Modern Quarrying July-August 2016

QUARRYING SERVICES

comply with the requirements of the Mine Health and Safety Act, operators are reviewing current programmes to ensure that these are in line with the mandatory codes of practice applica- ble to individual sites. “We are able to conduct a full audit on occupational hygiene monitoring programmes and this includes aspects such as person- nel exposure to noise, airborne pol- lutants, the thermal environment and ergonomics. We are able to assess both the physical and chemical stresses and provide comprehensive feedback,” she says. Such programme audits will deter- mine any gaps in the management and monitoring system, and then identify appropriate corrective action to address any non-conformances. Greenmined Environmental is able to make recommendations in terms of implementing the corrective action and then monitoring the programme going forward. Greenmined Environmental was founded in early 2012 by Smit, whose environmental management expe- rience draws from her tenure at pri- vate environmental consultancies and at the Department of Water Affairs (DWA). The company offers a depth of understanding of government depart- mental mechanisms and the functions that support the success of depart- mental application processes. Smit says that although the consul- tancy is a small business, it has a solid reputation for delivering results that ensure its client base remain compli- ant with current legislation. www.greenmined.com

“All this has created an increased demand for a skilled independent environmental consultancy with prac- titioners that can bring complete par- tiality to the table. This impartiality, coupled with our broad spectrum of applications knowledge and in-depth understanding of the duties as well as the rights of the applicant or licence holder, ensures our customer base of a level of proficiency not readily avail- able elsewhere,” Smit says. This depth of knowledge and experience includes that of all depart- mental processes and even though the application process has been dramat- ically simplified, Smit believes that it is ever more critical for organisations to use the services of practitioners that are able to seamlessly follow the requisite processes through the One Environmental System. An important differentiator that Greenmined Environmental offers its client base is access to an in-house legal advisor. “This assists with the processes according to the legislation time frame, and having this level of expertise on hand is a real advantage as should there be any legal issues on a client site then we are able to offer a legal service directly from our con- sultancy,” Smit says. “This can translate into a major cost saving in terms of time, which is of the essence in such applications, and is obviously also a saving in bottom line costs.” Another service offering that is seeing a steady increase in demand is that of occupational hygiene. With the focus on uplifting levels of occu- pational hygiene and the need to

In the world of mining operations – where every cubic millimetre of ore and every second of uptime counts – the impor- tance of blasthole monitoring is essential. However, some operations are failing to meet their potential by allowing poorly drilled blastholes to force them into dupli- cating blasts unnecessarily, ultimately hampering production. It is crucial that mines measure twice and blast once. Blasthole surveying is a key part of blast planning and blast optimisation. These two processes are vital in ensur- ing that every blast goes off without a hitch, that the optimal amount and type of explosives are used and that the right results are achieved. When drilling blastholes, there are a number of technical and geological factors that can lead to an undesirable drilling pattern. From a technical aspect, excessive drilling and the use of worn out drill bits can lead to errors in blasthole structures while rock types and ground water can lead to drilling deviations. Deviations lead to poor blast results, low productivity, safety risks and environmen- tal impacts. Blasthole surveying can identify drill- ing deviations as well as burden lengths and drilling depths. This is crucial to oper- ations because a small burden length can result in too much rock being blasted from the bench face while too long a length results in the explosive energy coming back up the blasthole. Using Boretrak™ equipment, for Blasthole monitoring cuts costs and saves time

Visit us at the Electra Mining Expo Hall 6 Stand no. D16

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For more information contact us Tel no. +27 (0)10 210 4000 • flsm-za@flsmidth.com • www.flsmidth.com

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MODERN QUARRYING

July - August 2016