Winning of the visit, B & E International was also in the process of building an on-site training facility within the workshop to facilitate technical and mechanical training.
Environmental management
The permit, mining rights, water use licence, and environmental authorisation applications for Howards Quarry were handled by Greenmined Environmental. Sonette Smit, director and senior environmental consultant at Greenmined Environmental, started the company in 2012 and has over 12 years’ experience in environmental management. As a former Department of Water and Sanitation( DWS) employee, Smit has a good understanding of departmental structures, mechanisms, and procedures, as well as significant experience in water use applications, data collation, and monitoring. She puts this knowledge to good use, helping mines navigate the legislative and regulatory maze governing the industry.
“ For Howards Quarry, we handled the applications for the mining permits, environmental authorisation, and mining right. We are also responsible for conducting their monthly environmental audits, their dust monitoring, and their water sampling. Unlike the Kusile Quarry, which was located next to a wetland and thus required monthly water sampling, Howards Quarry doesn’ t require regular water sampling, so we do this on an ad hoc basis.”
“ We spend a lot of time on safety, because it is such an important area.”
B & E has been involved in the quarrying industry for many decades, with a focus on contract-specific quarry operations.
Greenmined also developed an alien clearing plan for Howards Quarry, which had a huge issue with weeds, and is assisting with the rezoning of the land from agricultural to mining— a requirement that arose from the mining right application.
“ We will also take over their mine administration, including their Social and Labour Plan. Basically, we decided to expand our services to cover mine administration so that we can assist the mines with legal compliance reporting requirements and so on, and leave them to their core business of mining and crushing,” she adds.
Focus on the future
Safety is a huge concern for quarry operators, and those at Howards Quarry are no different.“ We spend a lot of time on safety, because it is such an important area,” says Kamfer.“ We have had only one losttime injury since starting work on this site— when I was bitten by a dog!” In addition to the quarterly safety audits, Howards Quarry offers on-site training for its staff in safetyrelated matters, only sending them off site when specialised training requires it.
The quarry employs a staff of 46, including two women, with a large complement having worked at Kusile Quarry prior to coming across to Howards.“ A lot of our guys came over from the Kusile Quarry when operations finished there, and so we have a lot of experienced staff working here on site,” says Kamfer.“ It’ s a tough business, and the delays in projects can make it difficult. But we are perfectly positioned to supply contractors in this area as projects get going, and I am confident that our high-quality product, flexible plant design, and large dolerite deposit will ensure our success in this area for many years to come.” n
QUARRY SA | SEPTEMBER 2017 _ 23