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Murray & Roberts Cementation safety

Murray & Roberts Cementation stresses importance of culture in achieving safety milestones

Environmental, Mining safety, Mining services, , , , ,

In the mining sector’s ongoing quest for zero harm, Murray & Roberts Cementation has shown that a culture of safety is critical to meeting this target – over and above the progress made in safety systems and technologies.

In its own safety journey, the company has made great strides, according to Trevor Schultz, Risk Executive at Murray & Roberts Cementation. Among the key indicators of its success is that it has been fatality-free for almost a decade, a real accolade in the traditionally high-risk field of shaft sinking and mine development.

“It has been a journey that started long before 2015, when we reviewed the systems and processes, customising them to suit our business needs,” Schultz says. “Working closely with our Training Academy at Bentley Park, we also developed a new approach that would foster a culture of safety among our people – from their very first days in training.”

The Training Academy prepares employees to perform their work in the most efficient and safe manner, he says, including tailormade programmes for mining and engineering supervisors.

“We believe that to create the right business culture, we need to give employees the means and ability to do their work – and after that you can hold them accountable to do the work right,” he explains. “Our programs include License to Supervise, as well as Risk Management, to ensure alignment of our safety principles across the business.”

This approach has also achieved a steady decrease in the company’s Lost Time Injury rate. Graham Chamberlain, Murray & Roberts Cementation’s New Business Executive, concurs that the safety culture has been critical to these gains.

“An important shift in the mining sector has been to appreciate employees not only for their hands (to work) and their ears (to listen), but for their minds and hearts – which really drive safe behaviour,” Chamberlain says. “Systems and rules are important, but they don’t provide the vocabulary to show that management really cares about the safety of every employee.”

A caring culture is reinforced every day by the interaction between management and staff, he argues. This forms part of the company’s Visible Felt Leadership initiative, which ensures managers engage with their teams on a regular basis.

Underpinning the safety culture are the standards and systems, which remain an important foundation for safety at Murray & Roberts Cementation, according to Schultz.

“We have a robust health, safety and environment framework which covers key points such as systems, standards and internal and external audits,” he says. “We also have formalised strategies to learn from incidents on site – both within the company and externally – and we share best practice and learning across our regions.”

Comprehensive checks and balances are in place, including self-assessments for supervisors and managers, which help to determine the effectiveness of training in the workplace. Benchmarking against the highest standards, Murray & Roberts Cementation is certified in terms of ISO 9000, ISO 14000 and ISO 45000 in its internal systems and corporate governance.

Technology also has a role to play in supporting the safety culture, explains Chamberlain, especially in removing people from the ‘contact area’ where most safety hazards are found.

“We work to engineer the risk out of every working situation, which usually involves the use of equipment instead of manual labour,” he explains. “Equally, the solution may be to revise the methodology or the working cycle – as this affects the way the employee behaves.”

He notes that operating under excessive pressure, or experiencing undue frustration in their work, will have an impact on an individual’s safety performance. Part of the safety effort, therefore, is to alleviate these factors and improve the working environment – which in turn leads to the right behaviours.

Schultz points to a range of engineering technologies that Murray & Roberts Cementation has adapted and applied to improve safety. Lasers have been employed to continuously monitor clearances in some vertical shaft projects, so that winder speeds can be reduced where the clearance reaches limitations.

“We have extended the pre-sink automated tipping hook and kibble auto alignment to the main sink which removes the human interaction during tipping,” he continues. “The monitoring of our stage zone kibble winder slack rope has also been updated, by allowing continued monitoring during crosshead arresting. Electrical actuators are now being used where possible, instead of the noisier air and hydraulic system.”

Murray & Roberts Cementation is also an early adopter of technology that can improve safety, such as Proximity Detection Systems (PDS). In the early 2000s, the company saw the value of this emerging field of electronics, and was one of the first local companies to trial it on its trackless mining machinery.

“We were able to prove the efficacy of this technology, and quickly progressed to standardise PDS as a minimum requirement on our machines,” Schultz says. “This was years before it was made mandatory, which required all qualifying mines to install this equipment.”

