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MODERN QUARRYING
July - August 2016
A
ccording to Smit, when it comes
to applications for authorisa-
tions, environmental audits and
other related activities, all work done
in-house at a mine or quarry will need to
be reviewed by an independent environ-
mental assessment practitioner, in any
event.
Changes in legislation have seen
the regulations sur rounding the
Environmental Act, the Water Act and
the Minerals and Petroleum Resources
Development Act combined into a single
system. While this is advantageous for
mines and quarries, the distinct lack of
understanding around the requirements
has made this quite daunting for individ-
uals within these operations.
She says that in the past mine and
quarry managers would have appointed
either an in-house person or a consul-
tant to handle the requisite applications.
“Today, even where an in-house person
Mining compliance
simplified
Sonette Smit, MD and senior environmental consultant at Greenmined Environmental believes the
move away from the continued use of in-house people to do applications for authorisation and other
environmental aspects within the mining sector are an appropriate and cost-saving stance.
prepares the applications for authorisa-
tion, organisations will have to employ
the services of an independent consultant
to review these. The external review is to
ensure the integrity of the information
being supplied.”
Cut backs, due to the pressure
under which the mining sector has
been operating, have also meant that, in
many instances, the infrastructure which
supported an in-house environmental
department or officer has been signifi-
cantly reduced. In some cases the envi-
ronmental aspects of the operation have
even been incorporated into the function
of the safety department or officer.
QUARRYING
SERVICES
The Greenmined Environmental team from left: Sonette Smit, managing director; Daryn Price, office
administrator; Murchellin Saal, project consultant and Jemma Bowles, legal advisor.
Changes in legislation have seen the
regulations surrounding the Environmental
Act, the Water Act and the Minerals and
Petroleum Resources Development Act
combined into a single system.