Modern Mining November 2015

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PRODUCT News
56 MODERN MININGNovember 2015
At any given time in South Africa, three mil­
lion workers are reportedly exposed to the
hazards posed by volatile energies such as
gas, fluids or steam, which are contained
in various types of machinery undergoing
routine servicing and maintenance. An
effective means of minimising these risks
is by securing and controlling the energy
sources with an effective lock-out/tag-out
(LOTO) system.
A LOTO system prevents unexpected
start-up or release of stored energy by
securing a padlock to a clamp in order to
Lock-out systems minimise risk
lock the machine being serviced or main­
tained. After being locked, a tag is placed
on the machine to indicate that it should
not be turned on.
Hayley Arnesen, Exports Manager
for North Safety Products, explains that
LOTO systems are used in industry and
research settings to ensure that danger­
ous machines are properly shut off and not
started up again prior to the completion of
maintenance or servicing work, in order to
avoid danger.
“The lack of a LOTO system, or improper
handling of the system, may result in
injuries that include electrocution, burns,
crushing, cutting, laceration, amputation,
or fracturing of body parts. The unexpected
start-ups can also cause extensive damage
to the machinery itself, adding the expense
of equipment repairs and replacement to
the total cost involved,” she warns.
Arnesen stresses that trained personnel
should always manage the LOTO system.
“For instance, if a steam valve automati­
cally gets turned on, it might burn the
workers who are repairing a downstream
connection in the piping. Another sce­
nario is the sudden release of a jammed
conveyor system, which can result in the
crushing of workers, if not properly man­
aged,” she says.
According to Arnesen, it is the respon­
sibility of the employer to develop and
implement an energy control procedure
that provides authorised and affected
employees with the same level of pro­
tection as a personal lock-out or tag-out
device.
“A good LOTO system consists not only
of clearly labelled energy sources and
easy-to-follow procedures, but also qual­
ity and accessible lock-out tools to ensure
smooth and quick maintenance and ser­
vicing activities,” she continues.
North offers a wide variety of padlocks
that are available in nylon, aluminium,
steel and brass body options. Nylon body
padlocks are best-suited to electrical
applications, due to the non-conductive
properties of the material. Temperature
and corrosion-resistant aluminium body
padlocks are ideal for high-temperature
outdoor applications up to 580 deg C.
North Safety Products Africa, tel (+27 31) 705-6085
The North range of padlocks features shackle diameters
ranging from 4,7 mm to 7 mm.
Gulfstream Energy awarded first-of-its-kind mining contract
Gulfstream Energy, one of South Africa’s
larger independent fuel wholesalers, has
been appointed as sole supplier of a total
fluidmanagement solution to the Gamsberg
project site located close to the Black
Mountain mine in Aggeneys in the Northern
Cape. Effective from 1 August 2015, the
agreement will see Gulfstream responsible
for a fully supported fuel management solu­
tion in addition to the supply of all fuel in
support of the mine’s operations.
“This is of huge significance to Gulf­
stream Energy,”says Shane Jegels, CEO.“Not
only does it enable us to make inroads into
a market sector traditionally the stronghold
of the oil majors, but it is also unique with
no other mining company to date having
awarded a contract of this nature to an inde­
pendent non-refining player.”
The Gamsberg project involves the
development, construction and commis­
sioning of a 4 Mt/a (ROM) open-pit zinc
mine, concentrator and associated infra­
structure. The project is owned by Black
Mountain Mining (BMM), a 74 % subsidiary
of Vedanta Limited (a listed subsidiary of
Vedanta Resources plc). The remaining 26 %
is owned by Exxaro Resources.
“Fuel is one of the major procurement
components required to keep a mine
operational,”says Jegels. However, the man­
ner in which mining companies procure
fuel is slightly different to other commer­
cial entities. “Mining operations typically
require a managed solution,” says Jegels.
Response to this market demand has seen
Gulfstream launch its ‘Gulfstream Molecule
Management Solution’. “What this entails,”
continues Jegels, “is that over and above
procurement of the actual fuel products,
Gulfstream takes full responsibility for both
the delivery and management of a number
of elements.”
In the case of BMM, this has seen
Gulfstream invest in on-site fuel infrastruc­
ture (including fuel tanks and pumps), stock
on consignment and the placement of
Gulfstream staff at the Gamsberg site to co-
ordinate and manage its mandate.
“In addition, we have also deployed
an automated fuel management system
through a third party partner, Gilbarco AFS,”
continues Jegels. This allows for the effec­
tive management of all on-site fuel storage,
dispensing, recording and real-time report­
ing providing up to the minute accurate
information on fuel spend.
“We have also appointed one of the
country’s only black female site managers,”
he continues. A qualified electrician with
years of experience across South Africa’s
mining industry, Saretha Faro hails from the
Northern Cape.
Gulfstream first indicated its interest
to respond to the Gamsberg site tender
towards the end of last year, with discus­
sions beginning in earnest in January this
year. “With fuel one of our key procurement
components, security of supply was non-
negotiable,” says Deshnee Naidoo, CEO,
Vedanta Zinc International. “With its diverse
supplier network, comprising over 26
depots and refineries around the country,
we were confident that Gulfstream Energy
would be able to meet our requirements.
“It has also provided us with the oppor­
tunity to take an empowerment partner
into a market sector previously not available
to them,” continues Naidoo.
Further, with its 100 % black-women
owned, Level 2 B-BBEE and empowering
supplier status, Gulfstream can guarantee
its customers are able to claim 125 % of
spend in support of their own preferential
procurement and B-BBEE rating.
Gulfstream Energy, tel (+27 11) 100-7100,
website: