Research, Development and Innovation in Mining survey will assist the industry achieve a safer, healthier, more productive future
Minerals Council South Africa
We are a mining industry employers’ organisation that serves our members and promotes their interests in South Africa
Johannesburg, 31 October 2024. Research, development and innovation (RD&I) is essential for the South African mining industry’s drive for modernisation to make mining safer, more productive and accessible as it strives for an inclusive, transformed and sustainable sector. A new survey has been launched to better understand trends in mining industry RD&I.
In the past three decades, the mining industry has made significant gains in safety, health and inclusion of women in the sector through CEO-led initiatives. To consolidate these trends and to make further step changes, innovative thinking is needed for how mining is conducted in a healthier and safer way that makes the industry a preferred long-term, sustainable career choice for a broader range of people.
The new survey, which is designed to capture valuable insights into RD&I trends, is underway. Mining companies are encouraged to participate and to provide critical information that will drive advancements in technology and modernisation of the sector, and to shape a future where mining is not only more efficient but also more inclusive and environmentally friendly.
Stakeholders are invited to email RIIS to participate: [email protected] The survey closes on 30 November 2024.
The Minerals Council South Africa and the HSRC (Human Sciences Research Council) (HSRC) have agreed to conduct the survey to gain a comprehensive overview of the RD&I investment environment in South Africa as mining companies increasingly modernise their operations.
The Minerals Council and HSRC partnership, which is facilitated by innovation-focused advisory firm, the Research Institute for Innovation and Sustainability (RIIS), will produce an inclusive, industry-wide survey to provide insights into the key investment aspects that encourage – or impede - mining innovation in South Africa given the relatively low expenditure into RD&I in the sector.
In 2021/2022, expenditure on RD&I in South Africa’s mining, minerals and mining-related activities was R646 million of which R603 million came from private companies, according to an HSRC study. Overall, minerals-related RD&I expending accounted for 6.6% of total business spending on RD&I of R9.8 billion.
The mining of metal ores, excluding gold and uranium, accounted for 71% of the sector’s RD&I spending, while coal and lignite attracted 0.3%, the lowest spending in all the minerals segments.
In 2021/22, the top three research fields in mining, as measured by expenditure on RD&I, were engineering sciences (50.0%) followed by chemical sciences (35.4%) and earth sciences at (9.8%).
The safety and health of employees is a priority for the Minerals Council and its members. The number of fatalities at mines have decreased by 88% to 55 in 2023 from 484 in 1994. The number of injuries decreased by 75% to 2,080 from 8,347 in the same period.
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By 2022, the latest year for which the Minerals Council has verified data, the incidence rate for tuberculosis in the mining sector was 278/100,000, well below the 537/100,000 national rate. Mining companies have also made significant inroads into reducing cases of silicosis and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), with reductions of 90% and 86% respectively between 2003 and 2022.
Advances in research, development and innovation will contribute to the next significant step change in the mining industry’s quest for Zero Harm.
For further queries:
Allan Seccombe Head Communications
Tel: 064 650 4636
Email: [email protected]
Download the media statement here: https://t.co/r5bBxz4EKu