The safety approach has even affected the kinds of projects and tasks that Murray & Roberts Cementation will take on, he explains.

“By reviewing our projects’ safety performance, we identified certain categories of work as being very high-risk,” Schultz says. “The decision was made that if the risk of harm cannot be reduced to an acceptable level – through mechanising, automation or safer methods – then we would simply not undertake such work.”

Murray & Roberts Cementation looking to add value beyond mine execution

Explosives and blasting, Mine shafts and equipment, Mining services, , ,

While contractors are employed primarily to execute projects on behalf of mining companies and project houses, experienced underground mining specialists like Murray & Roberts Cementation also offer invaluable insights from earlier stages of development.

“Over the decades, we have found that our early engagement with clients provides many vital opportunities to optimise their ideas and plans,” Graham Chamberlain, New Business Director at Murray & Roberts Cementation, says. “Especially in the shaft sinking phase – which is highly capital intensive – the devil is in the detail, and there are many aspects to consider when working to achieve a streamlined and cost effective process.”

Chamberlain highlights how the company is often engaged in the very early days of a project, to work with the client right from the concept and design phases. Often, third-party consultants even use Murray & Roberts Cementation to conduct project designs, he says, as this creates a more seamless flow into the execution stage.

“Our approach is to work with the client on developing a range of options for each aspect of the project,” Chamberlain explains. “This provides a broader scope of what is possible, with each option being discussed in the light of the client’s goals; these alternatives can be steadily whittled down to the two or three best, so that an intensive comparison can be conducted to make a final selection.”

A shaft design, for example, is a central factor in the successful performance of a mining operation – not just at its start but over its entire lifecycle. Whereas it may be considered feasible to reduce the diameter of shaft in the planning stage to reduce capital costs, a more far-sighted view will expose the limitations that such a decision will create for the mine’s future.

“Technology in crushing, milling and processing is always evolving, and many mines can upgrade this infrastructure to generate more revenue,” Chamberlain says. “However, such changes will be limited to 10-15% improvements if shaft capacity is at its limit. The shaft design therefore needs to accommodate the longer term goals of the mine – where market demand could allow throughput to grow in orders of magnitude.”

He emphasises the importance of understanding local conditions – both regulatory and physical – in managing risk on shaft sinking, development and contract mining projects. Where there are requirements for local procurement and hiring, for instance, the company has aligned its policies and developed extensive experience putting these into practice. These social and labour regulations, which are well established in South Africa, are also being applied across Africa and even in some South American countries.

Every project should be regarded as a ‘monument’ to the efforts of the developer, he explains, and therefore needs to leave a strong and positive legacy. This extends beyond the structural elements to the livelihoods, skills and prosperity of local communities. Murray & Roberts Cementation actively contributes to these developmental aspects, not least through its well-resourced training academy.

“Cost and productivity are key elements of success in our line of work, so risk needs to be carefully managed to produce the best outcome,” he says. “Many contractors operating globally in our field are not familiar with the unique requirements of the African market, and consequently, they often struggle to optimise cost and productivity factors in this region.”

Innovation also underpins the input that Murray & Roberts Cementation makes in planning for projects, Chamberlain continues. This is as much about developing new methodologies as it is about leaving others behind. Bold steps have been taken to find safer alternatives in equipment use; the cactus grab – historically a staple item on any shaft sinking site – is no longer employed, for instance.

“We adapted Canadian practices into a Murray & Roberts method of shaft sinking – using an understage-mounted excavator arm – to clean after blasts,” he says. “This is all part of a no-compromise approach to safety on our sites, which we share with clients as part of our initial discussions on scheduling, costs and productivity.”

A critical value-add from the company’s early engagement with clients is its extensive library or database of lessons learnt and technologies applied. This institutional knowledge, which dates back decades, can then be suitably ‘packaged’ by experienced practitioners who are experts in their field. He notes that one idea on its own is not going solve the various challenges that each project faces.

“Our work in the mining environment is complex, and must address matters from hoisting and logistics to safety factors and ground conditions,” he says. “The value of experience cannot be overstated, and requires careful consideration of all the options.”

