dlk001
Executive Member
Its been a bad spell for Goldfields.
R.I.P to all the victims!
South African miner Gold Fields on Monday confirmed that inspections at its mines regarding the integrity of winding ropes had been completed, and that the Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) had lifted the suspension order on all main winders transporting men-and-materials and rocks.
A meeting with the Gauteng principal inspector of mines, South Deep management, and unions, would take place on Monday morning, and pending the outcome of that meeting, a decision would be made whether or not to resume operations at South Deep.
The company's Kloof and Driefontein mines had resumed production.
The cause of the accident in which nine workers lost their lives on May 1, when a cage fell almost 60 m down a shaft at the South Deep mine, was said to have resulted from a snapped rope. The accident took place in a sub-shaft, a smaller service shaft, which is licensed to carry people.
A memorial service and day of mourning would be held at the South Deep mine on Wednesday, May 7.
Work was still being done on service winders and small elevators, and on the small cages at South Deep. “The order was lifted for main winders, but it was decided that although South Deep could resume operations with the main winders, it would remain closed until unions and management had met with the principal inspector,” Gold Fields spokesperson Andrew Davidson told Mining Weekly Online.
The investigation into the accident itself was ongoing, and “Gold Fields will comply and give every cooperation", Davidson said.
The Minister of Minerals and Energy, Buyelwa Sonjica, visited the mine on Friday, and in a statement prior to her visit said that "production should, cannot and must not be at the expense of people's lives. Shiny results without consideration of the impact of loss of lives is unacceptable behaviour."
Gold Fields would release its quarterly results on Friday.
Last week's accident brought the number of fatalities at Gold Fields' operations to 14, after four people were killed after an underground accident at Driefontein on Tuesday, and a driller's assistant was fatally injured in a fall of ground at South Deep on Thursday.
South Africa's mines were coming under harsh criticism for their safety records, after more than 200 people lost their lives in mining-related accidents in 2007.
http://www.miningweekly.com/article.php?a_id=132491
R.I.P to all the victims!
South African miner Gold Fields on Monday confirmed that inspections at its mines regarding the integrity of winding ropes had been completed, and that the Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) had lifted the suspension order on all main winders transporting men-and-materials and rocks.
A meeting with the Gauteng principal inspector of mines, South Deep management, and unions, would take place on Monday morning, and pending the outcome of that meeting, a decision would be made whether or not to resume operations at South Deep.
The company's Kloof and Driefontein mines had resumed production.
The cause of the accident in which nine workers lost their lives on May 1, when a cage fell almost 60 m down a shaft at the South Deep mine, was said to have resulted from a snapped rope. The accident took place in a sub-shaft, a smaller service shaft, which is licensed to carry people.
A memorial service and day of mourning would be held at the South Deep mine on Wednesday, May 7.
Work was still being done on service winders and small elevators, and on the small cages at South Deep. “The order was lifted for main winders, but it was decided that although South Deep could resume operations with the main winders, it would remain closed until unions and management had met with the principal inspector,” Gold Fields spokesperson Andrew Davidson told Mining Weekly Online.
The investigation into the accident itself was ongoing, and “Gold Fields will comply and give every cooperation", Davidson said.
The Minister of Minerals and Energy, Buyelwa Sonjica, visited the mine on Friday, and in a statement prior to her visit said that "production should, cannot and must not be at the expense of people's lives. Shiny results without consideration of the impact of loss of lives is unacceptable behaviour."
Gold Fields would release its quarterly results on Friday.
Last week's accident brought the number of fatalities at Gold Fields' operations to 14, after four people were killed after an underground accident at Driefontein on Tuesday, and a driller's assistant was fatally injured in a fall of ground at South Deep on Thursday.
South Africa's mines were coming under harsh criticism for their safety records, after more than 200 people lost their lives in mining-related accidents in 2007.
http://www.miningweekly.com/article.php?a_id=132491
