The Zimbabwe National Institute of Rock Engineering (ZINIRE) plans to engage with the Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) to apply rock engineering solutions aimed at reducing Fall of Ground (FoG) accidents in the sector.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
FoG accidents account for 20% of all mining accidents in Zimbabwe occurring within the Artisanal and Small-scale mining (ASM) industry. This highlights the urgent need for targeted interventions to address safety concerns in this sector.
Speaking to Mining Zimbabwe, ZINIRE President Renias Tirivabaya stated that his organization has identified a significant challenge within the ASM sector related to the lack of proper surveying. As a result, they plan to meet with the ZMF, the umbrella body representing millions in the ASM sector, for an engagement program to address FoG accidents.
“But one important thing is to have engagement. We are going to thoroughly pursue engagement with the small-scale mining community through the Zimbabwe Miners Federation so that they engage their members in applying the right principles in mining and practice.
“The challenge with small-scale miners is how they are mining. We have multiple pits on the same reef, which are not coordinated or surveyed, resulting in people mining into each other. This leads to incidents like the one the guest of honour mentioned, accounting for about 22% of the fatalities,” he said.
Tirivabaya also mentioned that ZINIRE would engage the Zimbabwe School of Mines to develop a program on shaft timbering for ASM.
“We also need to look at how we can assist them, mainly in shaft timbering, to protect the accesses. Many accidents are due to a lack of access after an incident, such as a shaft collapse. We are considering partnering with the School of Mines, which has started the Shaft Timbermen’s Diploma. However, we could also look at something less extensive, like an awareness campaign, to encourage miners to learn the basics of shaft timbering. This would help protect the accesses, which are a major cause of fatalities because people can’t be rescued if the accesses are not up to spec,” the ZINIRE President said.