The newly gazetted guideline to prevent, mitigate and manage the Covid-19 pandemic on mines is largely a restatement of what has already been adopted by the mining industry. Most of the requirements of the code of practice (COP) mandated in the gazette already form part of the standard operating procedures

Covid-19 prevention, mitigation and management programmes must be established at mines using the guideline gazetted by Chief Inspector of Mines David Msiza on Tuesday. The gazette notice states that this guideline provides minimum requirements for the compilation of a code of practice to prevent and manage Covid outbreak.

South Africa’s guidelines for a mandatory Code of Practice (COP) to mitigate and manage the Covid-19 pandemic in the mining industry have been gazetted. Failure by employers to prepare and implement a mine’s COP in line with the guidelines would constitute a criminal offence and a breach of the Mine