Test Feb 2021

FACE TO FACE WITH ASPASA

Aspasa secures a prosperous future for surface mines

Aspasa embarked on a new focus in the last quarter of 2017, retaining the acronym only and making Aspasa its brand name. The association is now able to represent a growing and more diverse membership base. MQ catches up with director Nico Pienaar in the second quarter of the year.

A spasa’s work in represent- ing the industry is aimed at creating a safe, sus- tainable, and level play- ing field, which has led to organisations outside the quarrying industry requiring assistance and mem- bership. This has resulted in the associ- ation adopting the salt and dimension stone industries and taking the Coal Ash Association into its care. Open to other surface mining operations wanting to take up membership – provided they agree to uphold Aspasa’s strict standards and abide by legislation – membership is open to industries which include mobile crushing, formal quarrying/mining, con- tract crushing, rubble crushing, ash and coal, and borrow pits, among others. “As far as aggregate is concerned, our members are industry leaders producing the majority of the minerals required for infrastructure,” Pienaar says. “We have leading members from the dimension stone, silica mining and the lime produc- ing industries; the clay brick producers are also taking up membership as their needs are very similar to those of the mining industry.” Several contractors involved with borrow pits and contract mining have also taken up membership. The association has been actively assisting its members with training over the past year and while these elements include technical, health and safety, man- agement and environmental training, its ongoing training is more focused on spe- cific elements of operations. Pienaar says that the technical issues relating to blasting, crushing, equipment, in-pit best practices and road transport

are among the training courses offered. “These courses dovetail with our two audit programmes covering both health and safety, as well as environmental standards.” During the course of last year, Aspasa was actively involved in skills develop- ment training. Logistical arrangements around scheduling and attendance was not always actively attended as antici- pated. “We went through a steep learn- ing curve in this regard,” Pienaar says. “However, in conjunction with our main training service provider, we have carried out comprehensive planning work.” Together with Prisma, Aspasa has developed a skills development analysis (SDA) tool which can be carried out at any company. For corporates, the SDA can be held at a central point with the company’s relevant training staff, such as the skills development facilitator, trainers, senior training officer, among others. A one-day kick-off workshop allows the company, its various regions and operations to be on the same level. “The audit is not only for production operations,” Pienaar asserts, “but also for small operations and associate members. One this exercise is done, the company is able to decide on how to take the matter further with Aspasa handling the detailed work and ensuring that all procedures, documentation and systems are in place.” What about quarry manager training? MQ asks. “After numerous consultations with mining specialists, we have drafted a generic quarry manager training plan, which can be used across all quarry indus- tries as a baseline in developing potential mangers for the future,” he says.

Aspasa director Nico Pienaar (Photo: Dale Kelly).

Towards the end of last year, Aspasa held a special training course entitled Competent Person ‘A’ Training. Explaining this further, Pienaar says that regulations require a competent person to examine and make safe a workplace (Competent Person A) and determine that such com- petence will vest in a candidate having achieved the requirement of the relevant skills programme registered with the Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA). “The programme has been developed to ensure a period of only four days, with practical assessment carried out at a con- venient operation. This ensures that stu- dents complete the full course, and on returning to the company, there are no further evaluations or costs incurred by the employer.” This course includes an introduction in terms of the Mine Health and Safety Act and Regulations (Act 29 of 1996). For the purposes of Regulations 14.1 (1) and 14.1 (5), a competent person means someone who has been assessed and found competent to examine and declare a workplace safe. Such competent person must ensure that, if at any time a work- ing place or part becomes unsafe during a shift, that:

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MODERN QUARRYING Quarter 2 / 2018