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Progress too slow in achieving occupational health & safety milestones
In 2003, stakeholders in the South African mining sector adopted a resolution to improve occupational health and safety targets in order to achieve an industry benchmark of zero fatality and injury rates by 2013.
Speaking at the Chamber of Mines’ (CoM’s) second annual health and safety summit, director of the Centre for Sustainability in Mining and Industry at the Wits School of Mining May Her- manus said that the targets and milestones have three primary focus areas – safety, silicosis and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) – which are the areas that present the most pressing threat to the occupational health and safety of mineworkers.In terms of safety, the target is a zero fatality and injury rate by 2013.
“The milestones towards meeting this target are that, by 2013, the gold sector will achieve safety-performance levels equivalent to the international benchmarks for underground metalliferous mines and that other commodity sectors will achieve consistent and continuous improvement equivalent to international benchmarks,” said Hermanus. According to CoM safety and sustainable development adviser Sietse van der Woude, an annual improvement of 20% is the minimum requirement to achieve the international benchmarks by the stipulated date. However, in 2005 the South African mining industry achieved only a 16% improvement, which was the best ever recorded. Van der Woude said that the diamonds, coal and platinum-group metal sectors were the industry’s best performers, which recorded 57%, 32% and 29% fatality-frequency rate improvements respectively.
The gold sector, on the other hand, experienced an 8% decrease in safety performance, although this sector was the industry leader between 2001 and 2004. With regard to eliminating silicosis, Hermanus said that, by December 2008, 95% of all measure-ments of exposure for individuals will be below the occupational 0,1 mg/m3 exposure limit for respirable crystalline silica and, after December 2013, using present diagnostic techniques, no new cases of silicosis will occur among previously-unexposed workers. Similarly, by December 2008, hearing-con-servation programmes must be so effective that hearing loss among occupationally-exposed individuals will not be more than 10% and, by December 2013, the total noise emitted by all equipment installed and operational in any workplace will not exceed a sound-pressure level of 110 dB(A) at any location in the workplace.
According to CoM health adviser Dr Fazel Randera, the data available for the monitoring of silicosis is somewhat dated and not entirely accurate, as detection of the early stage of the incurable disease is still a challenge to the industry.
However, Randera said that the Mine Health and Safety Council (MHSC) has made consider- able progress in the monitoring of NIHL cases. To date, the MHSC has built up a repository of 400 000 individual hearing data, which is available in a repository that is continually being added to through this ongoing project.
Taking a stand on industrial disease
Union meets with WHSCC
Staff
The Aurora
Just three weeks after the President of United Steelworkers Local 5795, George Kean, sent a letter to (then) Minister of Labour, Paul Shelley requesting help to investigate causes to the number of cancers in his membership, a first meeting on the issue has taken place.
Last Tuesday the Steelworkers National Health and Safety Representative, Andy King, International Representative from Labrador West, Tom Harris, and Kean met with directors from the Workplace Health and Safety Department in St. John’s.
Kean said the meeting was very cordial as he and the other representatives outlined the health concerns regarding their members. While Kean is not saying all the cancers of his members are industrial related diseases, doctors have indicated they feel a number are.
Officials from the WHSCC have indicated they will respond to the United Steelworkers within a couple of weeks and outline a plan going forward which will probably require a site visit. Kean said it was an important first step. United Steelworkers Local 5795 has had three deaths in the past eight years from silicosis, pneumoconiosis or asbestos, and a number are still under review.
In a seven-volume report released by the Minister of Labour and Manpower on Dec. 17, 1982, 43 cases of pneumoconiosis were diagnosed. In the follow-up study in 1992 another 11 cases were diagnosed.
“The study pointed out that the occurrence of pneumoconiosis would continue to be detected for the foreseeable future, even if dust levels are reduced. A review of all evidence and comparisons with other epidemiological studies indicate that from six to 13 new cases each year can be anticipated.”
Kean stresses while much has been done since 1982 to improve the workplace environment, there are still many areas above the allowable TLV limit.
“It’s very important that employees wear their protective dust masks when in dusty areas. The problem with silica is that you don’t see the damage it does to the lungs or other body organs until you are exposed to it for 15 to 20 years and then it’s irreversible.”
Kean, who has represented workers in the province in the past on the Workers Compensations Appeals Board, has won two Canadian milestone cases in the last few years for his members regarding Industrial Diseases. In 1999 he won the first case in Canada for a member getting compensated for kidney disease related to his silicosis, and in 2006 another member diagnosed for non-hodgikins lymphoma cancer was compensated.
“Research on these cases takes a lot of time and dedication, but with the Internet the world is open to you,” Kean pointed out. “There are many studies done on these diseases throughout the world that you have access to. While the United Steelworkers have knowledge of about 50 per cent of those diagnosed over the years, they would like to be aware of all who have the disease. Once a member is diagnosed, a letter goes to the employee and their family physician and it’s up to that member to come forward.”
Kean is requesting that anyone in this situation come forward to the union to have a WCC file open so they can be followed up in the future.
“Just last week I received a letter from a retired steelworker now residing in St. John’s who was diagnosed with silicosis,” he noted.
Kean is hoping to work in partnership with WHSCC and the Iron Ore Company of Canada in dealing with these issues.
“This doesn’t have to become a public issue, but the employers’ lack of support for past employees diagnosed with these diseases is something that needs to be dealt with,” he said. “A big concern I have around these issues is that in recent years the head of the Company’s Occupational Health and Safety office has usually been transferred from one of Rio Tinto’s other sites. While they are well qualified and experienced, they are only here for a year or two then gone again. We want someone that is here for the long term and can work with us on these issues.
While our safety record has improved tremendously in recent years, more priority has to be placed on industrial disease prevention.”
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