Key stakeholders in South Africa's mining industry, including government, private companies, and unions, are too focused on blaming each other when accidents occur rather than finding constructive solutions to safety issues. Roger Dixon advocates for more transparent and genuine relationships between these groups with shared responsibility for health and safety. Dixon believes that improving safety requires a collective effort and long-term strategy from all parties to close existing gaps, rather than counterproductive tactics like overusing safety stoppages that can negatively impact workers and productivity. Building trust between groups is needed to make real progress on investment in worker health and safety.

1. Publication: SA Mining
Date: 01 Jan 2017
Page: 42
It's time for 'real' relationships - SRK
By Brindaveni Naidoo
mproving health and safety in South Africa's mining industry needs
to be premised on strong, transparent and 'real' relationships,
advocates Roger Dixon, corporate consultant of SRK Consulting
(SA).
This real characteristic is the critical missing ingredient in taking
forward th e relationships that currently exist between government,
the private sector and the unions, he explains.
"The tr uth remains that this sector's key stakeholders are all
caught up in a 'b lame game', particularly w hen the re is a fatality or
when an accident takes place.
''If there is a fatality at a mine - the union leaders attack the
mining company for poor safety controls, the Department of Mineral
Resources (DMR) is ready to sanction a Section 54 stoppage,the
workers might b lame the safety supervisor and the CEO expects
answers from his health and safety management.The 'b lame game'
continues and this is not the approach we should take."
Dixon stresses that there is a 'real' and urgent need to find a
common objective and to start looking at constructive solutions to
tackle safety head-on. Part of that constructive solution is the need for
stron g leadership from all parties.
He believes that the CEO of any com pany is equally responsible
for health and safety; as is the safety supervisor, executives or
management of a company; or the mine worker, rock driller or the
leaders of unions; aswell as the healthy and safety inspectorate of the
DMR.
" No one single individual has more responsibility than the next
person - health and safety is a culture that needs to be adopted
equally and seriously at all levels of the value chain in the work place
to ensure success."
"Mines tod ay are called upon to observe the highest levels of
regulatory com pliance and technical performance, but at the same
time they must build robust relationships with stakeholders [and vice
versa] so that gaps that exist and pose serious challenges, such as
poor health and safety, are closed - failing to do so has become the
most fu ndamental risk to mining everywhere," explains Dixon.
However, government must assess the regulatory impact of laws
that aim to ensure compliance. This has been a long time coming, as
South Africa grapples with the twin challenges of low growth rates and
high unemployment . It is vital that compliance legislation - both in its
principle and its implementation - does not stifle the mining sector,
especially in diffic ult times.
"For example, the value of Section 54 stop pages is not being put
into question or its critical role in ensuring governance of safety.
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But it can be counterproductive, especially when over the past few
years the ability of DMR inspectors to efficiently j udge such situations
that require the implementation of Section 54 has been called into
question.
"The Section 54 stoppage should not be a tr ump card for the DMR;
we have to move forward and find a suite of constr uctive solutions
that is not harmful in itself - notjust for productivity but for workers
too."
How so does it impact workers? Dixon explains: "The 'Section 54'
powers granted to departmental officials- referringto the ability
to close an operation after an accident - are also sometimes used
counter-productively by reducing the working days in a month . These
stoppages disadvantage those workers on bonus incentives and can
even heighten the risk of workers ta king safety short-cuts to make up
for lost time."
''Mines need a longer-term sector strategy to improve health and
safety performance that would address productivity, mechanisation
and profitability in a way that would not place any of these factors in
conflict with each other."
''No loss of life is acceptable - but how is it that even with Section
54 stoppages, there are still fatalities across the country's mining
sector? There is no one solution to the challenge - there must be
a collective gathering of solutions that serves to protect the mine
worker at all times. This includesthe responsibility of unions to start
driving a cultu re of safety and health amongst the members they
represent - an obligation placed on the m along with mine owners and
the DMRby the Mine Health and Safety Act of 1996."
It is ju st not about government's engagement with business or vice
versa that needs to be improved if investment in the health and safety
of all workers is to be unlocked - it is the building of trust between
parties that is the key ingredient, concludes Dixon. •