Modern Quarrying October-November 2017

SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT POTLIGHT ON BRICKMAKING FACE TO FACE WITH ASPASA

I see that you are calling for accident statistics, what is the reason for this? Aspasa works closely with the DMR, CoM, MHSC and related bodies on issues relat- ing to health and safety. The more statis- tical information we have about accidents on site, the more tools we can develop jointly to minimise risks in the future. As an association, we have long aspired to the principal of ensuring zero harm on our member sites, and our members are leading the way in this regard. However, we believe that we still have a long way to go before we can truly say we have reached our targets. What is important is that the information gathered from the surface mining industry will be made available to statutory and other bodies concerned with health and safety of the broader mining industry. We are compiling a questionnaire relating to notifiable accidents and inci- dents which will be distributed to our members for completion. The initial form will try as far as possible to glean histor- ical information from our operations, where after members will be asked to complete a monthly or annual report for record purposes. Why should surface mines seek membership? The answer is a simple one. They pay a fee for a wide range of services. One must take into account that just one consul- tation with a legal firm could cost more than an entire year’s membership. What has Aspasa achieved over the past quarter? We have been incredibly busy and for this reason are still completing summaries of our meetings and activities for our mem- bers. We had a very successful PDS work- shop with PDS suppliers and shared our requirements as an industry with them. We attended a MOSH noise adoption workshop and I chaired a mining legisla- tion conference with very good papers that will be worked through to assist our members. Our Government Liaison Committee had a mining rights work- shop which again produced very valuable information.

This last quarter we’ve attended the Ukhozi RTF, held our Transport Committee meeting and our KZN regional meeting. On the training workshop side, we held one on dust control for small scale mining in late September, and have just had a health and safety MHSA workshop at our offices. We still have several meet- ings and workshops taking place this year. We are working together with Prisma on a skills development matrix in 2018. The plan is essential for member companies for WPSPs to be submitted to the DMR. What is the schedule for meetings and workshops for the rest of the year? Aspasa meetings scheduled for the rest of the year are: • 17 October: Government Liaison Committee • 18 October: Technical Committee • 24 October: Health & Safety Committee, followed by a review on the H&S audit document • 26 October: Western Cape Regional • 31 October: Environmental Committee Training workshops: • 18 October: Quality document and information gathering on quality problems • 6-9 November: Comp A – the exam- ination, making safe and declaring safe of surface mines, quarries, dumps and stockpiles • 14-15 November: Road Pavement Forum In conclusion As an industry association representing Southern Africa’s quarries, Aspasa has gained the recognition of local and inter- national stakeholders in the surface min- ing sector. It has become a world leader in the proactive guidance and management of issues facing the industry. Opencast mines, mineral excavations and wastemin- eral operations seeking formalisation and membership can contact Aspasa directly on tel: +27 11 793 3327. Nico Pienaar’s email address is: nico@aspasa.co.za. www.aspasa.co.za

recruitment of people from the local com- munities as well as assisting them with the supply of material or services to improve their livelihoods. A lot has been said lately about the streamlining of red tape for smaller mining operations, what are you doing in this regard? This is a major challenge focus as the one- size-fits-all approach by the regulators has forced us to step in and assist our mem- bers. The smaller operations don’t have the resources to comply with all the legislative issues and we have a major challenge with regulators often not having a clear under- standing of the operations in our industry. We know that some officials have ‘pet sub- jects’which they push, often unreasonably. How can this be rectified? Firstly, the small business impact needs to be considered. This doesn’t mean that ille- gal businesses are condoned, but rather that they fall in line with the government’s focus on developing small businesses. We need flexibility for the smaller operations. The licensing and permitting process needs to be revised to make it less over- lapping, contradictory and confusing. We believe that the department issuing these licences and the regulator should be split up. At present, the system allows for cor- ruption in some circumstances. The regulators should be held accountable just as businesses are accountable. They need to fulfil their core functions under the appropriate Acts, while not promulgating unnecessary burdens and delays on our industry. We cannot and will not support regulations that harm the businesses of our members.

Report by Dale Kelly

MQ ’s breakfast meeting with Aspasa director Nico Pienaar in Langebaan.

31

MODERN QUARRYING

October - November 2017