The Minerals Resource Council of South Africa has launched a nine-point plant to help mitigate the potential impact of the deadly Coronavirus, COVID-19, on the mining sector. This is in recognition of the special circumstances that make the mining sector vulnerable to transmission of infectious diseases such as COVID-19.
“Employees congregate in areas of work, and travel in close proximity. As mining often involves physical activity, there could be a high degree of exposure to the virus simply through contact with people, machinery and equipment. Mining executives and officials who visit offshore operations are at risk of contracting the virus in other countries and bringing the infection into South African mines,” the Minerals Council in a statement.
Coronavirus 9 point plan
The Minerals Council’s nine-point action plan involves the following:
• Employee education and health promotion
• Health worker readiness
• Ensuring access to consumables (masks, sanitisers, testing kits) and hardware (such as temperature monitors
• Proactive influenza vaccination, which the industry undertakes and promotes every year
• Understanding the potential impact on employees who may be immuno-compromised
• Case definition and management
• Isolation of employees should the need arise
• Travel advice
• Reporting and communication
The Minerals Council also stands ready to work with all relevant parts of government to manage the spread of the virus.
Potential impact on the industry
The potential impact of COVID-19 on the industry is difficult to quantify, however, the following could be a possible scenario:
• One impact would be the delay in exports of materials to significantly-affected markets. This would be a timing issue as it is assumed that the ports and markets will reopen at some stage.
• Demand for some commodities could be affected if growth in significantly-affected markets is constrained or delayed. On the other hand, the price of gold would likely be supported in the context of global uncertainty.
As concern around the disease has intensified, the Minerals Council says its members have continued to take the following steps: monitor the situation globally and nationally; to engage and align fully with the NICD planning for businesses and occupational health settings; and to develop plans to reduce and mitigate its impact. “That the virus has now been confirmed to have arrived in South Africa emphasises the importance of taking these actions,” stresses the Minerals Council.
In January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. This has consequences for individual health, workplace impact and general economic impact on countries.
In early February 2020 the Minerals Council provided members with material on mitigation measures against the virus. The materials were based on communication from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), materials provided by the WHO, and were targeted at employees and translated into Afrikaans, isiZulu and Sesotho.