Another fatality-free landmark for Murray & Roberts Cementation

Environmental, Mine shafts and equipment, Mining safety, , , ,

A hard-won culture of safety has earned Murray & Roberts Cementation the accolade of seven million fatality free shifts from the Association of Mine Managers of South Africa (AMMSA).

The award was made to Kethu Mokgatlha, Project Executive at Murray & Roberts Cementation (left), by AMMSA President, Mosala Letebele (right), at a ceremony in Johannesburg in June to recognise the company’s achievement. The seven million shifts were undertaken over a period of almost nine years, and spanned five different shaft sinking projects in South Africa. The work undertaken also covers specialist interventions such as ore pass rehabilitation, grout sealing and underground support systems.

According to Trevor Schultz, Risk Executive at Murray & Roberts Cementation, the award is particularly heartening in a working environment that carries a range of technical risk factors. Schultz points to the culture of safety, developed over decades of intense focus and commitment, as the foundation for this safety landmark.

“It also requires that everyone in the business – from those at the rockface right through to the executive management – is focused on the same goal,” he says. “It starts with carefully structured training at entry level, and a continuous emphasis on our corporate values which prioritise safe working practices and a constructive mindset that must be developed over time.”

He highlights that the company’s safety systems and protocols have always been in place to support and complement this culture. Its successful Major Accident Prevention Programme, for instance, has evolved into a Critical Controls Management process to continue raising the safety bar. These frameworks align with the requirements of customers in the mining sector, serving to enhance and reinforce both parties’ safety efforts.

“Working safely is also a highly collaborative effort that extends beyond our company and our customers,” Schultz says. “It includes the constructive involvement of local communities and suppliers – for example, we employ most of our general workers from the areas around our project sites which makes it vital that even our novice training is highly impactful and safety focused.”

All training is carried out to the highest standards at the Murray & Roberts Training Academy near Carletonville, in South Africa. Schultz paid tribute to the late Tony Pretorius, the company’s Education and Training Executive, for formulating innovative training modules to foster its safety culture.

Murray & Roberts Cementation - Mock up

Murray & Roberts Cementation presents ‘mock-up’ facility for underground mechanised mining

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Through its new mechanised mining ‘mock-up’ facility, Murray & Roberts Cementation says it is giving equipment operators and supervisors a more realistic learning experience. This enhances safety and is more cost effective than doing this level of training on a working mine, argues Education, Training and Development Executive, Tony Pretorius.

Known for its extensive mine training offering and innovative learning approaches, Murray & Roberts Cementation says it has further raised the bar with this facility for underground mechanised mining.

Pretorius says the new installation is a quantum leap for mining-related training in Africa. Located at the Murray & Roberts Training Academy (MRTA) at the company’s Bentley Park complex near Carletonville in Gauteng, South Africa, the new facility will give a fully immersive learning experience across the underground mining value chain.

“Our new mock-up facility is as close to a real mine as you can get,” Pretorius says. “Learners experience not only the look and feel of an underground bord-and-pillar mine, but even have the smells and sounds of such an operation.”

He emphasises that this experience is a valuable next step to complement the simulated and virtual reality platforms already provided to learners at the MRTA facility. To build skills, operators need to put their theoretical learning into practice – but the pressurised production environment of a real mine is often not the ideal location.

“Rather, our new facility provides a safe and low-cost learning environment, where learners can practice their skills without hindering production or compromising safety,” Pretorius says. “At the same time, they still get the sensory experience for developing the muscle memory they require for the real-life workplace.”

Equipped with essential first-line equipment such as drill rigs and bolters, the facility also has its own machinery for loading, hauling and dumping blasted rock. The realistic environment includes ventilation systems, support structures and blasting systems.

“Learners are taken through the full value chain of mechanised mining activities, from the waiting places, entry exam and safe declaration to the installation of support and cleaning of blasted rock,” Pretorius says. “They conduct marking, drilling and indexing of the face wall, charging up with inert explosives and simulating the blast with a centralised blasting system.”

