Blanket Mine records a fatality
Victoria Falls Stock Exchange listed gold focused miner Caledonia Mining Corporation‘s Blanket Gold Mine has recorded a fatality in which an employee succumbed to a secondary blasting related accident.
Rudairo Mapuranga
In a statement released by the company, details related to the accident will be released in due course.
“It is with regret that Caledonia Mining Corporation Plc (“Caledonia”) reports that an accident took place in the afternoon of February 16, 2023 at the Blanket Mine in Zimbabwe, as a result of which one Blanket Mine employee was killed. The accident related to secondary blasting.
“Further details cannot be released pending the out-come of an enquiry into this accident by the relevant authorities.
“Caledonia expresses its condolences to the family and colleagues of the deceased,” Caledonia said in a statement.
In 2022, Blanket Mine achieved more than 2,4 million fatality free shifts since 2018 proving the mine’s commitment towards safety and health of its workers.
“Safety is our first priority at Caledonia, and we are committed to continual improvement in safety performance and achieving a zero-harm working environment for all our employees and contractors. We work hard to create a strong safety culture at our Blanket mine, which is underpinned by our policies and systems and reinforced by regular training and safety-awareness courses. To demonstrate our commitment to this priority, safety targets are set as a qualifier for our employee bonus scheme.” the company said.
Mine accidents in Zimbabwe have been on the rise with the country recording 125 accidents and 139 fatalities during the first 3 quarters of 2022.
In 2019 Zimbabwe recorded a total of 116 accidents with these resulting in 182 fatalities, recording an increase in accidents in 2020 recording 158 accidents however with a visible decrease in fatalities recording 169 fatalities. In 2021, the country recorded a decrease in both accidents and fatalities as compared to the previous year with 121 accidents and 139 fatalities. As at 30 September 2022, the country has recorded 125 accidents and 139 fatalities.
Zimbabwe has been plagued with mine disasters over the last few months, often resulting in death of scores of miners. Most of the mine accidents have occurred at illegally run disused mines, with a few happening at legally-run small scale mines.