REMOTE SITE SERVICES
Cleaning the canteen area at Newmont's
Eleonore gold mine in Quebec, where catering
services are provided by local company Wolf
Camp Corporation. Photo: Newmont
Clean and safe
Paul Moore looks at some of the measures that the major
global providers of remote site services to the mining world
have and are putting in place in the face of COVID-19 to give
confidence to miners
The major global suppliers of site services to
the mining industry including
accommodation, catering, laundry,
recreation etc have all had to adapt quickly to
both conform with new national and regional
regulations as well as new internal mining
company rules but also to fundamentally
reassure mine workers that the spaces where
they live onsite between shifts are safe to use,
particularly relating to areas where they will mix
with other miners. These are separate from the
operational areas of the mines but like anywhere
else new procedures have had to be applied. The
following reviews new approaches by four
leading site services companies with major
resource industry footprints, namely Sodexo,
Compass Group, ISS and Aramark.
services such as reception, cleaning, disinfection,
security and maintenance services, and catering
services adapted to take in to account social
distancing and contactless services. The label
has been introduced in France, the UK, the US
and Canada and is being gradually rolled out in
other countries.
Sylvia Metayer, Sodexo Chief Growth Officer,
said: “Re-establishing trust among people so
they have total peace of mind when resuming onsite
work is absolutely paramount. Teaming up
with Bureau Veritas, an independent auditor of
workplace best practices and measures, is
further proof of our commitment to support our
clients, consumers and people so they can go
back to work in complete confidence.”
Earlier this year Sodexo announced that its
contract at Rio Tinto’s Argyle Diamond Mine has
been renewed for another two years, valued at
A$15.4 million. The group said it’s a move that
further cements Sodexo’s commitment to Rio
Tinto, which also includes delivering services to
the leading global mining group’s Pilbara
operations in Western Australia. “Sodexo will
work with Rio Tinto as it transitions the iconic
diamond mine, known for its rare gems, from a
production site into rehabilitation, with the
almost 37-year-old mine set to close at the end of
2020.”
The contract was signed in November 2019,
with the renewed period beginning
retrospectively in February 2019. Sodexo is
engaged until January 2021. Sodexo will continue
to deliver services to the site in the remote East
Kimberley region of Western Australia, including
managing aerodrome operations, village and
industrial cleaning, village catering, retail,
accommodation management, bus services,
onsite industrial laundry operations and
handyman services.
Fortescue Metals Group recently entered into
an “innovative contract model” that will see
Aboriginal businesses carry out catering,
accommodation management and lifestyle and
recreation services for the Cloudbreak and
Karntama villages in the Chichester Hub and
Hamilton Village, in Port Hedland, Western
Australia.
The Village Facilities Management agreements
will be facilitated thorough a pact between
Sodexo Remote Sites Australia and three
Aboriginal businesses owned by Pilbara Native
Title groups, FMG said.
With a collective award value of A$165 million
Sodexo and Bureau Veritas introduce
hygiene verification
Sodexo, a world leader in what it calls “Quality of
Life Services” and Bureau Veritas, the global
testing, inspection and certification group, have
joined forces to introduce a hygiene verification
label for Sodexo procedures and services. This
label forms part of Sodexo’s global endeavours to
help clients and consumers resume work in
complete confidence.
“This label gives further quality assurance to
our clients and consumers that all necessary
health steps have been taken when organisations
reopen post-lockdown. It bolsters the ‘rise with
Sodexo’ programs and the Sodexo Medical
Advisory Council measures.”
It covers both facilities management on-site
The new hygiene verification label developed with Bureau Veritas bolsters the ‘rise with
Sodexo’ programs that cover a systematic and comprehensive approach to help implement changes
to customer daily operations
SEPTEMBER 2020 | International Mining 87