Mining Weekly reports that it is clear that the regulatory authorities, including the Department of Labour and the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR), are trying to address the high incidence of occupational diseases in the mining industry.  

At the 2018 Mine Occupational Heath and Safety Summit in October, tripartite commitments were reaffirmed, while the Compensation for Occupational Diseases Act (Coida) Amendment Bill has been published.  The summit, hosted by the DMR, sought to share insights on mine health and safety for the betterment of the industry.  One of the aspects highlighted was that, according to the DMR’s data, there were significantly more cases of occupational diseases – tuberculosis (TB), silicosis and noise- induced hearing loss (NIHL) – than fatalities caused by safety incidents.  Last year 88 workers lost their lives, while 652 workers contracted silicosis in 2017, compared with 635 in 2016  In 2017 2,247 workers contracted TB, down from 2,580 in 2016, and 1,141 were confirmed to be struggling with NIHL, compared with 966 in 2016.  Inroads against TB in the mining sector have largely been attributable to Masoyise iTB, a multistakeholder initiative that has resulted in an increase in the number of employees screened for TB and HIV, leading to early diagnosis and treatment.  Additionally, in April, the Guidelines for the Compilation of a Mandatory Code of Practice for an Occupational Health Programme on Personal Exposure to Airborne Pollutants was introduced by the inspectorate of mines.  The DMR anticipates that these and other measures will go a long way towards mitigating exposure to TB and other lung diseases, which, while trending lower in the longer term, remain alarmingly high.

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