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COMMISSION
  
OF
  
INQUIRY
  
INTO
  
SAFETY
  
AND
  
HEALTH
  
IN
  
THE
  
MINING
  
INDUSTRY 
 
162 
 
12.2.3   The COMMISSION RECOMMENDS that a new position be created in the Mine 
Health and Safety Inspectorate, to be called the Principal Inspector.  Persons who 
occupy this position should be well qualified, as experienced as, and of as good a 
calibre as the managers with whom they will have to deal. To attract persons of 
this calibre it is obvious that the conditions offered to induce them to join the 
inspectorate, by way of salary and remuneration packages must be as attractive as 
those which they can expect in the industry (see Ch. 11.1.8). 
 
12.2.4 
The COMMISSION RECOMMENDS that the grades in the Mine Health and 
Safety Inspectorate should be: 
 
Grade 1 Government Mining Engineer 
Grade 2 Deputy Government Mining Engineer 
Grade 3 Principal Inspector 
Grade 4 Senior Inspector 
Grade 5 Inspector/Senior Inspector of Quarries 
Grade 6 Assistant Inspector/Inspector of Quarries 
Grade 7 Sub Inspector (see Ch. 11.1.10). 
 
12.2.5   The COMMISSION RECOMMENDS that to ensure that suitable staff can be 
appointed the remuneration packages for these grades should be related to 
remuneration in the industry. The reference point should be at the Principal 
Inspector level. He should be offered 90 per cent of a typical mine manager’s 
package (see Ch. 11.1.10). 
 
12.2.6   The COMMISSION RECOMMENDS that these relative remuneration positions 
should be adjusted annually to allow for changes in industry remuneration 
packages (see Ch 11.1.10) 
 
12.2.7   The COMMISSION RECOMMENDS that the GME be encouraged to make an 
investment in electronic and monitoring equipment and provide the necessary 
training to enable inspectors to work in a modern way (see Ch. 11.3). 
 
12.2.8   The COMMISSION RECOMMENDS that action be initiated as soon as possible 
to recruit 9 persons for the position of Principal Inspector, on the conditions 
described (see Ch. 11.1.8). 
 
12.2.9 
The COMMISSION RECOMMENDS that a group of Assistant Inspectors, and 
Sub-Inspectors be appointed who could be purpose trained, initially, as audit 
samplers for respirable dust, flammable dust in roadways, gasses, and pollutant 
sampling. They could also do noise surveys in working places using hand held 
instruments.  The Commission considers that initially twelve Assistant Inspectors 
and twelve Sub-Inspectors should be recruited and trained for sampling purposes, 
and located in the six underground mining districts.  They should form a valuable 
adjunct to inspectorate teams led by the Principal Inspector, as well as providing 
an opportunity for advancement in the MHSI (see Ch. 11.1.11). 
 

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COMMISSION
  
OF
  
INQUIRY
  
INTO
  
SAFETY
  
AND
  
HEALTH
  
IN
  
THE
  
MINING
  
INDUSTRY 
 
163 
 
12.2.10  The COMMISSION RECOMMENDS that the Headquarters staff of the MHSI 
should consist of the GME, three Deputy GME’s, three Principal Inspectors, three 
Senior Inspectors and three Inspectors to replace existing staff, together with 
administration and clerical support (see Ch. 11.1.10). 
 
12.2.11  The COMMISSION RECOMMENDS that the Government Mining Engineer 
should have on his staff: 
 
-a Medical Inspector of Mines with expertise in occupational health; 
 
-two attorneys to specialise in processing mining prosecutions and 
inquiry/inquests; and 
 
-an expert in safety management in the industry who need not be qualified in 
mining.  Persons of this background gave very important evidence to the 
Commission (see Ch. 11.2.1). 
 
12.2.12  The COMMISSION RECOMMENDS that the GME be encouraged to employ 
consultants with expertise that is not currently accessible to the inspectorate (see 
Ch. 11.12.1). 
 