He explains that MRTA’s extended reality framework follows the situational leadership model, which places considerable value on learner participation in activities – to entrench their applied competence. Built over recent years, the facility is housed in a large covered structure 3.5-m high and covering some 1,125 sq.m. Together with its dedicated equipment, it represents an investment of over R35 million ($1.8 million), he says.

Murray & Roberts Cementation and Palabora Mining celebrate last blast at new vent shaft

Explosives and blasting, Mine shafts and equipment, Mineral project development, Mining services, , ,

Leading underground mining contractor Murray & Roberts Cementation and its client Palabora Mining Company (PMC) have celebrated the last blast at the new ventilation shaft, which took its depth to a final 1,200 m below surface on January 9, 2024.

The 8.5-m diameter upcast vent shaft – which holed through to an already-developed return air way at depth – is vital to PMC’s Lift II project. Lift II will develop access to ore resources sufficient to extend the life of this copper mine beyond 2040. Murray & Roberts Cementation Senior Project Manager, Fred Durand, says a key achievement was the project’s fatality-free record, earned over more than a million hours worked.

“The achievement of a million fatality free hours – reached in November 2023 – is more than just a number,” Durand says. “It reflects the deep-rooted safety culture that has permeated every aspect of the project.”

The innovative sinking methods, used for the first time in South Africa, were also carefully focused on achieving zero harm. Murray & Roberts Cementation employed its Canadian shaft sinking methodology, adapted to what became called ‘the PMC way’. This method included a solution to poor ground conditions, where the sidewall of the shaft was closed up within 48 hours by means of the shaft concrete lining after every three metres of advance.

“Among the improvements that this facilitated was the removal of the hazardous work by rock drill operators at the shaft bottom, who would traditionally have to install temporary support,” Durand explains. “We also decided not to conduct concurrent work in the shaft, so there was no risk of danger to anyone below when work was carried out from the stage.”

Durand emphasised the close collaboration between Murray & Roberts Cementation and PMC to ensure the success and safety of the shaft sinking. The project was significant insofar as there were many lessons learnt to be taken forward into future projects, he says, further improving the safety record of shaft sinking practice.

“We are already looking ahead to two more important shaft sinking projects within the South African mining sector, where there is potential for certain of these learnings to be applied,” Durand says.

A veteran of over 15 shaft sinking projects around Africa during his career, Durand admits finding aspects of the PMC way initially quite unusual when he joined the project in 2022.

“Ultimately, though, we all want to deliver safe projects, so there are many brilliant ideas that we have proven on this project,” he says. “These strategies have been combined with the company’s leading mining and engineering expertise, and made us very excited about the future of shaft sinking and contract mining.”

To facilitate streamlined programming on the project, the work ran on continuous operations with two 12-hour shifts. This, he notes, improves on the usual eight-hour shift system, which requires three shift changes – each change taking up valuable project time. The two-shift system requires only a morning and evening change.

The vent shaft will replace the two existing vent shafts from the Lift I project, which are likely to be affected as they are in the Lift I zone of influence. In the final stages of the project, Murray & Roberts Cementation will strip out its services from the shaft, lift out the stage and dismantle the headgear. Final demobilisation of the company’s infrastructure will be carried out during the March quarter of 2024, according to Durand.

Murray & Roberts Cementation continues to boost mining reputation in southern Africa

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Murray & Roberts Cementation continues to add to its order book of business in southern Africa, with the company saying it is engaged in a number of projects in South Africa and having project prospects in nearby countries.

According to Graham Chamberlain, New Business Director at Murray & Roberts Cementation, the busy pipeline of projects demonstrates the mining sector’s faith in the company’s industry knowledge and depth of skills. In southern Africa, the main projects underway are at De Beers’ Venetia Mine, Ivanhoe Mines’ Platreef project and Palabora Mining Company.

At the Venetia Underground project near Musina, work has been ongoing since 2013 in one of the largest investments in South Africa’s diamond industry in decades. Transitioning from open-pit to underground mining will extend the mine’s life until 2046. Murray & Roberts Cementation has been engaged in sinking, lining and equipping of two shafts – the production and service shafts – to a depth of 1,080 m. The company also developed a decline tunnel and is completing associated surface and underground infrastructure, in a project whose scope included raiseboring work to establish ventilation infrastructure.

