African buzz
De Beers Group Head of Technical Services, Burger Greeff officially launches the Sustainability
Resource Centre
Holistic learning to achieve zero harm
Debswana Diamond Company’s Sustainability Resource Centre (SRC) applies a
holistic approach to achieve its goal of zero harm across its Orapa, Letlhakane
and Damtshaa mines in Botswana.
With its ‘Put Safety First’ strategy, the
company continuously pursues ways
to improve the impact of its awareness
raising and training interventions,
according to Tefo Molosiwa, Head of
Safety & Sustainability at Debswana.
“By using a combination of learning
modes – theoretical and practical – the
SRC delivers greater learning,” says
Molosiwa. “For instance, while employees
can learn the theory of how a bund wall
must be maintained, there is now also an
opportunity to practically clean spillage
using the equipment provided.”
Molosiwa highlights that the SRC
facility has been designed to include
‘seeing’, ‘doing’ and ‘discussing’ the
various aspects of environment,
community, occupational health and
safety (ECOHS) on the mines. This
will allow best practice to be effectively
displayed and understood by employees,
contractors and visitors, including the
Fatal Risk Control Standards (FRCS).
E-learning plays an important role in the
facility, with 20 workstations available for
self-induction.
“Employees gain exposure through
being shown both ‘best’ and ‘bad’
practice displays as part of their
induction,” he says.
www.africanmining.co.za
The scope of environmental management
aspects of this learning process extends
to energy conservation, water-saving and
waste management. The facility itself
includes solar water heating devices,
for instance. The energy-saving impact
of this technology is shared with all
inductees, to motivate adoption.
Water tanks at the SRC harvest
rainwater from roof gutters, which is
used for cleaning and watering gardens.
The dry landscaping itself – featuring
just a few pockets of greenery – is also
an important practical demonstration of
how water can be better conserved.
The SRC also showcases facilities for
proper waste management. Animal-proof
waste receptacles in the outside areas are
examples of what the mining operations
can adopt where appropriate. A bund
wall for hydrocarbon management at the
SRC demonstrates how the structure
is optimally designed, developed and
equipped.
Debswana is one of Botswana’s largest
private sector employers – with over 5
200 employees – and is jointly owned by
the Botswana government and the De
Beers Group of Companies. It is one of
the world’s leading diamond producers
by value and volume.
JULY - AUGUST 2019 AFRICAN MINING
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