Modern Quarrying Q2 2018

PPLIER OTLIGHT OT IGHT ON ICKMAKING

TECHNICAL PAPER BEL CONVEYOR SYSTEMS

Conveyor belt safety in the 21 st Part I of the above paper published in the November 2017 issue of Modern Quarrying discussed the reasons behind health and safety legislation, the relationship between the employer and the employee and important sections of the Mine Health and Safety Act. Part II in the Q1 2018 issue took the history of the development of mining health and safety legislation further; while in the final saection of this paper, we look at where the industry finds itself in terms of the legal rules applicable to the safe use of conveyor belt installations. by Jaco Swartz, Legislative Compliance Specialists (Pty) Ltd

dust to prevent ignition; and devices were to be installed to stop drive in case of broken or jammed belts or where excessive slipping takes place. Mines andWorks Act conclusion The Minerals Act was an attempt by gov- ernment to codify all the different pieces of mining legislation into one enabling statute. At the time, it was government policy to deregulate and privatise govern- ment institutions, in essence to devolve responsibility to the lowest level. When the Minerals Act was thus promulgated in 1991, the main reason behind the exer- cise was not to improve mine health and safety, or because the Mines and Works Act was deemed to be outmoded – but to reorganise and economise government administration of mining in South Africa. As a result of the Minerals Act of 1991, 29 Acts were completely repealed, while six others were partially repealed. Fourteen inspectorate offices were rationalised into nine, and the 14 mining commissioners’ offices were incorporated in the nine inspectorate offices. xxviii Primary goal The Mines and Works Act, No 27 of 1956 was repealed by the Minerals Act on 1 January 1992 with the exception of Section 9, which was a restriction on Sunday work and other relevant defini- tions. The Minerals Act did not, however, repeal all the regulations made in terms of the Mines and Works Act. The stated aim of the Minerals Act was threefold:

T he Act, in Section 1 viii defined machinery as: ‘any engine, boiler or appliance or combi- nation of appliances which is used or intended to be used for the generating, developing, receiving, storing, converting or transforming any form of power or energy or conveying persons, material or mineral and which is situated at a mine or works’. In addition, to the general regulations applicable to machinery, some specific issues were to be considered: 1. The appointed manager and engi- neer for the specific mine carried the responsibility for ensuring com- pliance with the Act and regulations applicable to the conveyor belt instal- lation. The modern approach is to place the responsibility for complying with conveyor belt installation-related legal prescriptions, on the employer. 2. While not specific to only conveyor belt installations, the issue of dust lib- eration and control was addressed in Regulation 10.2.1, which referred to dust exposures as a result of the ‘mov- ing or handling’ of minerals. 3. The Mines andWorks Act Regulations, under 11.4, dealt with belt conveyors. This included the duty placed on the manager to enforce a code of safety practice. This could be seen as a pre- cursor to the latterday requirement for mandatory codes of practice, although no requirement of this to be based on a guideline or for submis- sion to the DMR or its equivalent, was

considered. It had to deal with the installation, operation, maintenance and patrolling of the belt conveyor system. 4. It further dealt with fire-fighting requirements along the length of the conveyor and at the driving head. It did not deal with the specific nature of the equipment, save for the require- ment that it be for immediate use. 5. It called for the fitting of a device to stop belt operation. This had to be operable from the entire length of the installation, unless an attendant was placed at the driving head, in which case steps for signalling to the driving head would suffice. 6. Where belt conveyor installations were used in sequence, interlocking devices were to be put in place. 7. In coal mines, specific prescriptions further applied. Conveyor belts were to be fire-resistant or incombustible; undefined measures were to be taken to prevent the build up of coal or coal

The Mines and Works Act Regulations, under 11.4, dealt with belt conveyors. This included the duty placed on the manager to enforce a code of safety practice. This could be seen as a precursor to the latterday requirement for mandatory codes of practice.

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MODERN QUARRYING Quarter 2 / 2018