“In this maturing project, the mine is now getting into ore and starting to develop the infrastructure levels,” Chamberlain says. “At the shaft bottom, good progress continues to be made with the construction of workshops, pumping stations, silos and loading arrangements.”

Murray & Roberts Cementation is also conducting all the infrastructure development at Ivanhoe Mines’ Platreef project near Mokopane. This includes the sinking of a 5.1 m ventilation shaft to meet horizontal development at 950 m below surface. To achieve the high accuracy levels demanded by the project, the raiseboring equipment was guided by directional drilling technology.

“A unique aspect of this project is that the shaft will be hoisting ore at that same time as allowing upcast air to reach surface,” Chamberlain says.

Another vent shaft by Murray & Roberts Cementation – measuring 8.5 m in diameter and reaching a depth of 1,200 m – is nearing completion at Palabora Mining Company near Phalaborwa. Part of the mine’s Lift II expansion, the project has earned an impressive safety record – being fatality free and achieving 574 days without a Lost Time Injury since 2022. Ground conditions were among the reasons why a blind sink was chosen as the optimal method instead of raiseboring, as the side walls needed immediate support to prevent scaling.

“We also have a number of services projects underway related to raiseboring, grout plants and rehabilitation,” Chamberlain explains. “Much of our work in this field is focused on old infrastructure that requires maintenance, repairs or upgrades; we also conduct extensive vertical work in ore passes and silos.”

The company carries out vital rehabilitation in ore passes where ground conditions have deteriorated to prevent ore from moving smoothly – thereby risking production targets. Innovating safer techniques for this work, Murray & Roberts Cementation has developed the tube-and-fill method, first applied about seven years ago at an underground platinum mine in South Africa. These installations are also expected to outlast the lifespan of an ore pass rehabilitated with traditional shotcrete.

“On the engineering front, we continue conducting rebuilds of underground mining equipment at our Bentley Park facility near Carletonville,” Chamberlain says.

He highlights the work of the company’s design department, which remains extremely busy with feasibility studies associated with vertical work. With the renewed interest in commodity segments like copper, there is also previous work that customers are asking Murray & Roberts Cementation to review and update.

Training in underground mining and related skills at the company’s Training Academy on Carletonville continues to empower many thousands of learners each year, Chamberlain points out. This skills development is done on behalf of clients, as well as for the company’s own requirements.

“At any one time, we can host about 420 learners, and we are generally at full capacity,” he says. “We have just recently upgraded these facilities to further enhance training technologies that allows learning to take place safely but in a realistic environment.”

In compliance with many African countries’ localisation regulations, Murray & Roberts Cementation has registered companies in eight countries in the Southern African Development Community – most of which have seen the company active with raiseboring. Chamberlain notes that there are specific opportunities in Zambia that the company hopes to capitalise upon in the near future, and is encouraged by the mining sector’s progress in countries like Namibia and Botswana.

Platreef-Ivanhoe-Murray&Roberts

Murray & Roberts Cementation to accelerate ore hoisting at Ivanhoe Mines’ Platreef project

Automation, Mine shafts and equipment, Mineral project development, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , ,

In a project innovation that will allow early hoisting of ore at Ivanhoe Mines’ Platreef project, in South Africa, Murray & Roberts Cementation will be repurposing its 3 Shaft – a ventilation shaft – to serve a dual function.

“This is a unique project in many respects, as the shaft will be hoisting ore at that same time as allowing upcast air to reach surface,” Graham Chamberlain, New Business Director at Murray & Roberts Cementation, says. “We were able to bring our well experienced experts into the planning process to develop a safe and effective solution.”

The project has followed the sinking of the vent shaft by Murray & Roberts Cementation, which had required very accurate drilling, using raiseboring equipment guided by directional drilling technology. The 5.1-m diameter shaft meets horizontal development at a depth of 950 m below surface.

