Electricity and Control July 2021

SAFETY OF PLANT EQUIPMENT + PEOPLE

Ensuring technical compliance for safety WearCheck’s advanced field services (AFS) division offers a range of specialist monitoring techniques which include rope testing, technical compliance, and non-destructive testing.The company’s Technical Compliance Manager, Johan Stols, here outlines some of the different technical compliance testing techniques used.

T he primary goal of the technical compliance (TC) division is to ensure all the components that the team monitors comply with stringent, predetermined, safety standards. The TC team plays a supporting role to customer operations by reducing risk, using specialised and multidisciplinary services and resources, and they are on call at all hours. The company’s TC customers operate mainly in the mining sector, but other industries too are beginning to realise the value of technical compliance. The TC team’s mining customers are generally the deep level mines – coal, gold, platinum and others – where vertical shafts (movement of people), incline shafts (movement of goods), ropes and many other components are tested. The range of technical compliance tests conducted gen- erally includes level one winder and main fan compressor inspections, compliance level electrical inspections, head- gear elevator electrical inspections, lock bell inspections, chairlift electrical inspections, secondary injection testing and conveyor belt compliances. These components must undergo regular tests to ensure they are constantly in a safe operating condition. Inspections are conducted by highly skilled and experienced inspectors, using specialised testing equipment to ensure compliance with rigorous safety standards. In South Africa, TC standards are legislated in many cases, but are also guided by industry-recognised best- practice values. We add value for our clients by providing quality services and identifying and mitigating risks associated with safety and production-critical equipment. WearCheck’s TC team includes six winder inspectors, who among them have around 140 years’ combined experience. It is this team’s responsibility to check that every component in a given machine is working exactly as it is supposed to work. For example, on a lighting circuit, all lights must be working perfectly; or on a safety circuit, each safety circuit must trip when it is supposed to trip. If a fault is found, this is reported to the engineer in charge of that particular component. Repairs are carried out by the engineer’s maintenance team, and the TC team then returns to retest the faulty component and ensure it is working correctly. In dynamic testing, which is applied to licensed winders, the law states that physical testing must be conducted

This safety circuit is required to undergo technical compliance testing every time a level one audit is scheduled. Here, WearCheck advanced field services technician, Joe Kies, tests the circuit to ensure it is operating within the required safety regulations. within every 200 days in order to comply with safety standards. There are two levels of testing. At Level one, general electrical and mechanical audits are conducted. Level two involves design audits on equipment in line with OEM specifications and safety standards. In Level one testing, even though there is no specific law that stipulates the frequency of testing for winders, industry best-practice dictates that they should be tested at least four times a year. During a typical TC audit, which is normally done during a weekly examination, around 100 items are tested. The safety circuit is tested for correct operation. The different circuits on each unit must be tested to ensure correct operations. A report is compiled with all findings and this includes the results of the previous three audits so trends can be recorded and monitored. Recent repairs done on the respective machines are highlighted. Tracking the compliance status of each component enables the engineer and the maintenance team to keep all components in peak operating condition and avoid nasty accidents or costly downtime. It is important to note, for example, that each winder has its own unique operating and protection system, which must be adhered to when it is undergoing testing. We make sure we are acquainted with each component and its maintenance and compliance history. The WearCheck TC team is standing by to assist in any way possible in ensuring that all moving machinery is audited according to best practice, and all required safety standards are met. Due to the production-critical nature of our support work, the team is on call 24/7/365. □

For more information visit: www.wearcheck.co.za

Electricity + Control JULY 2021

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