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Prelims

Sizwe Timothy Phakathi (Chamber of Mines of South Africa, University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science and University of Johannesburg)

Production, Safety and Teamwork in a Deep-Level Mining Workplace

ISBN: 978-1-78714-564-1, eISBN: 978-1-78714-563-4

Publication date: 9 November 2017

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Phakathi, S.T. (2017), "Prelims", Production, Safety and Teamwork in a Deep-Level Mining Workplace, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. i-xvi. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78714-563-420171012

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018 Emerald Publishing Limited

Half Title Page

PRODUCTION, SAFETY AND TEAMWORK IN A DEEP-LEVEL MINING WORKPLACE

PERSPECTIVES FROM THE ROCK-FACE

Title Page

PRODUCTION, SAFETY AND TEAMWORK IN A DEEP-LEVEL MINING WORKPLACE

PERSPECTIVES FROM THE ROCK-FACE

BY

SIZWE TIMOTHY PHAKATHI

Chamber of Mines of South Africa, University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science and University of Johannesburg

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK

First edition 2018

Copyright © 2018 Emerald Publishing Limited

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-78714-564-1 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-78714-563-4 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-78714-976-2 (Epub)

List of Figures

Chapter 1
Figure 1.1 Number of Employees in the South African Mining Industry, 2003–2016. 4
Figure 1.2 Number of Occupational Fatalities in the South African Mining Industry, 1993–2016. 7
Figure 1.3 Fatality Frequency Rate Per Million Hours Worked. 8
Figure 1.4 South African Mining Fatality Frequency Rates Per Million Hours Worked Compared to Australia, Canada and the United States, 2003–2016. 9
Figure 1.5 Number of Occupational Injuries in the South African Mining Industry, 1993–2016. 10
Figure 1.6 Injury Frequency Rate per Million Hours Worked. 11
Figure 1.7 Causes of Occupational Mining Fatalities, 1993–2016. 12
Figure 1.8 Causes of Occupational Injuries, 1994–2016. 13
Chapter 5
Figure 5.1 Average Number of Person-Days Lost. 104
Chapter 9
Figure 9.1 Square Metres of Broken Ore Achieved by Jimmy’s Production Crews. 188
Figure 9.2 Percentage of Sweepings Achieved by Jimmy’s Production Crews. 189
Figure 9.3 Square Metres of Broken Ore Achieved by Lee’s Production Crews. 189
Figure 9.4 Percentage of Sweepings Achieved by Lee’s Production Crews. 190
Appendix
Figure A1 One of the Blocks in the Mine Hostel 237
Figure A2 The Shaft with Production Material in the Foreground 237
Figure A3 Production Material (Timber Packs, Props, Pipes) Being Transported from Surface to Underground 238
Figure A4 On Their Way to Work, Underground Workers Waiting for the Sub-Shaft Cage 238
Figure A5 Mineworkers Getting into the Sub-Shaft Cage 239
Figure A6 Out of the Tram/Men Carriage/Locomotive, Workers Walking Towards the Waiting Place 239
Figure A7 At the Waiting Place, the Stope Team Getting Ready for an Underground Shift 240
Figure A8 Rock-Drill Operators Drilling the Gold-Bearing Rock (the Reef) by Means of a Pneumatic Drill 240
Figure A9 Rock-Drill Operators Drilling the Gully Face Paving the Way to the Gold-Bearing Rock. This Is Called Development – The Process of Accessing the Ore-Body through Shafts and/or Tunnelling in Underground Mining Operations 241
Figure A10 A Stope Worker Inside the Stope. Also Visible Is the Installation of Temporary Support Using Props. Permanent Support Is Installed Using Timber Packs 241
Figure A11 The Author (in White Overall Sweating Profusely) and the Stope Worker 242
Figure A12 Scraper-Winch with Which to Remove the Broken Rock 242
Figure A13 Timber Packs in the Haulage, Underground 243
Figure A14 An Underground Store 243
Figure A15 Team Workers Clearing the Route Via Which the Mono-Winch Conveys Material to the Stope 244
Figure A16 The Author Taking Part in Some of the Team’s Production Tasks 244
Figure A17 A Team Worker Tying the Timber Pack to the Mono-Winch with a String 245
Figure A18 A Timber Pack Being Conveyed to the Stope by the Mono-Winch 245
Figure A19 Mineworkers Walking to the Hostel after an Underground Shift 246
Figure A20 The Laundry in the Hostel 246
Figure A21 The Change Room in the Hostel 247
Figure A22 The Pots in which the Miners’ Food Is Cooked 247
Figure A23 Mineworkers Being Served Food in the Kitchen 248
Figure A24 Pay Day! Mineworkers Queuing in the Remuneration Office 248
Figure A25 After Work, Miners Chilling and Playing Snooker in a Restaurant a Stone’s Throw from the Hostel 249
Figure A26 Mineworkers Playing Cards in the Hostel 249
Figure A27 The Trade Union Rank-and-File Gather at the Arena for a Mass Union Meeting 250
Figure A28 At the Arena in the Hostel, the Mine Manager Holding a Mass Communication Meeting on Production and Safety 250
Figure A29 The Plant to Which the Broken Ore Is Hoisted for Milling 251
Figure A30 Miners Performing an Enjoyable and Cheerful Traditional Dance in the Hostel 251

