Blasting ahead
By Robyn Grimsley
Since it was purchased by CBM in 2008, Drift Supersand has made significant investments to upgrade production and improve safety.
2016 was a bad year for aggregates and for the construction industry in general— and 2017 is not projected to be much better. However, despite the slowdown and general struggle in the industry, quarries are busy. One quarry operator in particular is managing to stay ahead of the curve.
Drift Supersand
Aggregates and sand is the most mined material in the world, and almost all countries, even those without minerals, will have quarries. At a time when the construction industry is struggling, quarries are performing better than one might expect. And Drift Supersand is doing well even among these. Quarry Southern Africa was fortunate enough to be invited to attend a blast at the quarry in November 2016, where we learnt more about the secrets behind its success.
Batting over a million
Drift Supersand( DSS) is an opencast mine located in Muldersdrift on Gauteng’ s West Rand, producing aggregates for the building and construction industries. Situated on Roodekraans farm, DSS has a mining licence that covers portions 79 and 80 of the farm. A total of 57 people are working on site daily.
The quarry has been operating since 1975 / 6 and was bought by Consolidated Building Materials( CBM), a subsidiary of Consolidated Infrastructure Group( CIG), in 2008. Since CBM bought DSS, the quarry has grown exponentially, from a small sand works operation to one of the largest quarries in the country by production, producing over one million tonnes of crushed sand and stone per year. CBM is strongly focused on growing business and improving operational activities. In fact, it owns two of the five South African
quarries with over a million tonnes per year production: DSS, and Drift Laezonia, located in Centurion, across the N14 highway from Diepsloot. After acquiring Drift Laezonia, CBM increased the mine’ s monthly sales by 500 %, from around 20 000 tonnes to about 120 000 tonnes. In addition to the two quarries, CBM also owns Westonaria-based West End Claybrick & Roofing.
The DSS pit is currently at a depth of 75 metres, with two more benches planned, for a total planned depth of 100 metres. DSS’ s mining licence is valid for another 25 years, which matches the projected life of mine( LOM) of 25 – 32 years almost exactly. According to mine manager Pietman van Wyk, DSS conducts annual surveys to monitor the quarry’ s progress versus its LOM plan.
Committed to safety
Over the past eight years, DSS has made significant investments into ensuring the safety of all personnel and visitors. As an inherently dangerous industry, given the type of work and vehicles on site, mining is governed by strict safety regulations, outlined in the Mine Health and Safety Act, 1996( Act No. 29 of 1996), which Van Wyk refers to as his Bible.
This commitment to safety in all areas means that DSS has put in a lot of effort to upgrade the quarry to meet the specifications laid out by the DMR in the Act. This includes putting up roofs to cover equipment so it is not standing out in the rain; fencing in electrical boxes and transformers to prevent cable theft; and erecting bunny walls around diesel tanks to keep any diesel from contaminating the area should a tank start to leak.
One of the most notable— and noticeable— safety measures implemented on site is the clear, constructed walkways surrounding the plant. While the Department of Mineral Resources( DMR) recently promulgated legislation mandating the use of proximity detection systems( PDSs), Van Wyk firmly believes that the best way to cut down on accidents on site is to separate the people from the machines.
He explains that PDSs can potentially teach people bad habits when it comes to operating in and around large machines, making them reliant on the machines’ reactions rather than their own. Technology— even the most advanced available— can fail occasionally, and it is a good idea to make sure that even where PDSs and similar technology are in use, people remain aware of potential dangers and avoid them where possible. Hence the walkways.
According to Van Wyk, the walkways were put in to minimise dangerous interactions between people and machines, and everyone on site has been using them since day one.“ This is a much better reaction than we
16 _ QUARRY SA | JANUARY 2017