While the mining industry has not achieved its vision of realising Zero Harm, every day that an injury-free shift is executed is a day closer to achieving that goal, says underground mining contractor Murray & Roberts Cementation MD Japie du Plessis.

The company recently achieved eight-million fatality-free shifts, setting a new benchmark in safety excellence within the underground mining contracting sector, he tells Mining Weekly.

“Mines are safe, provided you follow the rules and the designs. There are many talented mining professionals and if we all apply our minds and follow the rules, we must execute operations safely and expect safe outcomes. We’re not there yet, but we are definitely, as an industry, working towards fatality-free mining.”

Du Plessis advances that the biggest risk of personal injury is through not following the rules, owing to time pressure, a lack of supervision or the wrong company culture. Murray & Roberts Cementation addresses these risks by ensuring that people are well trained and that its culture is well entrenched while also improving safety through engineered excellence.

Ten years ago, the company made a conscious decision to develop superior engineering design solutions and implement methodologies and technologies that would significantly increase safety, particularly in high-risk areas within the mining sector.

The company has sunk numerous shafts, fatality-free, since then and it has been satisfying to know that this focus has made a difference in people’s lives, Du Plessis elaborates.

The use of technology has improved Murray & Roberts Cementation’s safety record tremendously.

“It’s through the implementation of new technology that we also managed to reduce risks. Significantly, ten years ago, we successfully deployed shaft sinking technology that had never before been used in Africa,” he shares.

The company also applies existing technologies in an innovative manner compared with their original use through its forward-thinking engineers. For example, Murray & Roberts Cementation has used a portal crane to conduct presinks that enables stage and kibble hoisting and has all the safety systems associated with a normal sinking winding system. This same installation is run across rails to the next shaft, reducing setup time while enhancing the safety of the operation.

“There are amazing engineering minds in our business, and through engineered excellence contribute towards our safety performance.

“We also select and deploy trackless mining machines [TMMs] that are equipped with high-tech features and/or designed for special activities within the mining cycle that enable us to remove people completely from the contact area and this has delivered improved safety performance,” adds Du Plessis.

Carletonville Training Facility

Murray & Roberts Cementation has also invested heavily in its training academy in Carletonville, Gauteng, to embed a culture of safe execution and vigilance across its operations and business at all levels of its workforce.

“This training intervention and our facility differentiate us from any other mining contracting company,” elaborates Du Plessis.

The company prioritises internal talent development, focusing on low-level employment, where possible, to progress employees from within the company into more specialised areas of expertise such as miners and artisans, as well as management and supervisory roles.

People are Murray & Roberts Cementation’s biggest asset, acknowledges Du Plessis.

“Because we grow and develop our own talent, people buy into our culture and safety aspirations, which is to realise the safe execution of underground mining operations on a daily basis.”

Regarding staff retention following the investment of significant capital and time in the training of staff, he says: “When you invest in the development of your staff and create an environment where they feel valued, retention challenges seem to become less of a problem.”

Murray & Roberts Cementation is focused on creating a culture and environment that makes people happy at work and makes them feel part of the team.

“Staff should want to stay of their own accord. It’s also about open communication and building trust, that the direction the company is heading in is something that resonates with people,” explains Du Plessis.

Leveraging modern technology and innovative methodologies, Murray & Roberts Cementation has changed the approach to shaft sinking and mine development training, significantly reducing risk factors.

The company not only continuously sets new safety standards but also shares best practices to advance safety standards across the mining industry.

Du Plessis explains that this is done by applying various learning methodologies from “show and tell” to virtual reality and immersive technology.

Two years ago, Murray & Roberts Cementation built a fully functional underground mock-up at its Carletonville training academy, specifically for its TMM training. Since then, the company has received several requests for similar facilities to be replicated on other industry stakeholders’ sites.

“We perform a lot of training for clients, not only in a trackless environment, we do a lot of conventional training, safety and supervisory training for clients. Safety is for everyone. It is not only your own. Wherever we can inspire improvement or share best practice, we do so and work closely with our clients, specifically on training to ensure that we upskill people, and through upskilling and knowledge sharing, simultaneously improve safety and production output,” states Du Plessis.

Murray & Roberts Cementation remains committed to investing in the latest technology and training to maintain and surpass its safety records.