Safety Culture and Production Cost at a Selected Colliery in South Africa

Perilous features of underground mine activities have made the everyday monitoring and management of safety and emergent rescue responses very challenging and costly. Regrettably, for decades, the mining industry’s safety performance is of great concern, with both the number of fatalities and injuries increasing year on year. The study assesses safety culture by establishing commitment and adherence and attitude towards safety controls to establish the relationship between safety culture and production cost. A quantitative study determined safety culture at a colliery in the Free State province, South Africa and its influence on production cost. There was no correlation found between safety culture and production cost. A positive influence of safety control measures on production cost was established, indicating that the implementation thereof reduces safety-related costs. This is the first study that assessed safety culture and its relationship with production cost in South Africa. This study may assist mining companies to determine the gaps relating to safety culture enabling them to take corrective steps, which may lead to the reduction of safety-related costs. The study will also contribute towards the sustainable development goal number 8, decent work and economic growth.