Exactly 30 years ago 177 people were killed and 235 were injured in a fire at Kinross gold mine. In a tribute to the miners at Secunda‚ Mpumalanga‚ on Friday the Chamber of Mines’ chief executive Roger Baxter said the mining industry organisation remains committed to its 2024 occupational safety target to eliminate fatalities in mines and reduce injuries.On September 16 1986 miners died after a spark caused by a welder ignited plastic foam lining the walls of a tunnel started a fire‚ causing one of the worst mining disasters in the country.“We know that if we had known then what we know today this tragedy could almost certainly not have happened. Lessons were learned at Kinross which continue to save lives even today‚” Baxter said.Baxter said after the accident in 1986‚ steps were taken by the chamber to investigate the use of various materials underground‚ which led to the banning of polyurethane as a sealant.“When that first spark flared‚ many of those underground had little chance of survival. I cannot begin to imagine what it must have been like on that day.”Baxter said the chamber believed the situation was different today.“In 2015‚ Harmony Gold experienced an underground fire at its Kusasalethu mine where‚ through the successful implementation of refuge bays‚ self-rescuers and the operation undertaken by mine rescue teams‚ the fire was contained and 486 lives saved.”He said to achieve the reduction of fatalities‚ it was crucial that all stakeholders – mining companies‚ employees at all levels‚ trade unions‚ the Department of Mineral Resources and the chamber – worked together.“Every fatality is one too many‚” Baxter said...