News
SOUTH AFRICA
LAG highlights
It has been a very eventful year for the Legionella Action Group( LAG) and for legionnaires’ disease( LD) in South Africa, says Rob Stewart, chair of LAG.
During 2016:
• More members were added to LAG, which resulted in more networking, and now LAG is in a better position than ever to assist in the investigation of a possible LD outbreak.
• More cases were reported in South Africa than in previous years.
• More site investigations were conducted than in previous years.
• More awareness was created as a result.
Other highlights:
• A travel-associated cluster investigation in a hotel in Cape Town.
• The first possible case of human-to-human transmission of LD in Europe.
• The NICD / South African LD guidelines were released.
• A team from LAG attended the ELDSNet and ESGLI conferences( feedback was shared at the last meeting).
It is possible that the current growth in interest, understanding, and networking will eventually result in the first major LD outbreak in South Africa to be properly investigated and documented. Perhaps it is just a matter of time. u
Floor grating – where engineering makes the difference
Walkways can be aptly described as the‘ arteries’ of most minerals beneficiation and industrial plants, providing functional access while bearing substantial loads and allowing air and light into working areas. It is essential that the floor grating used for such walkways be well-engineered to ensure long life and optimum safety for users.
Leading local floor grating manufacturer Andrew Mentis operates an extensive facility that produces significant volumes of its RS40 Rectagrid, which has long been the benchmark for walkways in southern Africa.
Elaine van Rooyen, marketing manager at Andrew Mentis, says that apart from supplying a standard floor grating product, the company is also able to provide a fit-for-purpose floor grating solution based on the customers’ requirements.
“ A technical representative from Andrew Mentis meets with the customer to determine their precise needs and ensure that the structural integrity of the chosen product is maximised,” she explains.
“ While taking into account the customer’ s application needs, there are specific non-negotiable factors that Andrew Mentis applies in the production of all our floor grating products,” she says.“ The manufacturing method we use, for instance, ensures that the transversals are positively and permanently locked to the bearer bars.”
The locking method is based on compressive pressure at the intersections, engineered to use the full depth of the bearer bar. The grating panels— with a pitch of 40mm by 40mm— are flat, square, and untwisted, so there are no cracks or crevices at intersections where corrosion could take place. u
CT to host the 24th FIDIC-GAMA Conference
Consulting Engineers South Africa( CESA) is hosting the 24th FIDIC-GAMA 2017 Conference in South Africa, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. The conference will connect leading global players and partners in the infrastructure and consulting engineering sectors to create innovative sustainable solutions and business opportunities.
The three-day FIDIC-GAMA Conference will start on 7 May and run until 10 May 2017, and will bring together over 350 delegates from across Africa and the rest of the world under the theme:‘ African partnerships for sustainable growth’.
The FIDIC-GAMA annual conference is the biggest networking event for the sharing of ideas on best practices, as well as learning from each other effective ways of dealing with diverse challenges to achieve value for money and provide a sustainable quality of life. The conference is suitable for consulting engineers, government officials, state owned entities, local administrative authorities, funding agencies, contractors, suppliers of construction equipment and materials, investors, and other stakeholders in the built environment from the public and private sectors.
FIDIC, the International Federation of Consulting Engineers, was founded in 1913, and one of its objectives is to‘ promote and assist the worldwide development of viable consulting engineering industries’. GAMA is the Group of Africa Member Associations of FIDIC.
For more information, please visit http:// www. fidic-gama2017. org. za /, or contact Dennis Ndaba( CESA strategic communicator) on + 27( 0) 11 463 2022 or + 27( 0) 78 532 3100, or email him at dennis @ cesa. co. za. u
Humour
A seven-year-old boy is sitting on a park bench eating a chocolate bar.
The man sitting next to him looks over and says,“ Eating that many chocolate bars is bad for you.”
The boy looks over and responds,“ My great grandfather lived to be 105.”
The man replies,“ And he ate that much chocolate?”
“ No,” says the boy,“ he minded his own business!”
6 Water Sewage & Effluent March / April 2017