Beyond the Fence: Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ dialogue links community wellbeing to mine safety
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The Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Mining Institute will continue these dialogues to develop a focused research agenda on mine safety and wellbeing.
The Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Mining Institute recently hosted a breakfast dialogue titled Beyond the Fence: How Community Environments Shape Health and Safety Performance in Mining, sponsored by South32. The event brought together leaders from academia, government, labour, and the mining industry to explore a critical issue: how mineworkers’ home and community environments influence health and safety performance in mining operations.
At the centre of the discussion was a key provocation: if miners live within unsafe, unhealthy, and unstable communities, how can the industry expect safe behaviour and optimal safety performance at work?
Facilitated by Dr Pontsho Twala, Director of the Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Mining Institute, the discussion challenged traditional approaches to mine safety, arguing that health and safety cannot be confined to the mine gate. Panellists stressed that achieving “zero harm” requires addressing the broader social and community realities mineworkers face daily.
The panel featured Fatheela Brovko (Acting CEO, Mine Health and Safety Council), Thabisile Phumo (Executive Vice President: Stakeholder Relations, Sibanye-Stillwater), and Nandi Sibanyoni (Executive Head: Safety, Health and Environment, Anglo American). Together, they explored how wellbeing beyond the workplace directly influences safety performance underground and on mining operations.
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