Durnacol hub working to make mines safer

These are baby steps, but the long-term strategy is to offer more programmes and eventually full qualifications at the DSIH

March 4, 2014

1 minute read

Alice Pool (far right), Managing Director of the Durnacol Skills Innovation Hub, with Willie Schutte (far left) of CTC, both standing alongside the Competency B trainees from Magdalena Colliery (a subsidiary of Forbes Coal). This is after finishing the final assessment of the Competency B trainees. As can be seen behind them, on the horizon is the most famous mine dump of the former Durnacol Mine, and just below it are the buildings where the Durnacol Skills Innovation Hub is situated. Alice is very passionate and enthusiastic about this partnership, and she is confident of a brighter mining future in the district.

The dangerous occupation of mining has taken a leap forward in safety, thanks to new types of training offered at the Durnacol Skills Innovation Hub (DSIH).
While the DSIH already offers accredited training for artisans in the mining industry, there had been a call for further training related to Competency A and B and Blasting Assistant programmes.
Alice Pool, Managing Director of the Hub, said the Colliery Training College (CTC) in Witbank was approached with regards to a possible partnership in offering mining-specific training in Durnacol.
“The CTC was founded in 1962, and is the specialist in these programmes. In January we signed the partnership agreement together with Forbes Coal, which will act as one of the workplace providers. These are baby steps, but the long-term strategy is to offer more programmes and eventually full qualifications at the DSIH, in partnership with the CTC.
“All accreditation is aligned with qualification accreditation requirements,” Mrs Pool told the Courier.
The first Competency B skills programme started on February 3.
A person with Competency B skills is someone who has been trained to conduct necessary safety inspections and risk assessments underground, before the decision is made to declare the work area safe for operations. In a typical mining environment, supervisors and people working under them are fully responsible for these safety inspections and risk assessments.
Following strict procedures, no work must be conducted until declaration of safety has been pronounced, with supporting documentation signed off on by supervisors.
Mrs Pool is explained that the person with the Competency B responsibilities must provide a safe support system and environment that will ensure that tasks such as installations and maintenance are conducted in line with organisational standard operating procedures, ensuring that safety is never compromised.
Learners from Forbes Coal’s Magdalena Colliery attended the Competency B training, which was facilitated by Willie Schutte of CTC in partnership with the DSIH.
Durnacol is clearly at the forefront of facilitating safety within the local mining industry.