“During this process, Ivanhoe looked at bringing forward some of their ore generation activities, and this required adding hoisting capacity,” Chamberlain explains. “The timeline for their main shaft meant that it would not be able to contribute to this capacity, so a team was established to consider how to retrofit the vent shaft into an early hoisting shaft.”

As an integral part of that multidisciplinary team, Murray & Roberts Cementation conducted a feasibility study on the options, allowing for the selection of the most suitable methodology. The company also carried out the necessary designs, including winders and headgear as well as hoisting and tipping arrangements. In September 2023, the project was awarded to Murray & Roberts Cementation to implement, and is scheduled to take about two years.

“This project stands out in terms of innovation, adaptability, teamwork and design,” Chamberlain says. “With our many decades in the sector, we were able to draw on hundreds of years of experience in mining – and leverage this in our design team.”

Among the range of technical challenges is the need to work within the vent shaft while it is performing its function of channelling an upcast current of air to surface. Any blockage of the air current in the shaft would affect the development operation of the mine, so this is critical to avoid.

“There needs to be periods during which we can reduce the ventilation, but we will have to ensure that air flow is always adequate,” Chamberlain says. Another vent shaft is planned to add ventilation capacity for the future.

Chamberlain points out that it will be necessary to deal with the slight deviations in the shaft; while accurately drilled, vent shafts are not designed to the same tolerances as hoist shafts. An important aspect of the design was the steelwork required to accommodate those deviations.

“The work will be conducted by a relatively small team of our highly skilled people,” he says. “This will include the installation of a compact headgear using refurbished winders from our strategic stockholding.”

The infrastructure will employ technology that will allow man-less operation to enhance safety, using automated processes in loading and measuring functions, for instance. The project will require specialised subcontractors on much of the equipment employed, but the more day-to-day consumables are procured locally to support local businesses.

“In the absence of a supplier, we would then develop their capability through our procurement system and enterprise development commitment,” Chamberlain says. “In this way, we foster small businesses and help to nurture them until they are self-sustaining.”

Murray & Roberts Cementation highlights training evolution in mining sector

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Training within the mining sector is a fast-changing field, driven by technological advancements, evolving safety standards and the need for a more skilled workforce.

Keeping up with these demands has been the focus of the Murray & Roberts Cementation Training Academy near Carletonville, South Africa, combined with ongoing attention on raising safety levels in pursuit of Zero Harm.

According to Tony Pretorius, Education, Training and Development (ETD) Executive at Murray & Roberts Cementation, this has meant constantly pioneering effective strategies that build excellence and discipline in the workplace.

“An important foundation for us has been the integration of technology in our training programs, incorporating tools such as virtual and augmented reality, e-learning, and online resources,” Pretorius says. “These technologies enhance the learning experience, improve knowledge retention, and facilitate the development of digital skills essential for working with advanced mining equipment and systems.”

At the same time, he highlights the promotion of a safety culture in mining. To achieve this, the academy places a strong emphasis on cultivating a safety-first mindset among trainees. By prioritising safety in all aspects of training, the academy helps instil a culture of vigilance, risk assessment and continuous learning – aligning with best practices for workplace safety in the mining industry.

“We also ensure that our training programs align with relevant mining regulations,” Pretorius says. “This equips workers with the knowledge and skills to adhere to the latest safety guidelines while keeping their workplace compliant with regulatory requirements.”

As an example of how digital technology has been leveraged in the learning space, he points to the academy’s use of virtual and augmented reality in the training process. These immersive technologies allow trainees to experience realistic, risk-free simulations of mining environments and scenarios.

“This approach not only improves knowledge retention but also enables the identification and correction of potential mistakes before they occur in real-world situations,” he explains.

Another important aspect of the modern training approach has been towards competency-based training. Here, the focus has shifted away from the mere completion of training programs, to the more detailed assessment of competence of workers in their specific roles. The focus, therefore, is on the development of practical skills, knowledge and attitudes that lead to improved job performance and overall safety. Pretorius also points to the vital role of what were previously referred to as ‘soft skills’ – competencies which are today proving to be as important as technical skills.

