Modern Quarrying

MODERN QUARRYING

October - November 2015

he first of these is the invita-

tion extended to the Global

Aggregates Information

Network (GAIN), to hold its

prestigious meeting in Cape

Town in April next year, and to link up

with the Institute of Quarrying/Aspasa

annual conference which takes place from

14-15 April at The Lord Charles Hotel in

Somerset West.

Pienaar attended the third GAINmeet-

ing in Brussels in October 2014, together

with key executives from South Africa

including Afrimat’s Andries van Heerden

and Gert Coffee. Principal attendees

included top executives from global

aggregate entities in China, Australia,

Canada, Latin America and Europe, with

apologies fromNew Zealand and the USA.

Members of GAIN include: Associação

Nacional das Entidades de Produtores

de Agregados para Construção Civil

(ANEPAC, Brazil); Aggregates & Quarry

Association of New Zealand (AQA);

Asociación Colombiana de producto-

res de Agregados Pétreos (AS0GRAVAS,

Colombia); BC Stone, Sand & Gravel

Association, Canada; China SandandStone

Association (CAA); Cement, Concrete &

Aggregates (CCAA, Australia); Federación

Iberoamericana de Productores de Áridos

(FIPA) which includes Spain, Colombia,

Brazil, Argentina, Panama and Dominican

Republic); Israeli Association of Quarrying

Industries; National Stone, Sand & Gravel

Association (NSSGA, USA); and Ontario

Stone, Sand & Gravel Association; and the

European Aggregates Association (UEPG).

“ The meeting facilitates open

exchanges of experiences and ideas,”

Pienaar says. “Discussions revealed that

the industry faces similar challenges

across the globe with the various regions

devising different approaches and solu-

tions. We all agreed on the advantage

of regular GAIN communications, and I

came home with the idea of hosting these

important global industry organisations

here in South Africa in 2016.”

GAIN is an informal network for shar-

ing information and experience between

aggregate associations across the globe

for the general good of the industry.

According to JimO’Brien, who is the GAIN

coordinator and UEPG honorary presi-

dent, GAIN members probably represent

60% of global aggregate production, and

therefore it is able to speak with a strong

voice on issues concerning the global

industry.

Subjects at the last meeting included

roundtable discussions on land use and

quarry waste; water impacts; air quality;

biodiversity; marine aggregates; permit-

ting; health and safety issues; economic

affairs; illegal quarrying; and technical

issues.

GAIN’s vision for the future is to: elim-

inate fatalities; ensure employee health;

minimise water impacts; nurture bio-

diversity; recycle more; plan for future

demand; ensure access to resources; end

illegal quarrying; be prepared to upscale;

lobby for the future – now; keep telling

the good story; and attract good people.

Elaborating on this vision, O’Brien says

there are probably more than 100 fatal-

ities every year in the global aggregates

sector, “a figure which is totally unaccept-

able. The main causes are transport, con-

tractors and quarry face operation. The US

An organisation that works hard to promote its members in a positive light is the Aggregate

and Sand Producers Association of Southern Africa (Aspasa). Under the leadership of director

Nico Pienaar, Aspasa represents its members with regard to policy positions, through various

organs of national and provincial government, striving for clarity and keeping to its principals

of ensuring the sustainability of its industry.

meets up with director Nico Pienaar to discuss

some very exciting plans for this last quarter, many of which extend into 2016.

Aspasa

speaks

with a strong voice

on sustainability

FACE TO FACE WITH

ASPASA