South Africa's aggregates and sand producers are to step up the amount of training to boost standards within the industry.
The Aggregate and Sand Producers Association of Southern Africa plans to expand on the existing seminar and workshop schedule with the addition of in-person courses that will provide intensive, hands-on-education geared to the subject matter and relevant to the industry, the association’s director, Nico Pienaar, says.
“In order to ensure the best possible attendance, we also want to make sure that workshops remain cost-effective and that they will be held in regions throughout Southern Africa wherever there is sufficient interest in the subject matter.
“We also invite Aspasa members, customers and those involved in the opencast quarrying industry to add to the growing list of courses that have been planned for 2017 this far and to comment on information required and course material,” he says.
As well as health and safety courses there are plans to run crushing, explosives, lockout procedure, sales, supervisory training, first aid, emergency evacuation, rock breaking and blasting courses.
There will also be hands-on vocational type training in the form of study tours, financial management for quarry managers, how to vet contractors, supply and control basics, construction material sampling and testing, operating mobile machinery and specifying the right, cost effective fleets of equipment within the quarry environment.
“Everybody is welcome to send us their ideas so that we can give the industry the type of training that it needs, where and when it is needed,” says Pienaar.
