OPINION: Gains and gaps in SA mine health and safety
Noise exposure remains a pervasive risk, with over 234 000 employees nationally exposed.
A critical analysis of occupational health and safety trends in South African mining reveals both progress and persistent challenges. From 2016 to 2025, regulatory measures and epidemiological changes interacted with structural issues to shape the landscape. The primary hazards include airborne pollutants, excessive noise, and heat.
Despite a significant decline in reported cases of occupational lung diseases, asbestosis and pulmonary tuberculosis, noise exposure remains a major concern, affecting over 234,000 employees who are exposed to noise levels above the occupational limit of 85 dB(A). The platinum sector accounts for the majority of these noise-induced hearing loss cases.
Thermal stress, particularly heat exposure, is another issue, especially in deep-level gold and platinum mines. While medical incapacity cases due to occupational diseases have declined from 2,741 in 2017 to 440 in 2021, non-occupational disease-related incapacity is still substantial, reflecting the growing burden of non-communicable diseases and mental health disorders.
The epidemiological profile has shifted dramatically, with metabolic risk factors increasing, diabetes cases rising, and mental health disorders more than doubling from 2021 to 2025. Despite improvements in HIV counselling and testing rates, tuberculosis incidence has stabilized and, while low, remains higher in the gold sector.
The industry has made significant strides in tuberculosis control, with an incidence rate of 178 per 100,000 in 2025, the lowest on record. However, systemic challenges remain, particularly in prevention gaps, data quality, and the persistent risk in certain commodities.
Written by urgent.news from SABC News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
