Kolomela mining projects set new standards

Kumba Iron Ore has developed a fully accredited training centre in Postmasburg to address the construction skills shortage in the Northern Cape

The R8.5-billion mega-project to construct Kumba Iron Ore’s new Kolomela Mine at Postmasburg in the Northern Cape is on budget, on schedule and boasts a remarkable world-class safety record that already is the envy of several global players in the mining industry.

The iron ore mine is expected to deliver first production toward the end of the first half of 2012, ramping up to full capacity in 2013, said Kumba’s executive head of projects, Francois Louw.

Construction is currently at approximately 90% complete. At full capacity, the mine will produce nine million tonnes of direct shipping ore per annum for the export market.

The ore, with product qualities of 64% iron for lump and 63.5% iron for fine ore, will be transported on the Sishen-Saldanha iron ore export channel to the port of Saldanha Bay.

Kumba is a business unit of global miner, Anglo American plc. The development of the mine was approved in 2008, with construction getting under way in the same year.

At peak, more than 4 500 people were on site, which included consultants and contractors. About 70% of the unskilled and semi-skilled labour was recruited in the Tsantsabane and Siyanda area.

The work included bulk earthworks, civil construction, structural steel work, piping, plate work, mechanical equipment installation, electrical installation, instrument installation, construction of the railway line, construction of roads gravel and surfaced roads, and building of houses.

Access, and lifespan of the mine

Kolomela will be mined by conventional open-pit mining. The plant will be a full dry crush and screen operation only. The mine will use 90-tonne and 150-tonne haul trucks.

Access to the mine is via a new surface road, running south from the Beeshoek mine up to the site offices area.

It is provided with a 132-kilovolt electricity supply from the Eskom Postmasburg substation through overhead lines.

The mine will have a lifespan of about 28 years. It will create more than 800 permanent jobs, and more than 2 000 indirect job opportunities.

To house its staff, Kumba is constructing 718 houses in Postmasburg. These are scheduled for completion by June 2012, explained Louw.

The five administration buildings at the mining site south of the town have been completed recently. These modern buildings have a combined floor space of more than 5 000 square metres.

Construction skills shortages addressed

Kumba Iron Ore has developed a fully accredited training centre in Postmasburg to address the construction skills shortage in the Northern Cape.

The company is building more than 700 houses in the town to accommodate employees working at the Kolomela mine.

The centre, which was officially opened on 14 April 2011, is a permanent facility and forms part of the mine’s social and labour plan.

The training is offered free of charge, and those who have completed their courses will be able to offer their new skills to the mine’s housing contractor, other contractors involved in the construction of the mine, as well as on the open market.

The first intake of 120 students enrolled in December last year. After they have completed three months’ training at the Kolomela Skills Training Centre, learners receive a sector education and training authority accredited certificate of competence as well as having gained valuable experience in their specific trades.

The Centre currently offers training in scaffolding, welding, carpentry, bricklaying and plastering. In addition, it will offer adult basic education and training courses, said Louw.

One of the immediate priorities of the Centre is to skill local labour for the mine’s housing project. Construction of the 718 houses started in May 2010 and will be done in two phases.

Up to 300 local workers are required for the project.

Initiatives such as these are at the heart of Kumba’s approach to social and community development, with local economic development forming an integral part of the mine’s operations, said Aart van den Brink, the general manager of Kolomela Mine.

“A core focus of our social development strategy is to engage proactively with host communities around our mines, with the aim of promoting positive, mutually beneficial outcomes.”

The target for skills development in Kumba is currently 5% of the payroll.

In 2010, however, it exceeded that target when it spent 7.5% of its payroll on skills development.

A bursary scheme

Kolomela Mine recently started a bursary scheme for pupils at three high schools in Postmasburg. The purpose of the Kolomela School Bursary Programme for Academic Excellence is to develop, prepare and enable the selected bursary holders to eventually pursue tertiary studies in engineering, geology and surveying, said Van den Brink.

An initial group of 52 pupils were identified by their schools to partake.

Following an assessment by the mine’s training centre, the number was reduced to 40.

These pupils were then interviewed to observe their levels of communication, and eventually a total of 18 were elected for the scheme.

To continue receiving support, each bursary holder must obtain a grade of 60% or a higher in both mathematics and science throughout the year.

The mine’s human resources department will engage the pupils in various programmes during their school holidays to prepare them for working in a mining environment.

The focus will be on providing bursary holders with physical and social support – with the emphasis on cognitive, emotional and career interest development.

Parents and teachers will form part of the process all the way.

At the end of Grade 12, pupils could be invited to apply for a Kumba higher education bursary, should he or she meet all the requirements of the scheme, to study toward a mining qualification.

Project sets new safety records

The mega-project to develop Kumba Iron Ore’s Kolomela Mine has yet again raised the bar for construction safety – passing the 12 million lost time injury (LTI) free mark on 13 May this year.

The last LTI was recorded at the project site on 15 January 2010. “This is a remarkable achievement, and very few construction projects in the world have been able to match this,” said Louw.

“The old-school belief is that the changing risk environment in a construction project tends to result in a lower safety performance benchmark than well-established stable operations. The Kolomela project has proven this belief to be wrong.”

The new mine is one of Anglo American’s top four expansion projects worldwide.

The project eclipsed its previous best ever LTI-free performance of five million man-hours on 20 August last year.

“The relentless drive for zero harm and the discipline in applying the Anglo American Safety Way are evident in the Kolomela project,” said Louw.

Applying fatal risk standards

Project manager Pieter Rossouw attributes his team’s success to its complete commitment to the consistent application of the Anglo American Fatal Risk Standards. “It is all about attention to detail and focusing resources on key risk areas,” he said.

Seventeen leading safety indicators have been identified through the analysis of more than 2 000 mini task observations per week.

“These indicators are tracked constantly to enable the team to identify safety risks in advance and proactively taking preventative action,” said Rossouw.

“With numerous contractors involved in the project, we had to put a huge focus on establishing a safety awareness culture in everyone.”

This was done through the implementation of a ‘top of mind’ campaign. A strong hierarchy of controls and disciplinary code, a structured permit system, and relevant safety training form critical components of the safety system.

Ongoing awareness campaigns and full investigations of any deviations and incidents also play a key role.

“The emphasis is on mentoring, rather than simply complying with a set of rules,” added Rossouw.

Passionate about safety

Achieving zero harm commences with the selection of contractors for the project, the project manager said.

“In addition to assessing companies who can do the job safely, we pay significant attention to getting people on board who share our passion for safety,” he explained. “They need to be fully aligned to our safety standards before they are allowed on site.”

The project has established a safety forum on chief executive level with contracting companies, to ensure alignment with and support for the zero harm philosophy.

The Anglo American plc board of directors visited the project site in October 2010, shortly after the seven million LTI-free man-hour mark was reached.

“The team’s ongoing focus on safety is outstanding,” Anglo American CEO Cynthia Carroll said at the time. “One can see that it is their number-one priority.” 

Fanie Heyns