Modern Quarrying Q2 2019

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Members of surface mining industry association, Aspasa, have reported no fatalities across their operations for the third year running

A key success driver is Aspasa’s strict health and safety regime which ensures highest standards of compliance at member operations

The Aspasa health and safety auditor visits about 100 member quarries every year

Out of the 102 ISHE audits done during 2017, 16 operations achieved scores of above 90%

Testimony to the spirit of continuous improvement is the constant achievement of high scores in the annual Aspasa ISHE audits by members such as AfriSam.

Another 26 operations achieved scores between 90% and 95%, while 40 other operations scored between 80% and 90%, to end on an average of 85,84%

industry association, Aspasa, are surely leading the way as far as health and safety at operations is concerned. The feat is remarkable, given that figures from the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) still show a high number of fatalities at mining operations. While injuries decreased from 1 749 in 2017 to 1 358 in 2018, fatalities were on the rise, up from 51 to 81 during the same period. This was in contrast to the downward trend which saw fatalities falling from 112 in 2012 to 93 in 2013; 84 in 2014 and 77 in 2015; and 73 in 2016. Nico Pienaar, director of Aspasa, says he is pleased that the associa- tion’s members are playing their part in reducing injuries and fatalities as part of the industry’s journey to Zero Harm by 2020. Traditionally, Aspasa represented members in the sand and

aggregates industry only, but in recent years membership has been broadened to include all surface mines. Currently, the association mainly represents members in the non-precious metal, stone and coal industries. Success drivers A key success driver is Aspasa’s strict health and safety regime, which ensures highest standards of compliance at member operations. Members need to adhere to strict health and safety standards for them to secure and maintain membership. “Some 20 years ago we started with our Health and Safety (ISHE) Audit for the industry to ensure that our members adhere to the most stringent health and safety parameters to ensure highest standards of safety at opera- tions,” explains Pienaar. “Our stance is that we don’t talk about health and safety; we do health and safety. There is so much talk about how best the industry can get to the bottom of safety incidents on site. However, as much as we agree that talking about it is the start, we believe that execution is what really matters. We believe in doing, hence

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QUARTER 2 - 2019 MODERN QUARRYING