Inspection and maintenance work is increasing for rope-access technicians across the African mining industry, because of the time and cost-saving benefits offered by rope access, says industrial rope-access solutions company Skyriders, which boasts a zero-fatality rate.

Maintenance and inspection budgets are under strain, owing to the current tough economic environment. Using rope access to carry out certain inspection and maintenance scopes means mines can get their budgets to stretch further and ensure effective and safe operations. “This [advantage], coupled with the rapid deployment of multiskilled, flexible self-sufficient rope-access teams, has increased demand [for rope-access services]”, explains Skyriders.

In West Africa, the company is undertaking routine yearly inspection work on a smoke stack that it helped to erect in 2013 at the Syama gold mine, in Mali, for operating company Sociètè des Mines de Syama. The project is a joint venture between the government of the Republic of Mali (20%) and gold miner Resolute Mining (80%).

Syama benefits from two fully operational parallel sulphide and oxide processing plants, with on-site production capable of reaching more than 250 000 oz/y.

Ore for the 2.1-million-ton-a-year sulphide circuit is sourced from the Syama openpit stockpiles, while the A21 satellite pit supplies oxide ore to the newly constructed 1.3-million-ton-a-year oxide circuit.

Evolution of Trends, Technology

Mining is an inherently dangerous environment, with height and confined spaces being two of the most obvious aspects, both of which are made safer when using professional rope- access services, Skyriders marketing manager Mike Zinn explains.

New trends and technological advances in the rope-access and inspection-work sector ensure that new equipment is constantly being developed to improve safety and ease of access in the sector in the African mining industry.

Zinn says there are constant improvements being made to inspection and nondestructive testing equipment, while new equipment and procedures typically fall under rope access.

Mines, he says, often choose more traditional means of access for inspection, maintenance projects and shutdowns, although “in doing so, they pay a premium and end up using a large portion of the project programme to erect and break down these access systems”.

Rope access, however, offers a safer, more efficient way of carrying out stipulated tasks in the mining environment, saving time and money on projects, Zinn points out.

He states that a rope-access technician’s skills development is never ending, involving constant training, with rope-access technicians needing to renew their skills every three years.

There are three skill levels in the industry, with technicians classified according to the number of hours they have logged and their experience. In addition to rope-access skills, technicians also require trade skills such as welding, nondestructive testing and inspection, grit blasting, ultrahigh-pressure detection skills and protective-coating application rigging, explains Zinn. Technicians at Skyriders also provide confined-space standby rescue.

Skyriders complies with ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001:2007, an internationally applied British standard for occupational health and safety management systems, and is also part of trade association the Institute for Work at Height, which, among other duties, sets and maintains industry standards.