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

a stakeholder theory account of safety communication significance for the mining and construction industries of South Africa

Elnerine Greef
University of South Africa
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Precedent predictions and present practice: a stakeholder theory account of safety communication significance for the mining and construction industries of South Africa. (2013). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 32(1), 38-57. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v32i1.1625
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  • Submited: October 15, 2022
  • Published: July 1, 2013

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 were responsible for the loss of more than 200 employees’ lives in
2011 – an improvement over 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 located within the construction industry) and Diesel Power Opencast Mining
(predominantly located within the mining industry

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How to Cite
Precedent predictions and present practice: a stakeholder theory account of safety communication significance for the mining and construction industries of South Africa. (2013). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 32(1), 38-57. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v32i1.1625

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