Mining operations must conform with the Occupational Health and Safety regulations to enable employees to work in safe environments, as this will motivate them to work more efficiently, says local grating, handrail and expanded metal manufacturer Vital Engineering MD Dodds Pringle.

Industrial and mining environments, particularly opencast mining operations, can be hazardous when underfoot conditions are slippery or unstable, which is why the design and engineering of walkways is pivotal, says Pringle.

“To this end, it is preferable that serrated grating, which is used to construct walkways, be durable, corrosion resistant, aesthetically pleasing and geared towards reducing underfoot pedestrian accidents,” states Pringle.

Vital Engineering’s Vitagrid serrated gratings are used extensively in many local and African mines, says Pringle, who adds that many Australian and Canadian mining houses, consultants and contractors working in Africa are using the product at their facilities.

Pringle says the company has received positive feedback about the significant reduction in the number of accidents, which occurred owing to slippages, adding that companies have benefited from the overall reduction in the number of employee compensation claims and labour productivity downtime.

“The company has received a number of overseas serrated grating supply contracts in the past decade, which has consolidated Vital Engineering’s position as a trusted quality manufacturer, including a 400 t export order for integrated contractor Chiyoda, in Saudi Arabia, and a 300 t serrated grating order for the Kap Shui Min Bridge, in Hong Kong, which links Lantau Island to the new Chek Lap Kok Airport,” reveals Pringle.

Further, he notes that the company’s Vitagrid open steel rectangular, or square pattern flooring, has been approved by the world’s biggest crude oil producer Saudi Aramco for use in the company’s projects and maintenance.

Vital Engineering uses 350WA mill drawn material in the production of its Vitagrid products, which are constructed by a pressure forged process in which load-bearing and transverse bars are joined under 600 t of pressure, ensuring they become an immovable intersection, explains Pringle.