Precedent predictions and present practice : a stakeholder theory account of safety communication significance for the mining and construction industries of South Africa

Abstract

The economic reality of South Africa is that the industries responsible for the greatest contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product are also those responsible for the greatest loss of life among their employee population. The South African mining and construction industries are notoriously dangerous and accounted for over 200 employees losing their lives in 2011 – an improvement from previous years. This notwithstanding, many organisations still think that occupational safety is an ethical consideration that either impedes, or hampers business outputs. This notion is one that stakeholder theory regards to be a fallacy, specifically the separation fallacy, one that is in need of rejection and replacement by the integrated thesis, which proposes that the term business ethics no longer be seen as an oxymoron but rather as tautology. In this article, the significance of this proposition will be outlined, as empirically tested within the mining and construction industries of South Africa at two organisations – the Gautrain Project (predominantly seated within the construction industry) and Diesel Power Opencast Mining (predominantly seated within the mining industry).