Mixed fortunes for Namibian mining

28 May 2013

WINDHOEK: Chamber of Mines of Namibia president Mark Dawe says that 2012 was one of the worst years for the country's mining industry, with the highest recorded number of fatalities since independence. The industry suffered five fatalities during 2012.

allAfrica.com reports that, addressing the annual general meeting of the Chamber, he said that it had responded to these accidents by recruiting an internationally recognised mining expert to review the state of health and safety in the entire mining industry, and to make appropriate recommendations.

"The consultant was also tasked to carry out an international benchmarking exercise, to compare safety standards in the Namibian mining industry with leading mining countries around the world," Dawe revealed. "I am pleased to announce that this exercise was successfully undertaken and most of the mines in Namibia were visited by the consultant and the Chamber's own safety expert, Werner Ewald. They have presented the main report to the Chamber, and mine specific reports were submitted to individual mines that were covered in the review," he added.

Read the full article on www.miningreview.com.