Durban - The Assmang ferromanganese smelter in Cato Ridge may be "switched on" by March 3, stakeholder African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) chief executive Jan Steenkamp said on Thursday.
Six people died after a blast and subsequent fire ripped through the factory on Sunday.
Another four people were seriously injured and were still receiving treatment.
Steenkamp told Sapa on Thursday that switching on the plant depended on a number of factors.
"It depends on specialist reports, the acceptance of the labour department and the withdrawal of the prohibition order," he said.
He said starting operations at the plant was just a suggestion at this stage and that no final decision had been made.
Asked whether it would be safe to re-open the plant or whether any new safety measures would be put in place, Steenkamp said the factory had always been safe.
"The plant has been running safely for the past 75 years but yes explosions do happen...but the workers have always been safe.
"I can't speculate about new safety measures... that all depends on what comes out of the report," said Steenkamp.
The factory has been the subject of a labour department inquiry into workers' exposure to poisonous fumes that have resulted in 40 alleged cases of manganism. The five-day inquiry, which started on Monday, is due to end on Friday.
Manganism is acquired by overexposure to airborne manganese and is a disease that affects the sufferer's central nervous system, leaving them with symptoms very similar to Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis (MS).
The department's spokeswoman Zolisa Sigabi earlier said the inquiry was aimed specifically at establishing the possible causes of the manganism.
She said they also wanted to establish the level of manganese fumes or dust exposure to the workers, whether the employer had fulfilled his legal obligation of preventing exposure, and whether control mechanisms were put in place by the employer.
Sigabi said the department also wanted to finalise who would be held responsible for the exposure and what measures would be implemented to prevent a re-occurrence. - Sapa