“In addition to technical skills, the mining industry recognises the importance of developing skills such as communication, leadership, teamwork and problem solving,” he says. “These skills are vital for maintaining a safe working environment, especially in high risk situations where effective collaboration and decision-making can prevent accidents and save lives.”

Beyond the daily work tasks, workers are also having to become more aware of sustainability and environmental issues. This is inevitable, as the mining industry faces increased scrutiny regarding its environmental impact.

“Training programs now include modules on sustainable mining practices, resource conservation and waste management,” he says. “This helps ensure that workers are aware of their responsibilities and the role they play in minimising the industry’s environmental footprint.”

Murray & Roberts Cementation hits 1,000 m shaft sinking milestone at Palabora’s Lift II expansion project

Base metals, Explosives and blasting, Mine shafts and equipment, Mineral project development, Mining services, , , , ,

Leading underground mining contracting company, Murray & Roberts Cementation has achieved what it says is a remarkable milestone at the end of July 2023, successfully reaching the 1,000 metre mark on its contract to sink the 1,200 metre ventilation shaft at Palabora Mining Company’s Lift II expansion, in South Africa.

This significant feat stands as a testament to the company’s exceptional capabilities and dedication to safety, it says.

The Palabora Mining Company Lift II expansion project is a crucial endeavour for PMC, aimed at enhancing the efficiency and capacity of its operations. The 8.5-m-diameter ventilation shaft will serve the Lift II block cave and plays a pivotal role in the overall mining infrastructure.

Reaching a depth of 1,000 metres in the ventilation shaft is a major accomplishment, highlighting the expertise and commitment of Murray & Roberts Cementation in tackling complex mining projects, it says.

Fred Durand, Murray & Roberts Cementation’s Senior Project Manager, says one of the most remarkable aspects of this project is the unwavering focus on safety.

“Despite the immense challenges involved in underground mining and especially blind sinking, we have maintained an impeccable safety record throughout the Lift II expansion project,” he says. “The team’s relentless dedication to safety protocols and best practices resulted in an impressive milestone earlier this year of 574 consecutive days without a Lost Time Injury (LTI).”

He says that the achievement of this safety milestone showcases the company’s commitment to ensuring the wellbeing and safety of its workforce.

Durand concluded: “As the ventilation shaft project enters its final stages, the excitement and anticipation among all stakeholders, including PMC and Murray & Roberts Cementation, are palpable. The successful completion of this project will not only mark a significant engineering feat but will also have a profound impact on PMC’s mining capabilities.”

Murray & Roberts Cementation has aligned with the owner’s team to display technical excellence, professional management and passionate safety leadership from the day site establishment commenced in October 2019, according to Aidan Schoonbee, Senior Manager for PMC’s Lift II Construction, Concentrator and Vent Shaft.

Murray & Roberts Cementation shaft sinking alternative takes safety to a new level at PMC Lift 2

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The sinking of a 1,200 m ventilation shaft as part of the Palabora Mining Company (PMC) Lift 2 expansion in South Africa is proving to be a partnership success story, based on an unshakeable commitment to safety, according to Murray & Roberts Cementation.

PMC commissioned this new ventilation shaft – which measures 8.5 m in diameter – to service its Lift 2 block cave, awarding the project to Murray & Roberts Cementation in February 2019. Now in its final phases, the project has earned an impressive safety record; it has been fatality-free, and, last year, achieved 574 days without a Lost Time Injury (LTI), the contractor reports.

The Lift 2 project will extend mine life by more than 15 years. Originally an open-pit mine, the Palabora mine transitioned to underground block cave operations in the early 2000s when Lift 1 was commissioned. Back in February, Murray & Roberts Cementation outlined that it had recently celebrated the achievement of a major milestone – reaching the 800 m mark – at the project.

“Feasibility studies indicated that a blind sink was the optimal method, despite its higher cost and longer time frame,” Jas Malherbe, Murray & Roberts Cementation’s Project Manager, explained. “Ground conditions were among the reasons why raiseboring was not an option, as the side walls needed immediate support to prevent scaling.”

