workplace safety Archives - �鶹ԭ�� Africa News Center

Striking Gold with AI in Africa’s Mining Sector

Shabir Ahmed — Wed, 08 May 2024 07:29:45 +0000

The global mining industry is in a state of flux as unprecedented demand for resources clash with ongoing global economic volatility and geopolitical tensions, creating both immense challenges and opportunities.

From record-high gold prices to the stunning growth in renewables driving demand for minerals and the global transition to net-zero, the mining industry is currently in an era of intense reinvention and disruption.

Africa’s mining sector isn’t spared this volatility. The continent has more than half of the world’s reserves of platinum group metals and diamonds, and nearly half of manganese and cobalt reserves, both critical elements in the batteries powering the global transition to cleaner energy.

Searching for greater productivity

In the current business environment mining companies are under intense pressure to increase efficiencies, reduce costs, and boost productivity.

Autonomous technologies have ushered in a broad range of economic benefits for the mining industry over the past decade. By leveraging automation to perform some of the more hazardous tasks, mining companies have minimised worker exposure to dangerous conditions and bolstered overall safety standards within their operations.

Recently, the emergence of digital technologies such as machine-learning and artificial intelligence (AI) has introduced new gains in efficiency and productivity. One market estimate predicts that investment into AI by the mining sector will reach $7.26 billion (R134bn) by 2033, driven by a compound annual growth rate of 22.7%.

While it’s undeniable that AI holds immense promise for the mining industry, the introduction of any new technology is typically accompanied by a number of ethical dilemmas.

In the context of mining, fears around AI range from the displacement of human labour by automation, increased surveillance compromising data privacy, and encroachments on autonomous decision-making.

There are also concerns over explainability, that is how AI decisions can be explained in a way that makes sense to human workers. For example, if AI is used in surveillance at mining sites to improve safety and security, questions may arise over how the algorithm determines which actions can be considered safety or security incidents.

While AI has the potential to improve efficiency and safety in mining, its deployment introduces new risks that must be carefully managed. Mining companies, technology developers, and regulatory authorities must collaborate to establish robust safety protocols, provide comprehensive training, and establish clear lines of accountability to mitigate the risks associated with AI use in mining operations.

Despite the concerns, AI will unquestionably play a leading role in the mining sector’s success in the coming years. AI lends itself to a myriad applications across the mining value chain, including:

1 Exploration

2 Geotechnical monitoring

Geotechnical monitoring and analysis are crucial to ensuring ground stability and infrastructure stability at mining operations. Here, AI can be integrated with sensor networks to detect early signs of instability or failure, while predictive models can forecast ground behaviour and assess potential hazards. AI can also be applied to create detailed simulations of rock masses that can help guide the design of tunnels, underground layouts, and slope stability.

AI technologies enable dynamic, data-driven decision-making to optimise mine plans and production schedules. Mining operations can leverage AI to predict performance under various conditions, helping decision-makers identify optimal productivity strategies while minimising costs. Predictive maintenance systems can also optimise the performance of mining equipment, reducing downtime and improving overall operational efficiency.

4 Supply chain management

By using techniques such as time-series analysis and probabilistic modelling, mines can gain real-time visibility over their supply chain. This can help mining operations optimise their logistics operations, including transportation routes and distribution networks.

AI is a transformative force in the mining industry, introducing a broad range of innovative applications to solving complex challenges across various facets of modern mining operations. By embracing AI-driven innovation and collaboration, mining companies can pave the way for a more efficient, sustainable and responsible mining future.

Shabir Ahmed is an industry advisor: energy and resources at �鶹ԭ�� Africa

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How Organisations can Rebuild Confidence, Trust in the Workplace post-COVID-19

�鶹ԭ�� News — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 06:24:31 +0000

Organisations face a new challenge as they seek to rebuild confidence among workers who may be less than eager to return to the workplace in the wake of this year’s pandemic.

According to Stanley Dube, Head of �鶹ԭ�� S/4HANA at �鶹ԭ�� Africa, the events of 2020 have highlighted the importance of trust between organisations and their workers. “Organisations are arguably under greater pressure than ever to ensure their workplaces are not a danger and that workers can safely return to the office. As South Africans return to work, organisations should seek new tools and approaches to keep workers safe, with a focus on deploying technology to improve the overall management of and response to any health crises.”

While restrictions have lifted in most countries, many are experiencing a resurgence in infection numbers, prompting fears of a so-called second wave. In Europe especially, rising infection numbers have triggered new lockdown measures in the Paris, Madrid and the greater UK.

South Africa arguably had a slight advantage in terms of EHS readiness. Industries such as mining already had robust environment, health and safety standards and infrastructure in place. South Africa’s wide-ranging efforts at dealing with the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the 1990s and 2000s possibly played a role, as most labour-intensive industries would already have comprehensive EHS measures in place.

“As industries reopen and workers return, organisations need to build confidence among workers that it is safe to return,” says Dube. “Organisations should seek tools and policies that enable them to assess risks of COVID-19 infection and transmission in the workplace, and identify at-risk employees regardless of symptoms. Additional health surveillance protocols need to be established for testing, diagnosis and treatment.”

Ensuring workplace safety

�鶹ԭ�� Environment, Health and Safety Management is a technology solution that helps organisations proactively identify, analyse and mitigate environment, health and safety risks. The solution helps organisations operate safely and efficiently, with a focus on ensuring continuity.

“EHS practitioners charged with ensuring workplace health and safety need to be supported with tools that enable them to quickly assess the dispersion and severity of infection risks in the workplace, and to immediately executive actions to mitigate such risks,” says Dube. “This may include conducting testing programs, tracking infections, and maintaining effective communication channels to keep stakeholders updated to new developments.”

According to Dube, technology can support EHS efforts by COOs, Human Resources managers, risk management officers, sustainability officers and facilities managers by also integrating with other systems, such as procurement systems, to track inventory of personal protective equipment (PPE). “This helps ensure a steady and available supply of PPE for all on-site workers.”

Wide-ranging applications for rebuilding trust

In addition, with integration to HR and operational systems, the �鶹ԭ�� Environment, Health and Safety Management solution gives decision-makers a holistic view over the entire organisation, which provides improved planning and higher EHS standards that can contribute to a safer, productive workplace.

“The solution consists of applications ranging from Incident Management to Health and Safety and Occupational Health to support organisations with conducting initial COVID-19 risk assessments, identifying at-risk individuals, securing testing for such individuals, and supporting all necessary responses for when a positive diagnosis is made,” says Dube. “It’s a solution that both helps prevent infections as well as manage any infections that occur. The ultimate goal is to give confidence to workers that their workplace is safe, building trust at a critical time.”

Organisations can implement the �鶹ԭ�� Environment Health and Safety solution in as little as eight weeks, with a full return on investment within less than six months. For more information, please visit

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