[miningmx.com] — MINING fatalities in the first nine months of 2010 dropped by about 26% compared to the same period in 2009, trade union Solidarity said on Monday.
The trade union said the number of mining fatalities reached 97 this week after a fatal accident at SIMMER AND JACK MINES LIMITED‘s Tau Lekoa mine near Klerksdorp on Sunday night.
This brings the number of mining fatalities in the past week to three after an earth tremor led to the death of two workers at HARMONY GOLD MINING COMPANY LIMITED‘s Bambanani mine in the Free State last week.
“According to provisional data from the Department of Mineral Resources, 96 workers – or just over two workers per week – have died in the first nine months of 2010, compared to 129 fatalities in the same period last year,” said Solidarity’s head of occupational health and safety Paul Mardon.
“Just under half of this year’s mining fatalities – 46 fatalities –
occurred in gold mines, while 24 fatalities were caused by accidents at platinum mines.
In 2007, 221 mineworkers, or more than four workers per week, died in South African mines.
By 2009, this figure had dropped to 165, or just over three workers per week.
In the meantime, the number of mining accidents dropped by 31%, from 2,613 accidents from January to September last year to 1 801 accidents in the same period this year. Of these, 54% occurred in North West.
“Mines in North West are the deadliest in South Africa,” Mardon said.
“The number of mining fatalities has dropped in seven of the nine provinces compared to last year, but most of the mining fatalities still occurred in North West (34), followed by Gauteng (20) and then the Free State (17),” added Mardon.
