Chronicle Editor
Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
THE growing trend of mine accidents, as a result of negligence, being recorded in the country has seen the Young Miners Foundation (YMF) and its partners rolling out a three-day Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) training course with certification in Bulawayo.
The training course scheduled for tomorrow till Wednesday, will be done in partnership with the International Health and Nursing Academy (IHNA) and Lenrage Occupational Safety, Health and Environmental (OSHE) Consultancy with certification accreditation by the South African Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (SAIOSH) and British Safety Council.
In an interview, YMF Safety Health Environmental (SHE) department director, Ms Mellissa Manjonda said the training was necessitated by the need to address mining accidents and fatalities. “Responding to the increase in accidents and land degradation at our young miners’ sites, YMF and its partners are offering a free three-day OHS training course with certification from well-recognised boards,” she said.
“The initiative supports the Government of Zimbabwe and other partners’ efforts in promoting safe, sustainable and environmentally friendly small-scale mining activities in the country.” She said the training will benefit young miners by providing them with sufficient knowledge to operate their mines safely, efficiently and in an environmentally friendly manner.
Ms Manjonda said issues of health, safety and environmental protection continue to be neglected by some artisanal and small-scale miners, while some miners conduct their operations without proper equipment and protective clothing.
“Some work from dangerous shafts, which cause occupational hazards. There is also a problem of miners who cause a lot of damage to the environment and do not bother to restore the environment as expected. By training these miners, we expect to see them adhering to regulations,” she added.
IHNA founder and chief executive officer (CEO), Mr Temba Moyo said the course outline covers key topics in mining safety and OHS. “To issue, safety in mining is taken as a priority, the training course will cover an introduction to OHS in mining giving an overview of mining safety regulations and standards. We will also look at hazard identification and risk assessment, personal protective equipment and safety gear and mine safety management systems, among other topics,” he said.
“We will also look at incident reporting and investigation, emergency preparedness and response, ergonomics and manual handling as well as confined spaces and working at heights. Miners need to know safety measures and procedures for working in these environments.”
He said of importance will also be mining safety culture and leadership, contractor management and oversight, worker training and competency, safety metrics and data analysis and regulatory compliance and audits. Lenrage OSHE Consultancy co-founder and consultant, Mrs Hellen Nekati said when people think of OHS they think of parting away with a lot of money, however, there was more to that.
“So, the training will be there to educate miners that safety does not have to be expensive or counter-productive for them to practice it. That safety is not only for medium to large-scale miners but for small-scale and artisanal miners as well,” she said.
“Lenrage OSHE Consultancy will be presenting mostly on how climate change and occupational safety are linked together and how they affect not only miners but women and children in the community. We will also highlight issues to do with the psychosocial aspects that affect miners such as violence, suicide and mental health issues, among other topics.”
In 2023, Midlands and Matabeleland South provinces recorded the highest number of mining accidents and fatalities, accounting for over 40 percent of the total fatalities and over 41 percent of the accidents reported nationwide. According to official statistics, the country recorded 237 fatalities in 2023 and 212 accidents.
Masvingo Province recorded the least number of accidents and fatalities, which were four respectively. The highest month with fatalities and accidents was January followed by June and December. The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development is on record advising all miners, large-scale, medium-scale and small-scale, in particular, artisanal miners across the country that at the onset of the rainy season they should halt operations.
The rainy season brings with it grave dangers and risks that are a threat to lives and potential loss of equipment and damage to mines.
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