Achieving zero harm in SA mines: The role of information ecology
Safety at South Africa’s mines is at a critical and bewildering point. Despite a record-low 42 fatalities in 2024, more than 1,841 occupational injuries (many repeat incidents) indicate that the current safety paradigm is reaching its limits.
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This isn't a failure of compliance, nor simply a need for faster alerts; it is a crisis of information ecology and human factors, demanding a re-evaluation of how knowledge is truly understood, assimilated, and acted upon within the complex, high-risk environment of our mines.
The 'why' of the mining safety plateau – where nearly 2,000 are consistently injured – lies not in a lack of data, but in a deeper disconnect between information, learning, and behaviour.
Repeat injuries
The reduction in fatalities is a testament to the industry's commitment, yet the stubborn persistence of repeat injuries means it is more of a systemic vulnerability that is at play.
This plateau, in my view, is often a direct consequence of the "normalisation of deviance”.
What begins as minor, seemingly innocuous deviations from established safety procedures – perhaps to save a few minutes – gradually becomes accepted practice.
This insidious erosion of safety margins, over time, transforms shortcuts into standard operating procedure.
In an industry that contributed a substantial R451bn to the country’s GDP in 2024, sustaining 6% of the national economy and employing nearly half a million mineworkers, the economic imperative for safety is as critical as the moral one.
Each incident, each injury, represents both a human tragedy as well as a tangible drain on productivity, resources, and ultimately, the sector's long-term viability.
We cannot afford to be complacent, as the Minerals Council South Africa rightly cautions; the aspiration of "zero harm" demands a more rigorous self-examination.
The complexities of human factors
It is far too simplistic, and frankly unhelpful, to attribute mining accidents to "human error” callously and by default in many circles.
Such "errors" are frequently symptoms of deeper systemic conditions within the South African mining environment.
Research into human factors consistently reveals a multitude of underlying pressures that compel individuals towards unsafe acts:
- Organisational pressures: Chronic labour shortages, inadequate resources, relentless time pressure, and excessively high workloads create a fertile ground for shortcuts.
- Supervisory and procedural gaps: Weak supervision, a failure to consistently enforce procedures, and insufficient or outdated training leave critical gaps in the safety net.
- Cognitive and psychological elements: The insidious creep of complacency, a genuine lack of foundational knowledge, pervasive distractions, and the debilitating effects of fatigue and stress all compromise a worker's ability to operate safely.
These interwoven factors create an environment where even the most experienced and well-intentioned individuals struggle to adhere to safety protocols.
Critical safety information may be theoretically available, but if workers are fatigued, under immense pressure, or lack the nuanced understanding to interpret it correctly within a dynamic, high-risk context, its effectiveness is severely diminished.
In real time
Real-time communication is often seen as the ultimate solution.
While the speed of information transfer is undeniably vital, a truly effective safety paradigm demands a more layered understanding of the entire "information ecology" within an organisation.
This encompasses not just how quickly information is delivered, but how it is generated, meticulously disseminated, genuinely understood, and, crucially, how robust feedback loops ensure continuous, adaptive learning.
The challenges to this ecology extend beyond (unfortunately rife) technological limitations.
Research on knowledge management in similar high-risk environments highlights pervasive cultural and structural impediments: "silo mentality," "organisational red-tape," the perception of "knowledge as a power source," a "lack of recognition and rewards" for sharing insights, and even "knowledge hoarding”.
These deeply ingrained cultural and structural barriers can severely restrict the free flow of critical safety information, even when advanced digital tools are readily available.
A pivotal study from Wits University on the impact of digital wearables in South African mining safety powerfully underscored this point: "technology will improve information efficiency but organisations lack 'holistic and proactive approaches' in balancing the adoption of technology and industrial social sustainability".
This, in my opinion, is the absolute crux of the matter. Simply deploying technology is insufficient.
The true breakthrough will only occur when these tools are seamlessly integrated into a holistic approach that actively addresses human behaviour, fosters deep trust, and cultivates a genuine culture of continuous learning.
It is about ensuring verifiable comprehension and accountability in information dissemination, not just the mechanical act of delivery.
Safety intelligence
To decisively break through this safety plateau, the South African mining industry must unequivocally shift from a reactive, compliance-driven mindset to a proactive "safety intelligence" culture.
This demands a multi-faceted and integrated approach:
- Unwavering leadership and accountability: As articulated in the Minerals Council's Khumbul'ekhaya version two strategy, critical enhancements to leadership, innovation, and accountability are not just desirable; they are paramount. Leaders must visibly champion safety as an unshakeable core value.
- Cultivating psychological safety: It is fundamental to create an environment where workers feel genuinely safe to report near-misses, identify hazards, and even admit their own mistakes without fear of reprisal. This unfiltered feedback is an invaluable, indeed irreplaceable, source for identifying systemic weaknesses before they escalate into serious incidents.
- Investing in organisational learning: Robust mechanisms must be established to ensure that insights gleaned from every incident and near-miss are not just documented, but actively analysed, widely shared, and systematically integrated into revised policies, training programmes, and operational procedures.
- Holistic integration of technology: Technology must serve as a true enabler for this safety intelligence, not merely a compliance tool. This means strategically adopting solutions that facilitate effective knowledge transfer, ensure verifiable comprehension, and provide actionable insights, all while being profoundly mindful of the human context and actively preventing the creation of new information silos.
- A relentless focus on leading indicators: Instead of solely tracking fatalities and injuries (which are lagging indicators – telling us what has happened), the industry must identify and rigorously monitor leading indicators. These are proactive measures that predict future safety performance, such as the frequency of hazard reporting, active participation in safety discussions, or the timely resolution of identified risks.
The South African mining industry has unequivocally demonstrated its capacity for significant safety improvements.
However, the persistent challenge of injuries demands a deeper, more nuanced, and ultimately more courageous approach.
The next frontier isn't just about faster communication or more stringent compliance; it is about cultivating a dynamic information ecology, addressing the complex interplay of human factors, and fostering a relentless, embedded commitment to continuous organisational learning.
Only then can the industry truly push beyond the plateau and achieve its aspirational, yet entirely attainable, goal of zero harm.
About the author
Merel van der Lei is the CEO of Wyzetalk.