Tati Nickel discovers silica and acts

MATSILOJE:  Tati Nickel Mining Company (TNMC) discovered silica in its mine last year and immediately launched forces to manage it, TNMC's SHEQ Manager, Diploma Ramooki, told journalists on a media tour of the mine last Friday. "Silica can cause silicosis, hence we launched an investigation as soon we detected it," Ramooki said, adding that a disturbing fact about silica is that it is airborne and that it could be a problem for people who spent prolonged periods of time where it was detected.

The mine has designed a management programme to deal with the issue, he said. "It could take a minimum of 15 years for someone to develop silicosis," he explained. "Because the mine is only 15 years old, we are not taking any chances. People must know."