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Safety

Safety management

A key strategic objective is the achievement of ‘Zero harm’. The group safety policy, which is based on the key resolutions adopted at the group safety summit held in February 2006, entrenches the belief that mining, and underground mining in particular, can be undertaken without causing injury and harm.

All Implats’ operations in both South Africa and Zimbabwe have aligned their operational safety strategies and plans with those of the group. On a practical level, the implementation of ‘visible, felt leadership’ is showing positive results. Supervisors and management ensure that safety is not compromised in any circumstances by taking responsibility for employee safety, leading by example, encouraging positive safety behaviour and discouraging negative behaviour.

Allied to this is the intolerance of nonconformance and non-compliance with Implats’ safety standards and procedures, which are enshrined in operation-specific Platinum Rules.

To achieve the group’s long-term goal of zero harm, an intermediate goal has been set to achieve 12 consecutive months free of lost-time injuries by FY2012. This is a significant target but one which the group believes is achievable.

At board level, a committee, the SHEQ Audit Committee, has oversight of both safety performance and goal setting. Further details of this committee are provided in the corporate governance section of the Annual Report.

A key feature of the year was the appointment of an executive responsible for safety, health and environment at a group level who will drive goal-setting, strategy development, performance management and reporting. While safety management is the responsibility of line management, specialist safety staff assist with the management and monitoring of safety issues.

Employee involvement

The involvement of employees and unions in safety issues is a key imperative of the group, as is the taking of direct accountability for safety actions by all employees. Legislation and recognition agreements in both South Africa and Zimbabwe provide for the establishment of formal safety committees. These committees most commonly comprise joint management/union participation and meet at least monthly. In addition, safety representatives have been elected at all operations: 40 full time and 2000 part-time at Impala Rustenburg, 48 at Impala Springs, 104 at Marula, 82 at Mimosa and 80 at Zimplats.

By virtue of the collective bargaining agreements in place in South Africa and the worker committees in Zimbabwe, all employees are represented at these safety and health forums at an operational level. As with safety, issues relating to occupational health are dealt with at board level by the SHEQ Audit Committee and by the group executive committee, and at an operational level by the operational management committees and the safety and health committees.

The functioning of these committees is regulated by the health and safety agreements entered into with the representative trade unions. These agreements deal with a broad range of safety issues, including the election of full-time health and safety representatives and safety stewards, procedures for employees to exercise their rights to withdraw from circumstances that they perceive to be dangerous; training; procedures for the resolution of disputes relating to safety and health; participation in incident investigations; and any other issues relating to safety and health which may arise.

Performance

Overall, safety performance at Implats improved in FY2008.

Regrettably, there were 12 fatalities at Implats managed operations (FY2007: 13 fatalities) – five at Impala Rustenburg, three at Marula, three at Zimplats and one at Mimosa. There was also one fatality at the non-managed operation, Two Rivers.

The group fatal injury frequency rate (FIFR) was 0. 10 per million hours worked (FY2007: 0.12), an improvement of 21% on the previous year.

The group lost time injury frequency rate (LTIFR) was 2.92 per million hours worked (FY2007: 3.48), an improvement of 16% and the best annual performance achieved by Implats to date. The LTIFR improved at all operations other than Zimplats.

A significant improvement of 26% was also recorded in respect of Medical Treatment Cases (MTC). An MTC involves the one-time treatment and subsequent observation of minor injuries, but never involves the loss of one or more calendar day after the injury, regardless of the injured person’s next rostered shift.

The causes of the fatalities were primarily falls of ground (50%), explosives (26%), fall from height (8%), electrocution (8%)  and mobile equipment (8%). Specific, detailed action plans were compiled and implemented that included making working areas safe and identifying high-risk fall of ground conditions and sub-standard barring practices. These initiatives have played an important part in reducing the incidence of fatal accidents, particularly as a result of falls of ground.

A relatively high turnover of staff, especially at supervisory level, and the subsequent employment of less experienced members of staff, also had a deleterious effect on efforts to maintain safety and achieve targets. As a consequence, particularly at Zimplats and Marula, greater emphasis was placed on the frequency and intensity of training.

Note: LTI is expected to rise in the following reporting period as restricted work cases will be included in this statistic.

In memoriam

Review of safety measures by operation

Impala Rustenburg: While safety performance improved, particularly regarding falls of ground, such incidents remain the most significant safety risk. The fall of ground safety campaign was reinforced and involves a newly developed workplace entry examination procedure, including improved barring techniques, ongoing risk assessments of ground conditions and regular communication with supervisors.

Impala Springs: Just one lost-time injury was recorded in FY2008. The focus has been on contractor safety given the expansions currently taking place.

Marula: Supervisors received instruction on applying a policy of zero tolerance to non-compliance with safety standards and the constant demonstration of visible, felt leadership. All employees received refresher training on the safe disposal of explosives and the safe parking of LHDs.

Zimplats: The deterioration in safety follows two fatality-free years and was a consequence of the high staff turnover where the lack of experience resulted in inadequate assessments of pre-task risks. Management introduced the visible, felt leadership programme, extended the length of induction training, and adopted OHSAS 18001.

