Reduce Safety Hazards in Mines with EMCARE Occupational Health and Safety Courses

South African mines are one of the most abundant sources of mineral resources in the world, and with this comes numerous employment opportunities for miners. The increased amount of mines and miners in South Africa places attention on the health and safety risks present for miners working in underground mines. We have highlighted the top 10 safety hazards miners face, and how these hazards can be reduced with EMCARE occupational health and safety courses. South African mines are one of the most abundant sources of mineral resources in the world, and with this comes numerous employment opportunities for miners. The increased amount of mines and miners in South Africa places attention on the health and safety risks present for miners working in underground mines. We have highlighted the top 10 safety hazards miners face, and how these hazards can be reduced with EMCARE occupational health and safety courses.

Top 10 Safety Hazards in Mines:

We have outlined the top 10 safety hazards that miners are exposed to whilst working in underground mines.

1) Dust Inhalation:

As machines and miners excavate the soil to unearth precious minerals and resources, dust is going to be a natural by-product of these mining activities. Dust inhalation poses a serious threat to mine workers. Exposure to dust inhalation can range in severity from coughing to asthma attacks various lung diseases.

South Africa has numerous coal mines, which increases the risk of coal dust inhalation for miners and those located nearby the mines. Excessive exposure to coal dust inhalation results in coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, which is commonly referred to as black lung disease. Despite the extreme awareness of black lung disease and the implementation of various safety measures, this is still a common threat faced by coal miners.

2) Fires and Explosions:

The excessive amount of dust in the air in mines poses another threat to miners. If the combustible dust comes into contact with a flame, there will be a mass explosion or fire ignition in the mine, drastically impairing the safety of the miners. Although open flames are prohibited in mines, a back-firing machine, a metallic spark whilst cutting, or negligence of a miner can easily result in a fire or explosion. Asphyxiation, entrapment, burns, and fatalities are a few of the threats a fire or explosion can create for underground miners.

3) Falling from Heights:

Working at heights is a necessary job requirement for miners in underground mines. Working at heights always poses a threat to safety, but mines are especially dangerous. The ever-changing environment in a mine paired with poor visibility and difficult terrains makes working at heights in mines a high-risk job position.

Falls from heights often occur if the safety equipment is not provided or maintained, if the safety equipment is not erected by a trained professional, if the workplace vibrations cause the miner to lose stability, or if loose rocks collapse on the safety equipment.

4) Heat Stress:

Heat exposure has resulted in the deaths of numerous South African miners. Heat stress is caused by the high temperatures in mines paired with the high humidity levels, the laborious nature of mine work, and the thickness of the personal safety equipment miners wear.

Heat stress impacts the body in various ways. The body will work extremely hard to cool itself down, leading to possible dehydration and fatigue. These risks are also increased if the miners have underlying health problems which impact the body’s ability to sufficiently cool itself. Miners can face heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heatstroke if exposed to the heat stress of mines for extended periods.

5) Rock Falls:

The risk of rock falls is a constant threat to miners. If the mine infrastructure is inadequate or becomes damaged, the rocks can become unstable and collapse. Additionally, if an unplanned explosion has occurred in the mine, this can also result in the collapse of the mine. Miners face severe injuries, entrapment, and fatalities if there are rock falls in a mine.

6) Whole-body Vibration:

Mines often require the use of heavy machinery for earth-moving and miners will use hand-held vibrating tools to break through the earth. The vibrations of these machines can lead to whole-body vibration, a common occupational hazard for miners.

Extended exposure to whole-body vibration leads to a host of health risks for miners. Lower back pain, bone damage, varicose veins, stomach conditions, impaired vision, affected balance, and possible reproductive organ damage are only a few of the health effects of whole-body vibration.

7) Chemicals:

Chemicals have various uses in mines, but also pose various threats to miners. Every chemical used in mining, whether it is chemicals used to separate minerals from ore or cleaning solvents, poses unique threats to miners. Respiratory problems from toxic inhalation, diseases, and chemical burns are common threats to miners.

8) Noise Exposure:

Mines are noisy as a result of the heavy machinery, drilling, blasting, and digging that is constantly occurring in mines. The constant exposure to noise for miners has increased the hazard of hearing problems. In worst-case scenarios, miners experience noise-induced hearing loss. Mine with noise-induced hearing loss will be unable to hear if machines are coming towards them or the warning instructions of other miners, and therefore will lose their mining employment.

9) Mechanical Failures:

Mines rely heavily on heavy machinery, and these machines are under consistent pressure due to the difficult earth-moving and machinery strain. If these machines are not consistently maintained or replaced, mechanical failures can occur. Leaking gas or oil, sparks, break-downs, and sliding into mine shafts are a few of the threats that can cause severe health and safety risks for miners.

