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MODERN QUARRYING
January - February 2015
LAST BLAST
Index to advertisers
AEL Mining Services........................................22
Afrimat.................................................................19
ASPASA................................................................23
Babcock............................................................. IFC
Barloworld Equipment...................................27
Barloworld Equipment...................................39
Barloworld Metso...............................................8
Bauma Conexpo Africa.....................................9
Bell Equipment..................................................28
Crown Publications........................................IBC
Hosch-Fördertechnik SA................................29
Komatsu..............................................................16
Metso....................................................................36
MMD Mineral Sizers.....................................OBC
Mynbou rigs Afrika t/a BELAZ Africa...... OFC
Osborn Engineered Products.........................7
Pilot Crushtec.......................................................2
MQ
has been in contact with retired min-
ing inspector Ted Dow, who is a veritable
walking encyclopaedia when it comes to
health and safety on mines. The fatality
below, which occurred during his time,
clearly highlights the importance of
machine guards and skills transfer.
An artisan aide was fatally injured
when he was drawn into the tail pul-
ley of a duff coal feeder conveyor belt
installation at a brickworks. The accident
occurred in a tightly-confined area which
was neither adequately illuminated nor
ventilated.
The investigation revealed that the
deceased had been attempting to ‘track’
the belt and the tail pulley guard had
been removed to access the alignment
mechanisms. The subsequent enquiry
brought to light the fact that the artisan
aide had not been authorised by the engi-
neer to work on conveyor belts. He had
not been trained in the dangers of work-
ing in confined spaces or the danger of
The importance of guarding, or lack of as shown in this
photograph (courtesy Mr Machine Guarding, Marius van
Deventer).
History of quarrying
On MQ’s travels around the country, I
often meet and chat to retired quarry-
men, who mostly agree that records of
the history of the first quarries in SA are
few and far between. PPC De Hoek is an
exception, and its precious old records,
are stored in what the operation may, in
the future, turn into its own museum.
In Health and Safety
wearing loose clothing, and he was not
being supervised at the time.
In addition, the risks associated with
the task at this site had not been properly
assessed and no special working stan-
dards had been prepared.
The law says: ‘All persons who are to
operate, work on or clean conveyor belts
shall be specially trained in the correct
procedures and be authorised by the
Engineer in terms of Regulation 8.9(1)(i)
to do so.
‘All confined spaces shall be identi-
fied and remedial steps shall be taken to
reduce the risks to persons have to work
there.
‘In addition, all tracking mechanisms
shall be so designed that it is not neces-
sary for guards to be removed during belt
tracking operations’.
MQ
Beautiful leather-bound ledgers that MQ is itching to go
through.
A Cape Portland Cement Diary for the year 1934.
Beware the simpletons that parked in Mr Shepard’s or
Cronje’s parking bay.
A pyrometer, still in its beautiful hand-made
wooden box, which is stored in a leather case.
These letters which were typed in duplicate,
with the carbon copy being on flimsy tissue-like
paper, are all filed away in leather-bound books.
This letter is an official request that a board
meeting in 1922 is moved to another date,
as one of the board members was otherwise
occupied.
De Hoek’s history goes back to 1919
when Hermon Piquetberg Lime Company
first discovered limestone in the area. Its
records date back to 1923, when Cape
Portland Cement took over. PPC De
Hoek’s general manager Johan Vorster
took
MQ
into the storage area, and we
delved into some of the dusty ledgers and
paraphernalia.
Photographs by Dale Kelly