations.  This work, which forms part of a wider study on the origins and impact of the Mine Health and Safety Act (MHSA), will be performed through the Centre for Sustainability in Mining and Industry.    Meanwhile, Sibanye has urged employees to make use of formal grievance procedures and an anonymous tip-off system to report incidents of being forced to work if it is unsafe or if they are victimised for refusing to work if it is unsafe.  “Any supervisor who has been found to force workers to work in unsafe conditions is liable to disciplinary action,” the company stated.

• Read this report in full at Mining Weekly
• Read Sibanye-Stillwater’s press statement in this regard at Moneyweb

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