Editorial Comment: Consider mine workers’ safety first

zimplogoSEVEN mine workers died at Golden Valley Mine near Kadoma on Monday evening when the cage transporting them underground overran and plunged 80 metres to the bottom of the 400m deep flooded shaft. The Kadoma miners died just three days after the country commemorated the Kamandama Mine Disaster in Hwange. On June 6, 1972, 427 coal miners were killed following what is suspected to have been a gas explosion. The Hwange mine accident remains the worst mining disaster in Zimbabwe and one of the worst mining disasters in the long history of mining in the world.

Speaking at the Kamandama commemorations, Vice President Joice Mujuru said after the Hwange disaster, findings of an inquiry strongly recommended that the government should take special interest in the safety of miners. She said government was therefore committed to ensuring that mines maintain the highest safety standards in order to minimise occupational accidents. The country continues to record sporadic mine accidents, a confirmation that mines authorities are not prioritising safety of workers.

According to reports of the Kadoma mine accident, 19 workers who were about to start their 6PM to 2AM shift, were being taken underground using a skip or cage. The cage is said to have developed a fault on the way and overran. It proceeded to the bottom of the shaft where it plunged into the water and submerged. Seven of the workers drowned while 12 others managed to climb on the roof of the cage and were later rescued.

In May 2012, 178 Mimosa Mining Company workers in Zvishavane spent close to 17 hours trapped underground when one of the mine’s conveyor belts accidentally caught fire. It was very fortunate that the rescue teams managed to evacuate all the trapped miners.

The mining and tourism sectors are the two sectors that the country is pinning its hopes on for a quick turnaround of the economy. The country is therefore looking forward to a rapid expansion of the mining and tourism sectors. It is crucial that as mines invest to boost production, they also invest in the safety of the most important resource, which is manpower.

The mining sector cannot afford to continue losing skilled manpower to accidents. There are strong arguments that zero harm at workplaces can be achieved if companies commit themselves to highest safety standards. In order to achieve this, management and workers should work as a team to enforce safety rules and regulations at the workplace.

Management’s obligation is to put in place measures to ensure a safe working environment while workers on their part should observe safety rules and regulations. Some of the accidents that occur at the workplace are as a result of negligence by workers which means they can be avoided. It should be the duty of each and every worker to quickly raise the alarm when he or she observes any slackening in the enforcement of  safety measures and management on their part should promptly respond to such alarm.

We want at this juncture to once again implore companies to ensure that safety of workers always comes first.

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