Worker killed at Harmony’s Joel mine in the Free State

A worker was killed in a fall of ground accident at Harmony Gold's Joel mine in Free State on Wednesday.

The company said all relevant authorities, family members and colleagues had been informed. It said it was devastated by another loss of life.

“Our safety strategy and culture include both systemic and humanistic factors and controls. These controls are designed to avoid incidents, protect our employees and have to be adhered to at all times. No working area will be accessed unless it has been declared safe,” said Beyers Nel, Harmony CEO.

The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) said this was the 11th fatality at Harmony this year, bringing the total fatalities in the South African mining industry to 25.

“Eleven fatalities point directly to the company’s failure to provide conditions that are safe for the operation to take place,” Amcu said.

The union added that if Harmony dodges analysing organisational failures and blames the deaths on the behaviour of employees, it is likely they will experience more injuries and disasters.

Harmony said Thursday has been declared a day of safety across all Harmony’s South African operations to engage with the company’s employees and stakeholders and to reflect on the company’s safety practices at each of its mines.

“Our day of safety is not simply a pause, it is a call to action,” said Nel.

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