Johannesburg - Platinum mining company Lonmin has gone a full year without a death at its operations, it said on Wednesday.
“This important safety milestone was reached on Monday 27 October 2014, the same day that the Lonmin mining operations clocked up six million fatality free shifts,” spokeswoman Sue Vey said in a statement.
The last fatal accident at the world's third-largest platinum producer was on October 26 last year, when Siyabonga Sibango died after being injured in an underground vehicle accident.
Lonmin chief executive Ben Magara thanked employees and contractors for their work.
“Understandably we had minimal mining activity for five months during the platinum wage strike, but this is counterbalanced by the post-strike ramp up process which is statistically riskier than ordinary steady-state mining,” he said.
Lonmin had invested significantly in safety campaigns over the past 24 months.
These went far beyond the mine gates and included communities and schools.
“Our teams have worked tirelessly to engage employees in innovative ways around health and safety, both on and off duty,” Magara said.
“Complacency is the enemy and we are continuously looking for ways to energise and engage our teams around safe behaviour at work, on the road and at home.
“It's the small, continuous improvements combined with the daily vigilance of every employee and their willingness to comply with and uphold safety practices that make the difference between life and death in our industry.” - Sapa