Productivity and safety go hand in hand within the industrial and mining sectors. Conforming to the requirements of OHS (Occupational Health and Safety) regulations not only ensures that employees are kept safe in the workplace, but that they are more motivated to work for a company that displays concern for their wellbeing.
Industrial and mining environments can be hazardous when underfoot conditions are less than ideal. By designing and engineering walkways that consider safety factors, there is less likelihood that slips and trips will occur. “Ideally, serrated grating should be durable, corrosion resistant, aesthetically pleasing and geared towards reducing underfoot pedestrian accidents,” says Dodds Pringle, Managing Director of Vital Engineering and Angus McLeod.

“Vital Engineering and Angus McLeod has, over the past 73 years, invested extensive capital and resources in developing a proven range of quality gratings that take each of these elements into consideration and provide an option for individual applications. Installations in the heavy industrial, municipal, marine and commercial sectors, as well as at airports, on roads and at sporting facilities are tailored for in a customised manner,” says Pringle. Vital Engineering’s serrated gratings have been used extensively over the past 12 years in many large local and African mining, power generation and petrochemical projects. Positive feedback has been received from these installations in terms of marked reductions in the number of accidents caused by slippage. This equates to a reduction in the number of employee compensation claims and the resultant downtime.

Vital Engineering’s reputation has resulted in the award of a number of prestigious overseas serrated grating supply contracts in recent years, consolidating the company’s position as a truly international, versatile manufacturer. Amongst these are a 400-ton export order for Chiyoda in Saudi Arabia and a 300-ton serrated grating order for the Kap Shui Min Bridge in Hong Kong, which links Lantau Island to the new Chep Lap Kok airport. “The airport, during its construction phase, was one of the world’s largest and most ambitious projects, with extremely high standards and performance being required from all products used,” says Pringle. “Vitagrid, precision-made and pressure-forged gratings , has also been approved, after an extensive period, by Aramco for use in their projects and maintenance. This Saudi Arabian company is one of the largest oil refineries in the world, affirming once again that Vital’s patented design serrated grating is fast becoming recognised as a benchmark for grating standards,” adds Pringle.

Further testament to the audited quality and reliability of Vitagrid is the fact that many Australian and Canadian mining houses, consultants and contractors working in Africa, have selected the product for installation in their facilities. “Vital Engineering has the ability to seamlessly match the grating to the exact international project specifications and demands, while at the same time maintaining its uncompromising high standards of quality and service,” says Pringle. Vital Engineering is the only South African grating, handrail and expanded metal manufacturer to hold ISO 9001 certification for its design and manufacture. “Quality certification of this level involves many years of hard work and effort by a team that aims for a common goal: durable and long lasting products that address specific client needs in the workplace,” says Pringle. “By steadfastly maintaining high international standards, Vital Engineering has been able to provide clients with peace of mind in terms of the design, quality of material used, traceability and supplier integrity. Adherence to accepted standards also enables the tracking and implementation of client revisions and changes, to ensure perfect fitment on site and the resultant reduction in installation costs,” Pringle concludes.