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COMMISSION
  
OF
  
INQUIRY
  
INTO
  
SAFETY
  
AND
  
HEALTH
  
IN
  
THE
  
MINING
  
INDUSTRY 
 
29 
 
Currently eleven mines operate at depths greater than 2 100m and these produced 213 t of 
gold in 1993 or 34,4%.  Most of the new mine projects are at depths below 2 000m.  
Prospecting suggests that ore bodies that might be mined in the future are at levels close to 
3 000m.  These numbers and predictions with respect to future trends in mining depths are 
cause for concern. 
 
3.2.5  Some Environmental Factors Affecting Health 
 
Health hazards will be discussed in Chapter 4, but no discussion of underground conditions 
in gold mines can avoid mentioning a group of hazards that relate to the physical conditions 
discussed in this chapter.  These relate basically to the hard abrasive and toxic nature of the 
quartzite in which most of the mineralisation occurs in the Witwatersrand System.  Largely 
because of the nature of the reefs, it has not been possible to adopt a modern mechanised 
mining method in most of the underground gold mines. 
 
This means that a large number of people are still involved in drilling blast holes using 
reciprocating compressed air drills.  This drilling generates a lot of highly toxic dust (due to 
its quartz content).  The drilling is also inherently noisy and involves a lot of vibration.  
While these problems can be mitigated to some extent (e.g. hydraulic drills are somewhat 
less noisy) the real solutions to these problems await the development of a new mechanised 
mining technology. 
 
3.2.6  Conclusions and Some Remedies 
 
This chapter has revealed that the deep gold mines operating in the Witwatersrand System 
are burdened by unusually onerous hazards, which have the potential to increase the perils 
of mining considerably.  Possible trends suggest that the situation may become worse.  How 
should the employers, the employees, and their respective associations, and the State react 
to this problem?  This is an emotionally charged question to which there is no simple 
answer.  The employers, in reality the shareholders in mining companies, made an 
investment in establishing the gold mines at a time when the morality of employing people 
in hazardous situations was not questioned.  Their representatives, that is the company 
executives and managers, argue that the industry provides employment for nearly 400 000 
people, and, including dependants provides a livelihood for some 1,6 to 2,8 million people 
who depend on the continued operation of the mines.  This is a very significant number at a 
time when the country has several million unemployed.  Furthermore, the gold mines in 
1993 earned some R 23,2 billion in foreign currency, paid out R 8,4 billion in wages and 
salaries, spent some R 7,4 billion on purchases and paid R 1,305 billion in State revenue.  In 
1992 the industry paid R 1,3 billion in dividends to shareholders, and executives and 
managers were paid salaries. 
 
The Commission gained only a limited view of the opinions of ordinary mine workers.  The 
statements by elected representatives raised complaints mainly about some areas of neglect 
and historical remnants that should be addressed as expeditiously as possible.  They said 
relatively little about the major issues, the frightening rates of fatal and non-fatal accidents. 
 

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COMMISSION
  
OF
  
INQUIRY
  
INTO
  
SAFETY
  
AND
  
HEALTH
  
IN
  
THE
  
MINING
  
INDUSTRY 
 
30 
 
There can be little doubt that mineworkers wish to see their conditions improved and the 
risks to which they are exposed reduced.  However, they appear to realise that the speed at 
which changes are implemented needs to be moderated to preserve the viability of the 
mines.  Thus there is commonality of view between the workers and employers, but of 
course, there are serious disagreements on the details of the implementation of the changes. 
 
The position of the State is in the middle.  The revenue, both the direct tax revenue and the 
generation of foreign exchange through the export of mineral commodities and products is 
important to the healthy growth of the South African economy.  Hence the State also has a 
vested interest in preserving the mines.  However, the State has another responsibility that 
must override its fiscal interest.  Namely, it should ensure that its citizens and all those 
employed under its jurisdiction, are working in a reasonably safe and healthy environment.  
To this end it must create the appropriate legislation and the mechanism through which it 
can enforce the legislation. 
 
Thus, all parties involved have an interest in preserving a prosperous mining industry.  
However, all those who presented evidence to the Commission agreed, by the end of the 
public hearings, that the status quo can not continue any longer.  Admittedly, there is a 
substantial, but perhaps not irreconcilable difference, in the details of the changes the parties 
wish to see implemented and in the rate at which they would like to see changes introduced. 
 
There is, however, another aspect of this problem that has not been covered in detail in the 
evidence provided by the parties.  Legislative action alone will not alleviate sufficiently the 
problem of rockbursts, a problem that seems to become more acute as the depth of mining 
increases.  Does the industry have the safety technology to improve the control of 
rockbursts despite the opposing trend arising from increased depths? This is a very pertinent 
question, the answer to which will probably play a determining role in the long term future 
of the industry.  It would appear that the industry has not yet implemented fully the 
recommendations arising from past research.  Thus some improvements could accrue from 
further introduction of measures discussed in Chapter 3.2.3.  However, the evidence 
presented (Spottiswoode, Gurtunca, More O’Ferrall and others) leaves considerable doubt 
with regard to the efficacy of the available measures for combating the future rockburst 
hazard.  Unless effective steps are taken to develop improvements in these defensive 
measures and / or in their implementation, the rockfall and rockburst problems will continue 
unabated and the risk may even increase over time.  Unquestionably, a similar number of 
deaths and serious injuries would be unacceptable today in most advanced mining countries.  
It is predictable that the large number of injuries and fatalities will be less and less 
acceptable in South Africa also. 
 
The COMMISSION RECOMMENDS that:- 
 
-appropriate steps should be taken to improve significantly the method of stope face and gully 
support using the most up to date and effective methods available (see Ch. 10.5.1); 
 
-in view of the inadequacy of training in rock engineering at all levels of the industry, 
comprehensive support regulations should be developed by a committee named the Mining 
Regulation Advisory Committee (MRAC) for enforcement by the GME’s staff (see Ch. 6 and Ch. 
10.); 
 

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