Quarry Southern Africa January 2018 | Page 29

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