SAFETY
A
ccording to a report published
by the World Meteorological
Organization (WMO), 2017
was one of the three hottest
years on record, with devastating wildfires
raging across Europe, the US and even South
Africa, putting the spotlight on the issue of
fire suppression. And the Western Cape is
currently experiencing its worst drought in
a century, which combined with extreme
temperatures, creates perfect conditions for
uncontrolled wildfires.
Against this backdrop, fire protection
should be front-of-mind for any mining
operation, as the primary aim is to preserve
and protect human life. Despite this,
however, the majority of mining operations
that comply with fire regulations have not
conducted a proper risk analysis, which can
result in them having in place systems and
measures that are ineffective against the
types of threats they face.
Myth-busting tests
I-CAT and other industry players spent
two years conducting extensive industry
tests at Sasol Secunda’s Twistdraai test
facility to determine the effectiveness
of water and foam mist systems on
conveyor belt fires. During this time, it
was discovered that widely-accepted fire
suppression equipment failed badly, even
in controlled test environments, raising
the question of whether most firefighting
products deployed in the mining industry,
which originate from Europe and the US,
have even been tested for harsh African
conditions. The tests also conclusively
prove that dry chemical powder
extinguishers are ineffective against
conveyor belt and tyre fires.
QUARRY SA | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 _ 27