NOSA, a subsidiary company of MICROmega Holdings Limited, hosted a delegation from the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) last week. SAWS is the non-ministerial agency of the Government of the People’s Republic of China and is responsible for the regulation of occupational health and safety in China.
NOSA provided training to the delegation on how to manage health and safety risks in underground coal mines. China’s coal mining industry has had a number of high profile safety incidents over the past few years, and with over 20,000 coal mines in the country, there is increasing Governmental pressure on management at these coal mines to reduce injuries and fatalities.
Given NOSA’s proven track record of improving the safety performance of companies across five continents, SAWS approached NOSA for guidance on how the lessons learnt in the South African coal mining industry could be applied in China. In addition to the relationship with SAWS, NOSA currently provides services to a number of state ownedenterprises in China, and the NOSA five star system has been recognised by their State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) as one of its approved health and safety management systems for the power
generation sector.
“NOSA supports the need for rigorous safety procedures, health and safety standards, and worker education and training within coal mines. I believe our input this week with SAWS will assist them in improving their safety levels within the industry,” said Duncan Carlisle, CEO of
NOSA Global Holdings. Through the interaction with the SAWS delegation, NOSA gained further insight into the requirements of the Chinese coal mining industry.
“The cross pollination of ideas between NOSA and the Chinese delegates enabled us to build a strong relationship over the four days and this augurs well for future interaction and further participation in the coal mining industry in China,” stated NOSA’s Head of Innovation, Deonie Botha.
SAWS gained a strong understanding of the situation and development of the South African coal mining industry as well as the safety regulations and measures that have been taken to prevent the spread of occupational disease. “The training helped enrich our knowledge and broadened our way of thinking,” Zhu Zhilin, Deputy Director General of the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety stated.