Modern Mining February 2021

Metso Outotec launches global training certification programme

Metso Outotec has started an integrated competence development, called Services Certification Programme, which is targeted for the company’s service employees working on site. Metso Outotec has an extensive footprint of over 3 000 Field Services professionals and additional support resources close to customer operations. The certification training pro- gramme has been designed to validate and develop its employees’ knowledge and skills at servicing their respective products and technologies. “Our customers are already express- ing st rong conf idence towards our service experts’ knowledge and technol- ogy competences. With the development programme, the expertise is officially vali- dated and standardised across the world. We have a unique opportunity from being able to combine strong maintenance sup- port with process knowledge. To achieve our ambition of being the preferred ser- vices provider in our industry requires us to strive for unified development of indus- try leading competences based on high performance and safety standards, and resulting in exceptional customer experi- ence,” says Markku Teräsvasara, president, The world’s leading diamond producer places Putting Safety First Everywhere as its number one value and has been fatality- free for the past two years, according to Dr Urishanie Govender, De Beers Group head of Safety and Sustainable Development. “The application of ADAS aligns with our culture of pioneering brilliance as we equip our operations for Future Smart Mining,” says Dr Govender. “This exciting initiative has provided another valuable tool for our amazing people on site who are constantly looking for ways to improve our safety performance.” She highlights that the intervention con- tributes to the De Beers Group’s critical control management, one of the areas for advancement identified at the company’s regular safety summits. “Driven by the chief executive officers across the group, the spe- cific focus areas are Competence, Culture,

The Services Certification Programme is designed and managed by Metso Outotec Training Academy organisation which manages all technical and product trainings globally in the company.

Services business area, Metso Outotec. The Services Certification Programme consists of three distinct and progres- sive training levels that allow personnel to develop their skills and apply them in on-the-job situations as well as validating existing work experience. All service per-

sonnel must achieve a License to Service certificate before starting the certification programme to ensure a shared under- standing of what ‘service’ means within Metso Outotec and to clarify the standards including safety all are expected to hold themselves to in their work. 

whether the seat belt is being worn. “ADAS makes an important contribution to our coaching and training activities, as the data we gather is fed back to drivers to continuously improve their performance,” he says. “Used as a proactive warning sys- tem the technology has generally received good support from drivers and their trade unions.” He notes that De Beers Group’s contrac- tors – who assume much of the company’s staff transportation function – have been quick to come on board and align with the ever more stringent safety standards. 

De Beers rolls out driver assistance technology Pioneering the use of advanced driver assis- tance systems (ADAS) in the mining sector, De Beers Group is successfully rolling out this safety innovation across its operations in southern African.

Connectedness, and Cultivating Care to enable everyone to be Ready to Respond to Risks.” Head of Asset Strategy and Reliability at De Beers Group, Meshal Ruplal says the first phase of the ADAS initiative saw the technology being installed on buses and any vehicles that carry five or more people. In a second phase, vehicles with four pas- sengers were fitted with the equipment. The technology comprises a range of functional- ity, including cameras to monitor harsh and distracted driving. “The camera software can also check on the driver’s eyelid movements and other indicators of drowsiness, and can trans- mit short video clips to a control room for improved monitoring,” says Ruplal. “It can register infringements like changing lanes without indicating, or crossing a solid bar- rier line.” The technology – which has been well proven in the trucking industry abroad – assists the driver by checking if there is a safe distance to the vehicle in front, rec- ognising speed limit signs and detecting

De Beers Group places Putting Safety First Everywhere as its number one value.

February 2021  MODERN MINING  39