Modern Quarrying July-August 2016

SPOTLIGHT ON BRICKMAKING REGULAR UPDATE ASPASA

about the wellbeing of communities and the sustainability of the entire construc- tion industry,” Pienaar urges. ISHE audit Presenting the Aspasa ISHE 2015 awards at this year’s Institute of Quarrying/ Aspasa conference in April, Aspasa’s well respected auditor Marius van Deventer thanked members for their commitment to the audit process. “Thank you for your dedication and hard work and for your commitment to health and safety. I think you will all agree that 2015 has been a very tough year with all the new legislation and buzz words going around. Everybody is running around trying to implement these requirements and yet still made the time to complete our audits. “The national 2015 safety statistics for all mining divisions was published in January this year, and it was good to see an overall improvement on recorded fatalities of 8,0%,” he says. “We mourn the 77 people who lost their lives in the

“However, through organisations like GAIN and regional associations like Aspasa, we are striving to become respon- sible citizens and continually working towards becoming a completely sustain- able industry – one that causes minimal harm to the environment and enhances the livelihoods of the communities within our surroundings. “South Africa has some of the tough- est health, safety and environmental pro- tection legislation worldwide, and Aspasa members are audited annually to ensure that they comply with these and our own stringent requirements. That is why it is so important that government, munici- palities, construction company owners and all those involved in the construc- tion chain get involved and support the part of the community that actually cares Interesting GAIN stats Developing regions typically used 3,0-4,0 t/ capita, while developed regions with low eco- nomic growth and flat terrain, use about 4,0-8,0 t. Developed regions, with rugged terrain and high to medium-growth, typically use 8,0-12 t/capita. Developed regions with rich economies, rugged terrain and severe climates typically use up to 16t/ capita. Producer Billion t (BNT) Worldwide production 40 China 15 India 5,0 Americas 5,2 Europe 2,6 Africa 3,3 Oceania 1,7

Aggregates – a vital commodity South Africans need approximately 9,0 kg of sand and stone per day in order to func- tion and live unimpeded in modern soci- ety. Quarrying statistics reveal that per capita, we need this amount to continue our daily lives with shelter and access to public infrastructure. At about 3,0 t of aggregates per person per annum, South Africa ranks low compared with devel- oped countries such as Canada (13,9 t), Finland (14,9 t) and Australia (7,5 t). We are on par with other developing coun- tries such as Brazil (3,8 t) and Russia 3,9 t), but lag behind China (11,1 t) by a consid- erable margin. These and other interesting facts came to light at the recently held GAIN meeting. “Few people realise the important role that aggregates play in our lives and even bemoan the fact that quarries need to operate anywhere near their neighbour- hoods. Yet it was revealed that transport- ing these civilisation-building materials over distances longer than 50 km can have an escalating effect that can drive con- struction prices far beyond the variables,” says Aspasa director Nico Pienaar. Aggregates make up some three quar- ters of the mass of any traditional con- struction project including roads, bridges, ports, railways, harbours, hospitals, public and private buildings, as well as homes and other essential infrastructure. “If we stopped producing aggregates today, we would revert back to a similar state as the stone age, without buildings or many of the other commodities that drive technol- ogy and civilisation today,” he says. Photographed at the recent GAIN meeting in Cape Town. From left: Aspasa chairman Gert Coffee, honorary president UPEG and GAIN coordinator Jim O’Brien, and UPEG delegate Martin Isles.

Photographed at the IQSA conference and exhibition, from left: Aspasa’s ISHE auditor Marius van Deventer and Tom Bellamy, Lafarge’s safety specialist.

Top performer

AfriSam Newcastle

Top Independent performer

Umhlali Quarry

Consistency in achieving Showplace for five years running

AfriSam Newcastle AfriSam Ladysmith AfriSam Verulam AfriSam Umlaas Road Lafarge Tongaat Afrimat Harmony Lafarge Qala Quarry Infrasors Marble Hall

Best improved operations

Safety manager awards for outstanding commitment

Danny de Villiers, SPH Kundalila Chris Pillay, AfriSam Hendrik Moorhead, WGWearne Mogamat Bailey, Afrimat Elton Goosen, Lafarge Dineshree Pillay, Umhlali Quarry Anashre Maharaj, PPC Mooiplaas Anthea Sheldon, SPH Kundalila

Safety practitioner awards for excellent performance

Special award for outstanding quarry development

Salva Govinden, AfriSam Newcastle

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MODERN QUARRYING

July - August 2016