Challenges and Implementation from a Regulatory Perspective — South Africa Special Case Mines

South Africa is rich in metals such as gold and limited reserves of uranium. The mining of the metals brings the disturbance of the solid quartz pebble conglomerate (QPC) which makes up the ore bodies. Gold and uranium deposits largely coexist in the QPCs and mining for either will release radioactive contaminants associated with uranium's progeny; radon in particular. The grades of uranium in the ore are not high, but the potential exist for radon levels to build up to significant concentrations. The ore bodies had been largely exploited since the 1950s for its gold and uranium content, and this exploitation opened up large areas that are available for radon to emanate from. Safety assessments showed that workers in these mines were exposed to varying levels of radon. Since underground mines depend on forced ventilation and the dynamic nature of mining, the extent of radon contamination is vast in some mines. Increased exposures to radon necessitated that more stringent regulatory controls were exercised. The mines with high levels of radon were classified as Special Case Mines (SCM). This paper will investigate the challenges faced from a regulatory perspective in dealing with SCMs and the outcomes of the implementation process. (author)