Africa-Press – Namibia. The Chamber of Mines of Namibia has raised concern over a rise in the injuries recorded by mines across the country.
Chamber president Zebra Kasete says lost day injuries and disabling injuries in 2024 increased by 26.3% and 12.3%, respectively.
He was speaking during a mining industry review for 2024 in Windhoek last week.
“The chamber also witnessed a concerning rise in safety incidents among its members in 2024.
The lost day injury frequency rate and disabling injury frequency rate showed upward trends, reflecting an increase in incidents relative to the total number of shifts worked,” said Kasete, adding that these trends undercut safety performance improvements in 2023.
Kasete said most of the recorded incidents were a result of complacency in adhering to safety protocols, with insufficient oversight of contracted employees being another factor.
Kasete added that to address these pressing challenges, the Health and Safety Committee has called on top-level management to directly confront issues of complacency.
“The committee is also exploring strategies to better integrate and monitor contracting companies, ensuring that safety practices are rigorously upheld and necessary procedures effectively implemented,” said Kasete.
He added that the chamber strives for zero harm and is dedicated to fostering a secure and safe working environment for all employees.
In May 2024, Rössing Uranium Mine recorded an incident during the installation of its solar plant involving a subcontractor, in which a worker died during the offloading of solar panels.
These panels, packaged in crates weighing 1.3 tonnes each, were not properly secured to the forklift, despite the presence of safety instructions.
According to the report, the root cause of the accident was identified as a failure to follow established safe work procedures.
In response, immediate measures were implemented, including the appointment of a new site manager and the addition of translators and safety officers to enhance communication and oversight between contractors and on-site personnel.
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