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
It’s good to see that the law is standing firm when it comes to enforcing penalties – and punishment – for health and safety violations. This is certainly the case in Delaware in the United States, where former coal baron Donald Blankenship will stay in jail after an appeals court upheld his conviction for flouting mine-safety laws.
The self-named ‘political prisoner’ was unable to identify any reversible errors in his 2016 trial, where he was charged with ignoring safety rules at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch (UBB) mine.
Topics: legal compliance, CEO, Mining, Fatalities in the workplace