10) Water-related Hazards:

Mines require the use of large amounts of water for various operations. In mines, and especially coal mines in South Africa, water is used to cool mining equipment, reduce the presence of dust in the air, and reduce the risk of fires and explosions. Water is often sourced from underground sources, rivers, or will need to be brought in if the mine is located in an arid region.

Although the use of water in mines is to increase the safety of the miners, there are still hazards that are present. Mines located near underground water sources often face an excess of water, which needs to be pumped out of the mine. If there is a pumping failure or if the machinery drills into the water source, the mine will flood, and this places the miners under immense threat.

Reduce Safety Hazards in Mines with EMCARE Occupational Health and Safety Courses:

Due to the booming of the mining industry in South Africa and the number of people who pursue mining as their profession, reducing the risk of the top 10 miner safety hazards is of the utmost importance. Mines as a workplace have an increased range of life-threatening risks, therefore all miners need to be enrolled in safety training to ensure their workplace is safe. EMCARE offers occupational health and safety courses that will enable miners to reduce safety hazards in mines.

EMCARE is a health and safety training facility that is dedicated to providing students and businesses with occupational health and safety courses suited to ensuring workplace safety. Every employee, from miners to receptionists, deserves to work in a workplace that is safe and does not threaten their health. EMCARE occupational health and safety courses are specialised training courses that can be adapted to every workplace to continuously ensure safety in every type of workplace in South Africa.

EMCARE offers a wide range of occupational health and safety courses that can equip miners with the skills and knowledge to ensure workplace safety when working in a mine. We have highlighted four of the EMCARE occupational health and safety courses that are pertinent for miners.

1) General Health and Safety Course:

The EMCARE General Health and Safety course covers the relevant health and safety information outlined by the South African Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 (OHS Act 85). The OHS Act 85 outlines health and safety guidelines that every workplace needs to be compliant with. The focus of the OHS Act 85 in this EMCARE course is to equip students with an understanding of the health and safety principles and instil a drive in every student to apply these principles in the workplace.

Miners will benefit from this EMCARE General Health and Safety course as they will learn the basics of OHS Act 85. Miners will also be able to identify any possible safety risks that they may face and take the best actions to ensure safety for themselves and their fellow miners.

2) Risk Assessment Course:

The EMCARE Risk Assessment course covers all the relevant knowledge and skills to adequately assess a workplace for risks and hazards and then implement safety procedures that will reduce these risks. Students will also be able to evaluate current safety measures and alter these as necessary.

Risk assessment is critical in mines and needs to be performed continuously by a trained professional. Receiving training from the EMCARE Risk Assessment course will ensure that your mining team has the relevant skills and knowledge to assess, identify, and prevent any possible safety hazards in the mine and thus ensure continuous workplace safety for miners.

3) Working at Heights Course:

The EMCARE Working at Heights course covers all the important aspects of working at heights safely. Personal protective equipment, risk assessment, and an attitude to always ensure safety are a few of the safety aspects covered in this EMCARE health and safety course.

Falling from heights is one of the safety hazards that miners face, therefore miners tasked with this daily work requirement must receive adequate safety training. The EMCARE Working at Heights course will sufficiently prepare miners to work at heights safely and reduce any risks of falls or serious injuries should a fall occur.

4) Emergency Evacuation Procedures Course:

The EMCARE Emergency Evacuation Procedures course will provide members of staff with training on how to handle a workplace emergency and to successfully guide all employees to a safe location.

There is a continuous risk of a workplace emergency in a mine, therefore all miners must be equipped with an understanding of an emergency evacuation procedure. EMCARE can assist you with an emergency evacuation procedure that is relevant for your mine to ensure that all miners are adequately prepared to safely evacuate from an emergency.

About EMCARE:

EMCARE occupational health and safety courses are available at all the EMCARE branches. The EMCARE branches are located in convenient locations across South Africa, ensuring that no matter where the mine is located, there is access to EMCARE occupational health and safety courses. At EMCARE, we make sure that our occupational health and safety courses are easily accessible to anyone from or outside of South Africa.

EMCARE training facilitators and facilities are of an exceptional standard. We ensure that all our trainers and training facilities are fully equipped to provide occupational health and safety courses that will imbed confidence in the skills and knowledge the student has received. With EMCARE, our students and clients are uplifted with career-relevant health and safety skills to pursue success in their chosen workplace.

EMCARE occupational health and safety courses equip miners with knowledge and skills to continuously ensure safety in mines and reduce the risk of the top 10 mining safety hazards.