New platinum mine safety measures could hit Aquarius output - and others too

Instructions from South Africa's Mines Inspectorate following the Marikana platinum mine accident will force a number of operations to alter their mining plans.
LONDON - The issue of deaths in the South African mining sector has been brought to the forefront again by the recent fall-of-ground accident at Aquarius Platinum's flagship mechanised Marikana platinum mine, and measures now imposed on Marikana, and other similar operations, could have a sharp short to medium term impact on production. UG2 reef mines, like Marikana, are the most likely to be affected as the wider reef widths lend themselves more to this type of mining than the generally narrower Merensky reef.

With regard to Aquarius' Marikana operation itself, its No. 4 shaft area, where the accident occurred, is still shut down while investigations into the cause of the fall-of-ground continue and the company can not yet give a date when operations will be allowed to resume.

Marikana, as well as some of the other platinum mines, but not all, work on the bord (room) and pillar system leaving pillars behind as support for the working areas. Additional support between the pillars is provided by roofbolts. At the moment Aquarius mines leaving 10 m wide rooms, but the company - and others using this method of mining - have been instructed to reduce the room widths to 6 m which will require a change in mining plan which will not be quick, or easy, to implement at short notice. The maximum permitted extraction in these areas will be 75%. While the mines will be allowed time to implement the new restrictions it is unlikely the Mines Inspectorate will allow much prevarication on the changeover. This is bound to have some impact on production.

This latest blitz on mine safety comes as, in fact, South African mine safety is improving - but the death rate is still seen as totally unacceptable - particularly in the country's gold and platinum mines. Interestingly South Africa's coal mining sector is among the world's safest. The gold and platinum mines do have particular problems because of depth-related rockbursts and groundfalls and do have extremely high labour forces - although considerably smaller than they used to be and while the number of deaths are falling, quite drastically - and are nowhere near as bad as those of say mining in China or in a number of other countries which are loath to publicise statistics.

This year, for example, deaths in the platinum mines after a little over half the year are 20% lower than at the same time a year ago - and 63% lower on all mines at this stage so the increased emphasis on safety in the industry, under pressure from the government and trade unions, is beginning to have a significant impact and will almost certainly raise mining costs.

South Africa has around 80% of the world's known platinum reserves and platinum group metals are a hugely important contributor to the country's export earnings.

Extract from http://www.mineweb.co.za/

Mining Accident News No 1021 Editor: Mark Freeman

mark.freeman@industry.nsw.gov.au