Modern Quarrying October-November 2015

FACE TO FACE WITH ASPASA

An organisation that works hard to promote its members in a positive light is the Aggregate and Sand Producers Association of Southern Africa (Aspasa). Under the leadership of director Nico Pienaar, Aspasa represents its members with regard to policy positions, through various organs of national and provincial government, striving for clarity and keeping to its principals of ensuring the sustainability of its industry. MQ meets up with director Nico Pienaar to discuss some very exciting plans for this last quarter, many of which extend into 2016. Aspasa speaks with a strong voice on sustainability

T he first of these is the invita- tion extended to the Global Aggregates Information Network (GAIN), to hold its prestigious meeting in Cape Town in April next year, and to link up with the Institute of Quarrying/Aspasa annual conference which takes place from 14-15 April at The Lord Charles Hotel in Somerset West. Pienaar attended the third GAINmeet- ing in Brussels in October 2014, together with key executives from South Africa including Afrimat’s Andries van Heerden and Gert Coffee. Principal attendees included top executives from global aggregate entities in China, Australia, Canada, Latin America and Europe, with apologies fromNew Zealand and the USA. Members of GAIN include: Associação Nacional das Entidades de Produtores de Agregados para Construção Civil (ANEPAC, Brazil); Aggregates & Quarry Association of New Zealand (AQA); Asociación Colombiana de producto- res de Agregados Pétreos (AS0GRAVAS, Colombia); BC Stone, Sand & Gravel

coordinator and UEPG honorary presi- dent, GAIN members probably represent 60% of global aggregate production, and therefore it is able to speak with a strong voice on issues concerning the global industry. Subjects at the last meeting included roundtable discussions on land use and quarry waste; water impacts; air quality; biodiversity; marine aggregates; permit- ting; health and safety issues; economic affairs; illegal quarrying; and technical issues. GAIN’s vision for the future is to: elim- inate fatalities; ensure employee health; minimise water impacts; nurture bio- diversity; recycle more; plan for future demand; ensure access to resources; end illegal quarrying; be prepared to upscale; lobby for the future – now; keep telling the good story; and attract good people. Elaborating on this vision, O’Brien says there are probably more than 100 fatal- ities every year in the global aggregates sector, “a figure which is totally unaccept- able. The main causes are transport, con- tractors and quarry face operation. The US

Association, Canada; China SandandStone Association (CAA); Cement, Concrete & Aggregates (CCAA, Australia); Federación Iberoamericana de Productores de Áridos (FIPA) which includes Spain, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Panama and Dominican Republic); Israeli Association of Quarrying Industries; National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA, USA); and Ontario Stone, Sand & Gravel Association; and the European Aggregates Association (UEPG). “ The meeting facilitates open exchanges of experiences and ideas,” Pienaar says. “Discussions revealed that the industry faces similar challenges across the globe with the various regions devising different approaches and solu- tions. We all agreed on the advantage of regular GAIN communications, and I came home with the idea of hosting these important global industry organisations here in South Africa in 2016.” GAIN is an informal network for shar- ing information and experience between aggregate associations across the globe for the general good of the industry. According to JimO’Brien, who is the GAIN

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MODERN QUARRYING October - November 2015