Business Reporter
THE Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation (MLIREC) granted permission to Chinese owned Whale Rock Cement (PTY) Ltd, also known as Cheetah Cement, to resume its operations on Monday, 23 May 2022.
The mine was ordered by the ministry to cease its operations on 10 May 2022. The stoppage affected all production activities at the grinding station, cement mill area, rotator pack area and cement warehouse.
Lydia Indombo, acting executive director of the labour ministry, explained that the closure of the mine followed a number of inspections in terms of Basic Conditions of Employment and Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) by the Ministry whereby violations related to occupational health and safety regulations were detected.
Contraventions by the mine in terms of occupational health and safety regulations included the fact that employees were not provided with suitable personal protective equipment, such as hearing protection for excavator operators, and kidney belts for back support.
In addition, the ministry raised concerns that face masks designed for mining operations had excessive dust and that there was no lighting in the mining area.
The labour ministry also took issue with the fact that Cheetah Cement failed to make arrangements for first aid and emergency or provision for other emergency facilities and supplies.
Failing to maintain good housekeeping on site and within the cement mill, cement storehouse and elsewhere were also listed among the ministry’s several safety concerns.
“The mining trucks are operated without proper tyre handling tools and machinery and the company further has no safe work procedures for tyre handling. There is further insufficient lighting in the workshop area.
“The ministry has conducted verification inspections on 16 and 20 May 2022 to evaluate the compliance on the identified shortfalls and is satisfied with the level of compliance as well as arrangements thereof and thus recommended for resumption of production activities,” Indombo shared.
