Anglo American endows chair in occupational health

Anglo American is to invest Rand 15 million in endowing a new chair at the Wits School of Public Health. The new position will be know as the Anglo American Endowed Chair in Occupational Health.

The chair will “conduct research and engage in other scholarly activities with the aim of decreasing employee to dust, noise and other health hazards in mining and other industries,” the company said in a press statement.

“Mining and occupational hygiene and health are inseparable and there is a severe shortage of occupational hygienists in South Africa and Africa,” said Dr Andrew Swanepoel, senior lecturer and master of public health occupational coordinator at the Wits School of Health. “This, together with insufficient resources to support occupational hygiene and health, compromises the ability of the industry to protect and promote the health and wellbeing of employees.” This makes the new partnership, “particularly important”, concluded Swanepoel.

The university has long been a leading research centre in occupational health in South Africa, working with the National Institute of Occupational Health for over three decades to research mining-related diseases

Written by Jonathan Rowland.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/mining/07112014/world-coal-anglo-american-endows-chair-in-occupational-health-coal1547/