ON average, it appears that three workers die each year in work-related accidents at Mopani Copper Mine which is a cause for concern.

Mopani Copper Mine was founded in 1933 which means that it’s 86 years old. In 2000, Mopani was privatised to new mine owners who have been operating it until today. Mopani is owned by Glencore, First Quantum Minerals (FQM) and Zambia Consolidated Copper Mine Investment Holdings (ZCCM-IH). Glencore, the major shareholder, owns 73.1 percent shares, FQM 16.9 percent and ZCCM-IH 10 percent.

Mopani employs approximately 13, 000 workers. Since 2000, Mopani has made a total estimated investment of $4.4 billion of which $1bn was invested in 2016 to extend the lifespan of the mine for 20- 0 years more. These are impressive figures. But the question is, since 2000, how many workers have died or been injured at Mopani Mine? And what is Mopani doing to prevent mine deaths and injuries?

The poor safety culture at Mopani appear to have deeper roots. To discover the root cause of Mopani’s persistent poor safety performance, one must analyse the owners of the mine.

Mopani is owned by mining giants who should be able to make the mine safe without major challenges. All the three owners operate other mines besides Mopani.

So instead of just looking at Mopani, we need to look at the safety performance of other mines which they operate individually.

Glencore is a global mining giant with 150 operation sites. These operation sites include mining and metallurgical sites, oil production assets and agricultural facilities. Founded in the 1970s, Glencore employs approximately 140, 000 workers globally. In Zambia, Glencore operates only Mopani. To discover Glencore’s safety performance, you need to look at Glencore’s mines outside Zambia.

FQM was founded in 1983 but entered Zambian market after buying Bwana Mkubwa Mine in Ndola in 1996. Today FQM has expanded and owns 80 percent in Kansanshi Mines and 16.9 percent in Mopani Mines. In total, FQM owns seven local and foreign mines.

ZCCM-IH is a Zambian investment company with interests in various industries including mining, banking, energy, cement among others. Besides owning 10 percent in Mopani, ZCCM-IH owns 20 percent in Kansanshi Mines.

In short, FQM and ZCCM-IH own Kansanshi Mine and have operated it safely for 18 years now. Kansanshi has serious safety measures in place. No wonder we rarely hear of fatal accidents. In fact, I have not heard of any fatality reported in the media about Kansanshi.

FQM and ZCCM-IH together have managed to implement high safety standards at Kansanshi Mine which is not just the largest copper mine in Zambia but the largest in Africa. So I asked myself a question, “how has FQM and ZCCM-IH managed to operate Africa’s largest copper mine safely but fail to do the same at Mopani Mine which they also own?” When I analysed FQM and ZCCM-IH separately.

I discovered that the mines which they own separately are relatively safer than Mopani. So why has Mopani continue to have industrial accidents? To find the solution, I had to analyse the third Mopani partner, Glencore.

My research findings convinced me that the root cause to Mopani’s poor safety performance might be Glencore. Glencore has a poor safety track record globally and locally.

Glencore’s poor safety performance is something that has attracted global attention. London Mining Network Spokesperson, Andrew Whitmore, once lamented that, “Glencore has a poor health and safety record, to go with the poor reputation it (Glencore) has earned for environmental and social issues.” It’s clear that Glencore is known for poor safety and environmental performance.

The accident record of Glencore reveals some valuable insights. From 2008 to 2010, Glencore recorded 56 deaths of workers globally while BHP Billiton, the world’s largest mining company, recorded only 23 during the same period.

In 2015, Glencore recorded 10 deaths while its competitor, BHP Billiton, recorded five. In both cases, Glencore which is a smaller mine recorded 50 percent more deaths than the world’s largest mine company.

In 2016 alone, Glencore recorded seven deaths at its DRC Open Pit Mine in Katanga region. The seven workers died when the mine collapsed and buried them alive. Other fatalities are 16 workers in 2014, 10 in 2015, 8 in 2016 and 9 in 2017 globally.

Locally, Glencore’s safety performance is equally poor. In the last five years, Mopani has reported 15 deaths, an average of three deaths per year. These statistics are based on media reports. Barely two months into 2019, Mopani owned by Glencore has recorded three deaths due to a loader catching fire. Two miners died in 2017 due to unspecified causes, four miners died in 2016 due to electrocution, four miners died in 2015 due to the mine collapsing on them and two miners died in 2014 due to unspecified causes.

Last year, 10 people died at the Black Mountain in Kitwe which is Mopani’s Mine Dumpsite. Although this incident wasn’t directly under Mopani, one expected Mopani to provide guidance to the government before handing over.

Just like manufacturers provide safety precautions on how to use a product, as a responsible corporate citizen Mopani was supposed to highlight safety precautions of the Black Mountain.

With all these fatal accidents, what serious efforts has Mopani demonstrated in improving safety of its workers?

In 2015, Mopani built an advanced Emergency Communication and Control Centre at Nkana mine in Kitwe to improve coordination of emergency response. In 2016, Mopani started a ‘Do it Right’ programme aimed at empowering supervisors to put Safe Work principles in place. You don’t need to be a safety professional to observe that these two programmes are not adequate. The first one focuses on Emergency Response instead of Accident Prevention. The second one aims at supervisors rather than on all workers. It’s a well-known fact that for safety to succeed, it requires management commitment. Supervisors do not approve budget.

Instead of focusing on supervisors, Mopani needs to involve managers and directors in safety as they are the ones with the power to allocate resources to safety. More effort is needed. Mopani knows the weaknesses in our safety laws. One serious weakness is that the Mine regulations which the Mine Safety Department uses to regulate safety in mines doesn’t state any fines or punitive measures to be charged on mines that fail to comply.

Mopani knows that its lack of safety compliance has no legal consequences. As a result, they take advantage.

May I conclude by reminding Glencore that being a global leader, we expect you to aim at exceeding legal compliance when it comes to safety. You must implement the Occupational Health and Safety Management System such as ISO 45001 or ILO-OSH 2001 at your Mopani Mine.

Safety isn’t just a legal issue but also a moral issue. Have a moral conscience. We have mourned enough. Do the right thing. Prevent accidents.

To the government, my advice is that Glencore is not a company to treat with kid gloves. Their poor safety performance is clear. Time has come to hold Glencore accountable for the many lives of workers lost through accidents during their operations in Zambia.

*The author is the founder and CEO of SafetyFocus, a safety company committed to providing safety training, consultancy and supplying of safety products.

For your comments, contact the author on cell +260 975 255770 or email: [email protected]

Mark Kunda—Safety Consultant