The South African mining industry has a legislative obligation to submit an annual medical report to the Medical Inspector before the end of February of each year as per the Chief Inspector of Mines’ instruction.
Administration fines will be imposed on the South African mines which do not submit their respective annual medical reports as per the requirements of the Mine Health and Safety Act, 1996 (Act No. 29 of 1996), as amended.
In terms of Section 16 of the Mine Health and Safety Act, 1996 (Act No. 29 of 1996), as amended - every Occupational Medical Practitioner at a South African mine must compile an annual medical report covering the health of employees based on records of medical surveillance.
This information assists the Mine Health and Safety Inspectorate to analyse disease trends in the different commodities mined in South Africa as well as in the assessment of the achievements of the South African mining industry in relation to the milestones set in terms of eradicating diseases such as silicosis and noise induced hearing loss.
The following details must be included when compiling the annual medical report:
For more information, contact us at mhsi@dmr.gov.za.
The Mine Health and Safety Act, 1996 (Act 29 of 1996), as amended, defines an occupational disease as any condition listed in either the Occupational Diseases in Mines and Works Act, 1993 (ODMWA, Act 208 of 1993), as amended, or the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act, 1993 (COIDA, Act 130 of 1993).
For the annual medical report, the list of important diseases that are commonly found in the mining industry include: