Trackless mobile machines and vehicles, unfortunately, remain a major cause of accidents on mines, says surface mining association Aspasa director Nico Pienaar.

Earlier this year, Aspasa published its Driver’s Handbook under its Best Practices Guidelines series.

While the industry is moving to safer practices required by law, unregulated and illegal quarries often do not adhere to safety regulations, or have such regulations in place, he highlights.

The handbook, free of charge to Aspasa members, details the necessary safety guidelines, ensuring that drivers understand and manage the risks faced and created while they operate vehicles at surface mining operations.

“These include drivers’ conduct prior to embarking on their journeys, while they are on the road and what to do when the vehicle is stationary for whatever reason,” states Pienaar, noting that the guide has been well received and is being constantly promoted to members and industry suppliers.

The Driver’s Handbook endeavours to summarise the major points of concern related to driver safety, and covers the assessment and reduction of risks such as collision with heavy equipment and pedestrians.

“It also provides drivers with information about dangerous situations and how to react. It is written concisely and kept simple to cater for all readers.

“This handbook will help drivers work with their employer to avoid preventable incidents and injuries to themselves and other people. It should be used in conjunction with their employer’s driving-for-work policies and procedures,” explains Pienaar.

Aspasa works with authorities, industry bodies and labour to drive safety initiatives, with regular safety audits a requirement to maintain membership.

Resultantly, Aspasa members “have great safety records”, he adds, noting that the association and its members are committed to Vision Zero.

Centred around eliminating the causes of ‘The Fatal 6’ – which refers to high-consequence hazards, such as road traffic accidents, Vision Zero is focused on addressing these hazards in the work environment through a range of measures to achieve zero serious incidents or fatalities.

Awarding Safety

Openpit mining company Afrimat’s Qwa Qwa quarry, in the Free State, was the top performer at this year’s Aspasa Initiate Safety Health Education and Health and Safety Awards.

Held virtually on April 13, the awards recognised organisations’ and individual quarries’ efforts to go “above and beyond” to ensure safe working environments.

Midmar Quarry, an independent dolerite quarry in KwaZulu-Natal, walked away with the title of top independent performer and has been operating for more than 20 years, according to its website.

Afrimat was also awarded top corporate performer, while Afrimat Western Cape representatives Lucretia van Rensburg and Mogamat Bailey were recognised for their outstanding commitment, receiving health and safety management awards.

Health and safety officers Laurencia Maphumulo, from Midmar Quarry, and Donald Katiso Tsotetsi, from Afrimat Qwa Qwa, were also acknowledged for their contributions to safety.

Guest speaker and trade union Solidarity occupational health and safety division head Paul Marden reminded guests of the importance of acknowledging that people are an organisation’s greatest resource and need to be protected and kept safe.

He further emphasised that health and safety needed to be a collaborative effort among all stakeholders.

“Adhering to health and safety is not only about people, it also has a practical and economic benefit – you are able to prevent loss of income by not having to either replace experienced personnel or training additional staff in the interim.

It also helps retain investor confidence as consistent incidents can mar a company’s image. In turn, employees will always have a vested interest in ensuring the economic sustainability of their employer, as that directly impacts on their ability to make a living,” he explained.

While all the winners were praised for their contribution to the industry’s health and safety mandate within their respective organisations, Pienaar was acknowledged as the Aspasa Top Person of the Year for his unwavering commitment to Aspasa and its members and for laying the groundwork over the years to improve safety in the quarrying industry.

Aspasa chairperson Gert Coffee commended Aspasa members for their achievement of zero harm incidents for six consecutive years.