A Workplace Ethnography of Deep-Level Mining Teams

Abstract

This chapter provides an ethnographic account of conducting organisational research in a deep-level gold mining workplace. The ethnography presented in this book entailed living in the mine hostel, observing and participating in the production tasks of the underground mining teams for a full production shift for a period stretching over six months. The chapter discusses the day-to-day running of the production process at the rock-face down the mine. This section is important for understanding the organisation of the production cycle and the actions of the mining teams, foremen and management to ensuring the smooth daily running of the production process inside the pit. Furthermore, the chapter presents an overview of AfricaGold’s business performance in terms of operational efficiency, productivity and safety.

Citation

Phakathi, S.T. (2017), "A Workplace Ethnography of Deep-Level Mining Teams", Production, Safety and Teamwork in a Deep-Level Mining Workplace, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 25-36. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78714-563-420171002