During the second week of May, 2017, a gas explosion occurred at the disused Eland mine shaft at Harmony Gold near Welkom. Police have retrieved the bodies of 25 illegal miners, with the surviving 11 arrested upon surfacing aboveground.
Why is there an increase of this illegal activity? What are the conditions on unused mines that makes it easy for unauthorised people to enter? Have mining companies been derelict in their duties? Let’s take a look.
Topics: News and Opinions, HSE trends, CEO, Mining, Budget, Legislation, Illegal
Your workplace is ticking along, everyone has undergone the required health and safety training at some point, and it appears that everyone understands how to prevent and minimise risk. So there’s nothing more for you to do – right? Well, no actually.
As any mechanic worth his salt will tell you, maintenance is an ongoing, essential requirement to ensure things keep running smoothly. In fact, just because certain training may not be legally required, it doesn’t mean your company doesn’t need it. So here’s what to consider when it comes to retraining your employees.
Topics: work safety, HSE, CEO, training, Budget
As a corporate leader, global competition and razor-thin margins can pressure your employer to make financial decisions that conflict with health and safety standards. As health and safety professionals, it can become tiresome, having to constantly justify necessary spend. Let’s be honest – we know the safety training our company needs, and perhaps in the interests of getting that training, we’ll opt for the ‘discount’ option in order to please our employers and their bottom lines while still meeting our HSE legal requirements.
In reality, however, current safety statistics show that improving work site safety practices reduces both direct and indirect employee costs in the long run, saving money and even the company itself. Here’s how paying cheap now can cost you dearly later.
Topics: Career in Health and Safety, Occupational Health and Safety, Risk management, training, Fatalities in the workplace, Budget
For many companies, we’re fast approaching financial year end. This is the time to review what remains in our budgets and find ways to spend what remains in a way that is responsible and productive, while avoiding wasteful expenditure that can harm your bottom line.
