Sandvik and Barrick partner to improve drill safety

Sandvik Mining, the global supplier of equipment and tools, service and technical solutions for the mining industry, recently tested a prototype of its Sandvik DR461i rotary drill rig at Barrick Gold’s Cortez mine in Nevada. As part of the testing process, Sandvik Mining engineers collaborated with Barrick Gold equipment operators to evaluate the new drill’s safety features and recommend enhancements before the product launches globally. The results of this process, formally known as EMESRT Design Evaluation for EME Procurement (EDEEP), were presented by Sandvik Mining and Barrick Gold representatives at the recent Global Health & Safety Excellence for Mining Forum in Las Vegas.

“Safety is our top priority at Sandvik and we want to ensure all individuals who operate or maintain our equipment are safe at all times,” says Darlene Dutcher, Product Safety Manager for surface drills, Sandvik Mining. “The EDEEP program is instrumental in allowing us to see through the eyes of our customers to identify potential risks that are either environmentally-based or related to personnel safety. It is a critical step in our product development and testing process and a practice we’ll continue to implement with our customers.”

As part of the EDEEP program, Barrick Gold operators and maintenance personnel conducted a risk-assessment of tasks required of the Sandvik DR461i rig. They ran the drill in day-to-day operations and as each step of the drilling process was completed, they identified potential hazards from their perspective. This two-way communication enhances current drilling operations as well as new product development.

“During the EDEEP activities, our operators found a lot of value in the direct interaction with the Sandvik engineers and being able to ask them why certain components were designed the way they were,” explains Kevin White, Barrick Gold’s drill and blast supervisor at Cortez mine. “At the end of the day, we were grateful to have the opportunity to share our feedback with Sandvik and to see their commitment to delivering the best product possible.”

The surface drilling team at Sandvik Mining used the results from these activities to make changes to the drill before it launches and is using the information in new product development activities. See minestories.com/emesrt-dr461i for interviews and video footage of Sandvik DR461i at Barrick’s Cortez mine.