No mine worker died at work in Namibia during 2023, with the only deaths reported in 2021 and 2022 at a quarrying site in the Erongo region.
According to Zebra Kasete, president of the Chamber of Mines of Namibia, the quarrying company is not a member of theirs.
Kasete also said the number of lost-day injuries fell by 17%, while the number of enabling injuries fell by 29% in 2023 compared to 2022.
He said the Lost-Day Injury Frequency Rate (LDIFR) and the Enabling Injury Frequency Rate (DIFR) registered the same trend, showing that Chamber members reduced the number of incidents relative to the total number of shifts worked.
Kasete attributed the flawless fatality record and the decline in injuries to the collaboration between the chamber’s health & safety committee and the chief inspector of mines.
Addressing the chamber’s annual general meeting in Windhoek on Wednesday, Kasete said they pinpointed safety vulnerabilities and promptly addressed them through compliance directives.
“These concerted efforts enhanced safety standards within those specific operations and benefitted the entire industry, resulting in zero fatalities in 2023,” Kasete said.
He added that mines minister Tom Alweendo officially acknowledged this achievement in writing and congratulated the chamber and the mining industry for their collaborative efforts to achieve a fatality-free year.
“The quarterly peer reviews conducted by the health & safety committee have significantly enhanced practices and safety procedures across operations,” he said.
Additionally, Kasete said, the committee has enhanced its peer review learning mechanism by sharing incident outcomes and lessons with committee members immediately after they occur.
“This has helped operations improve safety practices proactively by empowering them to make changes and prevent similar incidents from occurring,” he said.
