RUC CEMENTATION MINING RAMPS UP ON THE EAST COAST

On 4 December 2017 RUC Cementation Mining commenced its first underground development contract on the east coast of Australia, near the Victorian town of Heathcote. The client, Canadian mining company Mandalay Resources, awarded RUC Mining a 12-month contract to implement 2 600 metres of capital development, enabling access to the Brunswick orebody at their Costerfield Mine.

Being the first mechanised mining contract on the east coast, and commencing just before Christmas, added to the complexity of the project start-up. Mobilisation to site involved transporting equipment 2 700 kilometres across the country from Kalgoorlie, Western Australia and bringing in equipment over a distance of 800 kilometres from New South Wales to the site in Heathcote, Victoria.

Heathcote is in prime agricultural country, an area renowned for producing quality Shiraz wines. With local farmers being less than 100 metres away from the mine, noise management and community engagement has been an important part of the project. This has been managed by installing noise attenuation equipment on machinery, recruiting local employees and engaging with regional suppliers.

The Costerfield Mine has a different set of challenges when compared to standard mechanised Australian mines. It has a decline ramp with a very low height that necessitated innovative thinking around equipment selection and how standard work practices were undertaken. Being only three metres high in some areas, it is not possible to use Integrated Tool Carriers underground to carry out service work and charge headings, which is standard procedure across other underground projects. The
RUC Maintenance and Safety Department has been busy devising new methods with alternative equipment to be employed on the site.

The contract is currently in a ramp-up phase and in December, 99.10 metres of development was completed with work in January on track against construction programme targets.

Says Barry Upton, RUC Cementation Mining Managing Director, “The Costerfield Mine has showcased RUC Cementation’s commitment to safety, innovation and tailored solutions that result in successful outcomes for clients across the Asia-Pacific region.”

CEMENTATION CANADA RECEIVES GOLD AT CANADA’S SAFEST EMPLOYERS AWARDS

Cementation Canada has been recognised as one of Canada’s Safest Employers for 2017. The gold award in the Mining and Natural Resources category was presented to Cementation during the Canada’s Safest Employers Awards Gala, hosted by Canadian Occupational Safety and Thomson Reuters on October 24 in Toronto.

The Canada’s Safest Employers Awards were launched in 2011 and acknowledge companies from across Canada with outstanding accomplishments in promoting the health and safety of their employees. Companies are evaluated on a broad range of initiatives including employee training, OHS management systems, incident investigation, emergency preparedness and innovative health and safety initiatives.

“We are thrilled to be recognised as one of Canada’s Safest Employers,” says Roy Slack, President of Cementation Canada. “Our company, management and our supervisors all care about the well-being of our employees and one of the ways we demonstrate that care is through our commitment to safety.”

“This recognition is a true reflection of the sincere commitment to ensuring a safe and healthy workplace by Cementation and all our employees. We continue to work hard at improving our safety culture and structure as we never want to settle for the status quo,” states Steve Wrixon, General Manager Health and Safety, Cementation Canada.

The awards covers 10 industry-specific categories, ranging from Hospitality to Mining and Natural Resources.

MURRAY & ROBERTS CEMENTATION 25 YEAR CLUB

The Murray & Roberts Cementation 25 Year Club held its inaugural meeting in 1961, inviting employees across all occupational groups with 25 years of service to join. The 25 Year Club keeps contact with members and spouses through newsletters, networking, personal recognition and emotional support in times of bereavement. What the members value most though, is the annual members meeting and family function.

The 57th meeting, in the centenary year of Murray & Roberts Cementation, convened in November at the company’s world-class training facility at Bentley Park, Carletonville. The meeting was attended by 34 members, including current and past employees, together with their spouses and partners and Murray & Roberts’ executives and directors.

The club’s chairman, Tim Wakefield, Engineering Services Executive, delivered a speech reflecting on what the future of the industry would look like in 25 years, when today’s new recruits would be eligible to join the club.

Said Tim, “We are already seeing dramatic changes around mechanisation. Concepts we will see in the future include robotic mining controlled from the surface, fewer people underground and minimal blasting.”

The formalities included speeches of recognition and the presentation of service certificates and valued club blazers. The club also welcomed nine new members taking the current membership to 182.

Sadly, the club lost seven members who passed away during the year. Andrew Collings, Lionel MacDonald, Anna Masango, Willys Mayisane, Joseph Mokoto, Koos Oosthuizen and Rooi Pieters were honoured for their service.

After the formalities, the club members were introduced to the latest digital training simulators utilising gaming technology and had the opportunity to see how unskilled mechanised mining equipment operators start their career journeys. A very different experience to when some of the club members started their mining careers 70 years ago and there weren’t too many volunteers to take the simulator controls!

Concludes Tim, “The annual meeting is a unique and humbling experience. Many members have devoted their working lives to Murray & Roberts and have a wealth of memories, stories and experiences to share. Dedication and loyalty are values to be treasured in today’s job hopping culture.”

CEMENTATION CANADA OPENS NEW NORTH AMERICAN MAINTENANCE FACILITY

Community leaders, guests and company employees participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony and tour to officially open the newest addition to Cementation Canada’s North Bay operations in October. The new facility will significantly increase work and warehouse space, as well as provide enhanced lifting, electrical and compressed air capacity to support Cementation’s underground fleets, raise boring plants and shaft sinking equipment utilised on mining projects around the world.

The facility has a dedicated and environmentally isolated electrical shop and is capable of operating and testing electrical motors up to 600 horsepower. It also has a compressed air system for the operation and testing of pneumatic equipment.

New overhead cranes and embedded floor anchors have been installed to secure hoists and winches for testing. This increased capacity offers potential employment opportunities as Cementation Canada expands its services.

Roy Slack, President of Cementation Canada said, “This new facility expands our capabilities to better service our projects and reinforces our commitment to further support our clients.”

Cementation Canada will continue to utilise its existing 10 000 square foot shop, built in 2006, as heated warehousing space and for shipping and receiving.