List of Tables

Chapter 2
Table 2.1 AfricaGold and GoldCo Operational Safety Performance. 33
Chapter 5
Table 5.1 Tonnage of Gold-Bearing Ore Delivered, Week 1. 111
Table 5.2 Tonnage of Gold-Bearing Ore Delivered, Week 2. 111
Table 5.3 Tonnage of Gold-Bearing Ore Delivered, Week 3. 112
Table 5.4 Tonnage of Gold-Bearing Ore Delivered, Week 4. 112
Table 5.5 Tonnage of Gold-Bearing Ore Delivered, Week 5. 112
Chapter 7
Table 7.1 Quarterly Production Results of AfricaGold’s Mining Operations. 147
Table 7.2 SDWT Training Statistics for the Work Team ‘Tigers’ (Date Sent to Training: January). 159
Table 7.3 SDWT Training Statistics for the Work Team ‘Vultures’ (Date Sent to Training: January). 159
Table 7.4 SDWT Training Statistics for the Work Team ‘Yizwanana’ (Date Sent to Training: June). 160
Table 7.5 SDWT Training Statistics for the Work Team ‘Lions’ (Date Sent to Training: June). 160
Chapter 10
Table 10.1 Examples of Drive and Monitor Leading Indicators for Safe Production. 216

About the Author

Sizwe Timothy Phakathi is Head of Safety and Sustainable Development at the Chamber of Mines of South Africa and an Employer Convenor at the Mine Health and Safety Council of South Africa. He is a Research Associate at the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science and in the Department of Sociology at the University of Johannesburg. Phakathi is an alumnus of the Emerging Leaders in African Mining Programme coordinated by the Minerals and Energy for Development Alliance at the University of Western Australia and University of Queensland.

Phakathi obtained his PhD from the University of Oxford, England and his Masters Degree in Industrial Sociology (cum laude) from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. For his doctoral research, he lived in the mine hostel and went underground with the mining teams and frontline supervisors for a full production shift over an extended period of time.

In April 2014, Phakathi’s research paper titled ‘Getting On and Getting By: Gold Miners’ Informal Work Practice of Making a Plan (Planisa)’ was selected by the Journal of Organizational Ethnography as the ‘Most Outstanding Paper’ in 2013. In 2010, prior to publication, Phakathi’s paper was awarded the annual Oxford University’s Ngo Future of Work (FOW) Prize. This prestigious Prize is awarded to a researcher who has contributed significantly to the growing body of knowledge enabling people to understand the future of work. In 2003, Phakathi’s published journal article on ‘Self-Directed Work Teams in a Post-Apartheid Gold Mine’ was selected as the ‘Most Outstanding Journal Paper’ in 2002 by the Editorial Team of the Journal of Workplace Learning. Phakathi has authored and co-authored a number of research reports, conference presentations, journal articles, monographs and book chapters.

Acknowledgements

This book emanated from my academic life at the University of Oxford, England, as a doctoral research project. However, the journey started long before I went to Oxford as a researcher. I was involved in the DeepMine, FutureMine and CoalTech 2020 collaborative research projects conducted by the Sociology of Work Programme (SWOP) at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg under the auspices of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) of South Africa. These multi-disciplinary mining research and development projects sought to investigate the feasibility of mining gold at ultra-deep levels and the development of sustainable mining practices from the point of view of frontline mineworkers. The experience and knowledge gained from these organisations moulded my insight and understanding of the business of mining and the working lives of miners at the rock-face down the mine.

First and foremost, I would like to thank the management of GoldCo and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) for granting me permission to conduct research at AfricaGold mine. Special thanks go to Bobby Godsell, Ian Heynes, Keratilwe Modiga, Abe Bardin, Alan Fine, Madoda Sambatha, Tafa Moya and Senzeni Zokwana, as well as to Professor Ray Durrheim and Kuseni Dlamini for their unflagging support and encouragement. The people at AfricaGold, particularly Marius Steenkamp, the Human Resources Manager, and Grant Davey, the Mine Manager, were unstinting in their support for the research presented in this book, as were the many mineworkers and other mine employees who shared their space and their time with me, as did the shop stewards, who frequently made themselves available for conversations. The hospitality they gave me while I conducted the research in the mine is greatly appreciated.

I am greatly indebted to many individuals and organisations that gave me their support and enabled me to conduct research in a deep-level mining workplace and to complete this book. A special intellectual debt is owed to Professors Colin Mills and Gavin Williams. I thank them for the invaluable intellectual support they have given me throughout my scholarly life at Oxford. In a cordial atmosphere, I have been privileged to draw upon their extensive experience in the production of knowledge.

My sincere gratitude is extended to Professors Eddie Webster and Karl von Holdt at the Society, Work and Development Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, for their encouragement and unfailing support. Professor Kammila Naidoo and the Department of Sociology at the University of Johannesburg supported the production of this book by providing me access to the university libraries. Professor Helena Barnard, Director of Research at the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) is also thanked for her support.

I wish to thank my colleague at the Chamber of Mines of South Africa, Sietse van der Woude, for his generous support that goes beyond colleagueship. I am thankful to Mike Teke for being a great mentor.

I also thank Charles Laurie for the inspiration and determination during the various stages of the writing of this book and beyond the production of this book. I am also thankful to Jimmy Keketsi for his brotherly support which came in handy when I needed to relax and recharge my book writing energies.

I am grateful to Karin Pampallis for editing the book manuscript diligently and meticulously.

The support of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, Ernest Oppenheimer Memorial Trust and National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa towards the research presented in this book is also gratefully acknowledged.

Above all, my heart goes out to my family, for their unconditional support, for always being there when I needed them, for their understanding and for the confidence they have shown in me. Special thanks go to my father and mother for their love and moral support.

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