Capital Equipment News November 2016

MINING NEWS

Demystifying urban legends of beating the breathalyser

Improving operational efficiency

MBE Minerals is expanding its service centre in Kathu, South Africa. Officially launched in the second quarter of 2015, the facility supports the company’s large installed base of equipment in the Northern Cape Province. Johannes Kottmann, managing director of MBE Minerals, explains the importance of providing support on customers’ doorsteps. “It is imperative that we can provide technical support and backup services to customers in this region from a local facility and the decision to expand our existing service centre will see a sizeable investment by the company.” MBE Minerals is a leading supplier of iron ore and coal beneficiation technology, and is focussed on providing the greater aftermarket support. Kottmann says that this approach enables the company to meet customer-specific requirements. He “This is something often attempted at roadblocks where there is police presence to monitor drunk drivers and it has even been attempted where substance or alcohol testing is implemented randomly in a manufacturing, mining or construction environments,” says Evans. “Such tricks have evolved into an urban legend with most people able to pass on a story of how a friend or acquaintance fooled a breathalyser test, but these tricks are nothing but myths.” In short, there is no way to beat a breathalyser test, unless the test subject has not been drinking. Despite this, companies and law enforcement agencies are having to test more often, illustrating the fact that employees and citizens are unfamiliar and misinformed about the extent of alcohol testing, whether for recreational or professional purposes, which means it’s time to demystify these urban legends, says Evans. Designed to test for blood alcohol content (BAC), breathalysers are used in industries and scenarios where intoxication is hazardous to health and life. South African law has two levels for permissible BAC percentages – the professional driver limit is 0,10 mg/l. For obvious reasons, alcohol consumption is banned by the OSH Act and When it comes to breathalysers, there are many misconceptions that exist (and persist) about what these tests can and can’t do that have led to the belief that it is possible to beat the breathalyser, so says Rhys Evans, MD of ALCO-Safe.

is predominantly enforced in the mining, civil engineering, construction, manufacturing, transportation and other industries with a zero tolerance approach, given the serious ramifications of operating dangerous machinery under the influence. Testing for alcohol is mandatory in certain industries, and this is done using a breathalyser before entering the workplace. While there are a number of different types of breathalysers, the good ones gen- erally work the same, and they are all de- signed to be used by an operator. “It’s important to know upfront that if the operator is using the test device correctly by not handing it to the person to test him- self, and if the device used is a good-quali- ty breathalyser, there is no way to cheat it. However, in order to ensure that the device delivers accurate readings, it is important to calibrate the breathalyser,” says Evans. “Good breathalysers use something called an electro-chemical fuel cell, which is the heart of the instrument detecting alcohol. This can go up in sensitivity or drift down in sensitivity.” b

Michelin XDR3 increases tyre life by a minimum of 10%.

Mining operations experience difficulties with their vehicles on a daily basis due to the rigid landscape, operational inefficiency and lack of safety within the workplace. The new 40.00 R 57 and 53/80 R 63 Michelin XDR3 tyres have been designed to improve these factors. The new Michelin XDR3 is said to re- spond to the needs of mine operators by incorporating three key innovations, which together increase tyre life by a minimum of 10% compared with its predecessor, the Michelin XDR 2. Compared with its predecessor, the tyres’ new tread pattern offers multiple benefits. It offers better endurance due to improved heat dissipation capabilities – 8°C cooler in the tread area. A greater volume of tread rubber is in contact with the ground, which improves wear and ensures better load dis- tribution throughout the contact patch due to a lower contact pressure. Interlocking shoul- der blocks resist excessive movement during cornering and further reduce tyre wear. With four innovative rubber compounds – the MB4, MB, MC4, MC – the exclusive new mixing process ensures a more uniform com- position of rubber compounds and a greater level of carbon black dispersion that increas- es wear resistance. Each unique compound offers specific performance characteristics adapted to site conditions and usage, from high wear resistance to high thermal capac- ity for speed. The high-strength corrosion isolating steel cables used in the tyre’s casing are 10% stronger than in the previous XDR2 and are encapsulated in rubber to prevent the spread of corrosion within the casing, which extends the life of the tyre. The 40.00 R 57 Michelin XDR3 is available from September 2016, while the 53/80 R 63 will roll into the market in January 2017. b

MBE MINERALS EXPANDS KATHU SERVICE CENTRE

says that mines need OEM suppliers that are committed to work with them to ensure the optimum efficiency of equipment. “It is not sufficient to just provide qual- ity OEM equipment that is engineered to be fit-for-purpose, it is also essential that technical support is readily available to en- sure optimum uptime and productivity for the mine,” he says. The MBE Minerals Service Centre, which is under the management of Rudi van Deventer, will be doubled in size to allow for the reconditioning and assembly of bucket chains and jigging panels. The fully equipped workshop will accommodate the inspection, repair and assembly of various other components as well. A comprehensive spare parts stockholding matches with the company’s equipment footprint, allowing customers ready access without the need to wait for these to be shipped from Gauteng. b

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS NOVEMBER 2016 14