Thousands of miners die from mining accidents each year. According to statistics the number of mining accidents has declined since last year. The Department of Minerals and Energy statistics reported that in January 2010 there were six fatalities and 17 during 2009; and February there was eight fatalities and 15 during the previous year.

The major cause of accidents at mines is falls of ground, machinery, transportation and general. The general could be causes of negligence, loose rock in ore passes and drilling into misfires is just to name a few. The highest rating of accidents is at gold mines due to being much deeper and the conditions are more dangerous than on shallower platinum mines.

Improving training of employees and encouraging a sense of safe working practice in miners can reduce the chances of accidents on mines. The consequence of accidents has a big influence on mines and resulted in shares fell, breadwinner loss of income and mine being closed due to investigation.

The Chamber of Mines zero tolerance of accidents has helped mines to enforce clear targets that require strong leaders. Hiring qualified individuals can prevent accidents and avoiding careless behaviour. Now is the time to make the right choices and achieve a culture of transformation.