Mimosa: Increased effort was made to improve behaviour-based training and a policy of zero tolerance to sub-standard safety practices was enforced. In addition, the risk assessment system was improved. The fitting of canopies to LHDs, the enforcement of the mining cycle, adherence to safety standards, and a campaign to prevent falls of ground were implemented.

Legal compliance

Safety audits were undertaken by the DME at all Implats’ mining operations during the year as part of a national Presidential Safety Audit. Constructive engagement with the DME formed part of this process. During the year, 13 instructions were received from the DME in terms of Section 54 of the Mine Health and Safety Act which resulted in work stoppages for 23 production days at various Impala shafts. Also, two Section 54 instructions were received at Marula, resulting in a total of six days of lost production.

Health

Health management

Occupational health screening and medical treatment in support of the group strategy are delivered through company-based clinics, own and contracted occupational health centres and hospital and contracted specialists. Primary and curative care is provided at company medical facilities and through a range of medical schemes which are available to our employees and their dependents.

Implats’ strategy in respect of non-occupational health is to improve access to affordable and appropriate health care for employees and their families. All employees have access to a medical aid facility.

Occupational health surveillance

All employees and contractors undergo pre-placement, annual and exit examinations to ensure that they are fit for work in their specific work environments and that any occupational disease is detected at an early stage to ensure early treatment.

These examinations also detect non-occupational illness, such as hypertension and diabetes. New cases of occupational and non-occupational disease are referred to appropriate on-site or external facilities. No pre-employment testing for HIV is undertaken and all HIV tests are undertaken voluntarily.

More than 75 000 occupational screening examinations were performed across the group in FY2008.

Performance

The two primary occupational health risks are noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Heat stress and potential exposure to heavy metals are risks in certain occupations.

Pulmonary TB

In South Africa, pulmonary TB is considered an occupational illness if it is associated with dust exposure. All cases of pulmonary TB are submitted for independent assessment to the Medical Bureau of Occupational Diseases (MBOD) for possible compensation.

In total, 329 new cases of pulmonary TB were diagnosed during the year, and treatment was initiated in all cases (Y2007: 348). This is an incidence rate of 1 079 per 100 000 employees (FY2007: 1 181). Employees identified as having TB are encouraged to receive treatment from company facilities which adhere strictly to World Health Organization (WHO) recommended regimes and directly observed treatment supervision (DOTS). The emergence of strains of drug-resistant TB – multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) and extremely drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) – in South Africa is a cause for concern. Two cases of MDR TB were identified at Impala Platinum’s Rustenburg operations during the year.

The HIV/AIDS pandemic continues to have a significant impact on TB rates. Around 60% of newly diagnosed TB patients are HIV-positive.

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL)

Comprehensive hearing conservation programmes are in place at all operations to reduce the risk of employees developing NIHL. In South Africa, these programmes are aimed at reducing noise levels at source to below 110dBA, in line with the South African Mine Health and Safety Council (MHSC) targets, and to provide personal hearing protection devices, (either custom-made noise clippers or disposable earplugs), to employees and permanent contractors who work in high-risk areas. A fundamental challenge remains the need to muffle rockdrills to noise levels below 110dBA. The hearing protection devices available to employees will attenuate noise to below 85dBA (the targeted level) if worn correctly.

Education of employees regarding NIHL and the use of hearing protection devices continues, as individual non-compliance remains one of the most significant challenges, although this is improving.

In FY2008, 31 new cases of NIHL (FY2007:54) were identified and submitted for compensation in line with legislation. All of these were at Impala Rustenburg.

All employees exposed to noise have undergone audiometric baseline examinations and are monitored with follow-up annual audiometric tests for early signs of hearing loss.

Heat stress

A thermal stress management programme is in place at Impala’s mining operation because of the higher temperatures prevailing in the deeper underground workings. Every underground employee working in heat undergoes heat tolerance screening which is followed by closely supervised self-acclimatisation shifts in a hot underground environment. High temperatures experienced underground are associated with the increased occurrence of heat stroke. No cases of heat stroke were reported during the period under review.

Biological monitoring

Biological monitoring of specific employees who may be exposed to chromium, arsenic, carbon disulphide, nickel, cadmium and lead is undertaken. All employees who underwent biological monitoring had results within the normal range.

Summary of performance per operation

Specific performance and developments at operations in terms of occupational health are detailed below.

Impala Rustenburg – A centralised facility for issuing noise clippers was commissioned during the year and has significantly improved the distribution and use of hearing protection devices.

Impala Refineries – As with safety management, the significant number of contractors on site proved to be a challenge. Contractors are included in the company’s medical surveillance programme.

Marula – Historically occupational health screening and treatment has been provided by external service providers. During the year the focus was on improving Marula’s facilities and staffing. The on-mine medical capacity was improved by the appointment of part-time doctors and an additional professional nurse.

Mimosa – An occupational health centre is being constructed on the mine to undertake medical surveillance and occupational health treatment and to reduce the reliance on state services. Privately outsources medical services were particularly problematic during the year.

Zimplats – Zimplats too, has strengthened its in-house occupational health capacity, with new staff appointments and the purchase of a new X-ray unit and audiometer. The mine is now less reliant on external service providers, whose service levels deteriorated during the year. The heavy rains in Zimbabwe resulted in an increased focus on malaria identification and testing. Of the four cases of malaria identified during the year, all were contracted away from the mine.

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