12.2.13  The COMMISSION RECOMMENDS that there should be specialised scientific 
back up available to the government Mining Engineer, and that a group could be 
conveniently located at the G P Badenhorst facility, which, already has a measure 
of expertise in some subjects.  The COMMISSION RECOMMENDS further that 
consideration be given to placing this facility under the direct control of the GME 
(see Ch. 11.7.1). 
 
12.2.14  The COMMISSION RECOMMENDS that the existing Survey and Rehabilitation 
Directorates should not form part of the new MHSI (see Ch. 11.1.9). 
 
12.2.15  The COMMISSION RECOMMENDS that the inspectorate be made more 
accountable in the manner set out in Chapter 11.6. 
 
12.3  OTHER URGENT SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS 
 
12.3.1 
The COMMISSION RECOMMENDS the restoration of the position of the shift 
boss in the line management to that which is firmly required in existing South 
African law, should be pursued by the inspectorate without delay (see Ch. 6.7.3). 
 
12.3.2 
The COMMISSION RECOMMENDS that: 
 
-all reports of accident inquiries be published and be made available throughout 
the mining industry, and that the regulations be amended to include this 
requirement (see Ch. 9.2 and 11.6). 

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COMMISSION
  
OF
  
INQUIRY
  
INTO
  
SAFETY
  
AND
  
HEALTH
  
IN
  
THE
  
MINING
  
INDUSTRY 
 
164 
 
-an inquiry be made into the evidence given by Ms Hermanus that there had been 
no inquiries into matters other than accidents (see Appendix 7). 
 
12.3.3  The COMMISSIONER RECOMMENDS that the Act and Regulations be 
amended so as to ensure that all interested parties, including the NUM, be given 
due and proper notice by the inspectorate of the time and place of all inspections 
in loco which are held in connection with accident inquiries (see Ch. 9.1). 
 
12.3.4 
The COMMISSION RECOMMENDS that Regulation 25 (4) should be amended 
so as to ensure that inspections in loco are conducted in the manner set forth in 
Chapter 9.1 hereof (see Ch. 9.1). 
 
12.3.5 
The COMMISSION RECOMMENDS that accident inquiries be conducted in the 
manner set forth in Chapter 9.1 and that the recommendations made by the Marais 
Commission in this regard be incorporated into regulations (see Ch. 9.1). 
 
12.3.6 
The COMMISSION RECOMMENDS that relevant provisions of US Code of 
Federal Regulations, Mineral Resources, Title 30 (Part 75 - Mandatory Safety 
Standards - Underground Coal Mines, Sub part D, ventilation, para 75.3) should 
be studied in detail (see Ch. 3.2.2). 
 
12.4  OTHER URGENT HEALTH RECOMMENDATIONS 
 
12.4.1  The COMMISSION RECOMMENDS that immediate attention be given to 
amalgamating and reconciling the disparate data bases, to ensure that as much 
data as possible be made freely available in the public domain, and that mining 
companies be required to publish an annual health and safety report (see Ch. 
4.1.1). 
 
12.4.2 
The COMMSSION RECOMMENDS that all mines be required to measure a 
range of airborne contaminants at specified intervals according to a written 
sampling strategy designed to quantify the exposure of the most heavily exposed 
worker (see Ch. 9.3). 
 
12.4.3  The COMMSSION RECOMMENDS that provision should be made in 
regulations for regular health inspections of facilities on the surface of all mines 
by the responsible public health authority (see Ch. 7.5). 
 
12.4.4 
The COMMSSION RECOMMENDS that a renewed effort to control the spread 
of tuberculosis among mineworkers is urgently required (see Ch. 4.6.8). 
 
MATTERS TO BE REFERRED TO MRAC FOR TRIPARTITE DISCUSSION 
 
12.5.1 
The COMMSSION RECOMMENDS that: 
 
-a Mine Health and Safety Council be established by the new Act to advise the 
Minster through the GME on all matters relating to health and safety in mines, the 
relevant legislation and enforcement thereof; 

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