Modern Quarrying Q2 2021

Traffic management on site is a crucial aspect of the safety regime on site.

set up prior to starting up,” he says, adding that there were also constant updates and new procedures and documents coming through from the safety department to share with employees. “For Afrimat, safety goes far beyond compliance and how we act. Safety is part of who we are and resonates with our company culture. The Showplace award is a result of manage- ment and staff subscribing to the Afrimat culture and living tha Afrimat values,” concludes Van den Berg. l

responsibility,” adds Van den Berg. The company, says Van den Berg, also strives to integrate health & safety management in routine man- agement functions and processes. Afrimat also seeks to proactively identify and eliminate (or as a last resort, manage) all occupational health & safety related risks in the workplace. “We also strive to comply with all internal health & safety standards as well as with applicable legisla- tion; inform staff of the hazards and risks associated with their work, and provide training, equipment and support necessary for our employees to mitigate risks and perform safe, healthy and productive work. Additionally, we monitor and report our health & safety performance, working towards a goal of zero incidents, through a continuous improvement of our performances and health & safety systems,” she says. Managing health & safety during COVID-19 There is general consensus that COVID-19 has affected businesses in many ways and managing health and safety during the pandemic has been one of the key challenges brought about by the coronavirus. For Harrismith Quarry, however, it was business as usual in 2020. Managing health and safety on site during COVID-19, says Marnewick, is no different to manag - ing it when there was no pandemic. “Rules are rules and should be adhered to in any circumstance,” he declares. What was new, however, was the personal aspect and operating under the uncertainty of what the pandemic brought, he adds. Personal hygiene, social distancing and sanitising, although not foreign, were just difficult to enforce in the beginning. “From day one, when it was decided to reopen the quarry after the lockdown, management and staff were all on board and started with all the necessary posters, social distancing signs, sanitising stations, training of the security staff, employees and trans - porters, among others. Pre-screening was arranged with our occupational medical practitioner and was

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QUARTER 2 - 2021 MODERN QUARRYING