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COMMISSION
  
OF
  
INQUIRY
  
INTO
  
SAFETY
  
AND
  
HEALTH
  
IN
  
THE
  
MINING
  
INDUSTRY 
 
 
15
 
The NUM submission stated that “the loss of life and the destruction of health as a result of mining 
is staggering”. 
 
In the first 93 years of this century over 69 000 mineworkers have died and more than a million 
have been seriously injured. 
 
At current accident levels it is estimated that a worker who spends 20 years underground faces a 1 
in 30 chance of being injured or killed in gold mines.  In 1993, 578 mineworkers died in accidents, 
that is more than one per thousand of the workforce.  In the same year, 8 532 mineworkers were 
seriously injured, that is more than fifteen per thousand. 
 
In the course of evidence, Dr. Leger said that there ought to be a lower fatality rate in coal mining 
than in the gold mining industry, but there was no evidence of that in the 1993 figures. 
 
On the contrary the situation deteriorated in 1993, although there had been a sustained 
improvement over the previous decade.  Moreover fatalities in the diamond mines have actually 
increased in the last decade.  The major cause of fatalities and the single most important cause of 
reportable injuries has been rockfalls and rockbursts. Further analysis of accident records will be 
found in Chapter 3 
 
The presentation of statistics for mining accidents in South Africa in the last decade has left much 
to be desired, and hampered comparison with international statistics, but the Commission feels that 
it is important that the following snapshot views of fatal and reportable injuries in South Africa, and 
in comparison with other countries should be recorded: 
 
2.2.1  TABLE 1 - Statistics for graphs relating to the Government Mining Engineers Division 
(GME submission) 
 
Refer to Table 1 at the end of this chapter. 
 
This table takes the year 1932 as its starting point and then reflects the change over the 
years 1959 to 1993. 
 
2.2.2  TABLE 2 - Accident data: 1984 to 1993 
 
Refer to Table 2 at the end of this chapter. 
 
This reflects the position relating to fatalities, reportable accidents and injury rates during 
this period for all mines, gold mines and coal mines. 
 
2.2.3  For international comparison the Commission was provided with snapshots of accident 
statistics. 
 
2.2.3.1   TABLE 3 - International Labour Office (ILO) Statistics 
 
  Refer to Table 3 at the end of this chapter. 
 
This table was brought to the attention of the Commission as a snapshot of the 
international situation produced in the ILO report Safety and Health in Mines 1994 
No 51 page 13.  (Cameron p 448 14-30).  This compared 19 countries regarding  

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COMMISSION
  
OF
  
INQUIRY
  
INTO
  
SAFETY
  
AND
  
HEALTH
  
IN
  
THE
  
MINING
  
INDUSTRY 
 
 
16
fatal accidents in mining operations taken on an annual basis between 1989 and 
1991.  South Africa rates are joint 14th out of 19, with only Turkey, Yugoslavia, 
Papua New Guinea and Pakistan appearing to have worse rates than South Africa. 
 
2.2.3.2  TABLE 4 - Data Produced for Hard Coal Underground Mines by the 
Department of Health and Working Conditions of the State Mining 
Authority of Poland. 
 
Refer to Table 4 at the end of this chapter. 
 
These statistics and graphs were brought to the attention of the 
Commission (Davies pp 451 13-22) and we reproduce one of the graphs 
here. 
 
In terms of fatalities per 1000 employees for 1992, South African rates 
were only exceeded by Turkey, and were seven times higher than the 
United Kingdom. 
 
It is clear from the evidence that the number of fatalities and serious 
injuries in the South African Mining Industry is unacceptably high and the 
Commission will endeavor in this report to address this problem and make 
appropriate recommendations. The task of the Commission was made 
more difficult because of the dearth of accurate accident records. 
 
2.3 Occupational 
Disease 
Records 
 
While the statistics for fatal accidents and serious injuries are available, no reliable statistics 
are available for diseases caused by the industry, and these can only be estimated. 
 
The Commission heard evidence that in 1992, 6 151 workers were compensated, but the 
NUM may be correct in saying that such figures are only the tip of the iceberg.  On of the 
problems is that while tuberculosis is endemic to the industry, symptoms of the disease may 
only manifest themselves after workers have returned to their homes in the rural areas. 
 
Valid numerator data is not available and valid denominator data does not exist.  Dr. Leger 
(Exhibit B Vol 2 NUM page 84, and para 5.4 to para 5.7) who has tried to establish 
incidence rates says:- 
“Therefore a proxy for the incidence rate is defined here as the number of new disease cases 
per year per thousand employees.  The denominator may be the number either in mine 
employment, in underground employment or who undergo periodical fitness examinations.” 
 
In another submission (Dr. White Exhibit B V2 Ch 3 pp 47-49) the Commission noted that 
annual medical reports were phased out by the Anglo American Corporation in 1983 and by 
Rand Mines in 1986. Gencor keeps its records confidential.  This cessation of publication 
creates a huge gap in our knowledge of trends in disease statistics among miners. 
 
A number of factors influence the interpretation of reports issued by the Medical Bureau 
Occupational Diseases (MBOD) and others.  Two of the most important factors are the 
systematic under diagnosis of occupational disease, for example by relying on small X-rays 
that fail to diagnose pneumoconiosis, and the changing nature of the labour force since 
1975.  Miners now spend a much larger part of their working lives at mines, compared with  

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