Lonmin ire
27th Jan 2012
LONDON, Jan 27 – Lonmin has expressed frustration at disruptions to mining operations and production by safety stoppages ordered by South Africa’s Mineral Resources Department.
The department has the power to issue Section 54 notifications when an inspector believes there is the potential risk to any person at a mine, but Lonmin says a jump in the frequency and duration of stoppages is hampering moves to safely improve productivity and efficiency.
It says the time taken to have Section 54 orders lifted has blown out from an average of two to five days.
The company expressed regret over the death of a worker in December, but says it has improved its safety performance.
Lonmin says it lost 177,000t of ore production across all operations during the December quarter, compared to the loss of 21,000t in the December 2010 quarter.
A further 30,000t of production was lost due to social and labour unrest in December and the National Union of Mineworkers safety march – an event supported by the company – in October.
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