Traditionally, the shaft would be lined to within 12-18 m of the shaft bottom, with the sidewalls being temporarily supported with split sets and mesh. However, the difficult ground conditions led to high levels of scaling that made this practice unviable.

“With ground conditions being such a key challenge on the project, we responded in an innovative way by taking the shaft lining right down to the blasted face,” Malherbe says. “The shaft sinking methodology in this project is, therefore, based on the Canadian shaft sinking method pioneered by Murray & Roberts Cementation – but has been adapted to ‘the PMC way’. This has involved lining the shaft to within 1.5 m of the shaft bottom, after mucking out the waste.”

Murray & Roberts Cementation uses a specialised concrete mix for rapid setting and early strength which hardens to 3 MPa within four hours – and this would be in place for at least eight hours before blasting. This solution requires that the blast is conducted while the shutters are still in place – so the shutters are strengthened and a toe added that would better handle the blast. The exposed concrete above the shutter is able to withstand the blast, as it has already cured for 48 hours.

Malherbe explains that drilling is undertaken by two twin-boom electro-hydraulic jumbo drill rigs. These are slung down the shaft from surface and nested in the four-deck stage for drilling the shaft bottom, a procedure which is repeated for each 48 hour blast-to-blast cycle. Waste rock is lashed using an excavator with a 0.36 cu.m bucket, which is lowered from surface through the stage to shaft bottom.

After blasting, an excavator is used for loading rock from the shaft bottom, which is safer than the conventional cactus grab, according to Murray & Roberts Cementation. Ground conditions lend themselves to the generation of large rocks during blasting, which can be difficult to handle. These are broken up using an hydraulic breaker, which can be coupled to the excavator. An 11-t kibble transports the waste rock to surface.

The Lift 2 project will extend mine life by more than 15 years

“Lashing a shaft with an excavator is not a new idea, but it is usually a back-up method to the cactus grab,” Malherbe says. “In this project, we decided that the excavator would be the primary lashing method, to further enhance safety on site.”

Steps have also been taken towards automating the headgear, to avoid the safety hazards of manually hooking the kibble to tip out the waste rock. This includes the winding engine driver being able to use a camera to check for correct hooking.

“We also opted to use electric actuators in this project, rather than the traditional pneumatic and hydraulic cylinders on equipment such as the bank doors, swing chutes and tipping chutes,” Malherbe continues. “This has allowed us to mitigate the risks such as hearing loss from the noise of certain actuators, and contamination from oil leaks.”

According to Sechaba Letaba, PMC’s Package Manager on the project, PMC took a deliberate decision to prioritise safety in the sinking of this ventilation shaft.

“By taking the PMC way, we have accepted that the pace of sinking would have to be compromised,” Letaba says. “This has proved to be a positive approach, as we have an outstanding safety record on the project. This is in stark contrast to the history of shaft sinking, which would often claim lives and cause injuries. We are therefore very proud of what we have achieved to date.”

He highlights the pivotal roles played by Sam Ngidi, PMC Senior Manager Operation & Lift 2 Project, and Aidan Schoonbee, Senior Project Manager Construction – in driving the project and ensuring its success.

Fred Durand, Murray & Roberts Cementation’s Senior Project Manager, points out that unexpected challenges tend to have an impact on scheduling, so the strong relationship of trust with PMC was vital to solving any issues as they arose.

“Our approach has always been to work closely with customers on solutions, and to ensure they are regularly updated on progress,” Durand says. “As a team, for instance, we decided that the rock breaker was the right solution for the issue of oversized rocks, and it was accepted that this would have an impact on the cycle times.”

Similarly, encountering more challenging ground conditions than expected required a significant mindset change about how the team approached the project.

“With the supportive relationship between PMC and Murray & Roberts Cementation, we were able to agree on the necessary remedies and adjust the timeframe to suit our priority – which was safety,” he says.

Malherbe concludes that, for Murray & Roberts Cementation, the lessons learnt on this project have shown the industry a viable alternative method of shaft sinking that takes safety to a new level.