Rössing plays it safe

Augetto Graig

The old man of Namibia’s uranium mining legacy knows enough to avoid the aches and pains of injuries that plague such daringly dangerous endeavours as removing radioactive material from the depths of the earth. According to China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) Rössing Uranium communication advisor Kaino Nghitongo, the mine was able to make its operations significantly better across all key safety metrics in 2020. “Rössing Uranium achieved a significant milestone with its all injury frequency rate, which has reduced 0.3 against a target of 0.61, the best performance the mine has recorded to date,” she said.

According to Nghitongo, “this was the result of increased rigour and focused implementation of safety programmes across the operation, and made possible by strong leadership in the field to foster a culture of an engaged workforce.

Rigorous focused implementation is the foundation of a safety improvement plan implemented successfully last year.

“It is humbling to share that 2020 was a year free from fatalities, permanent disability injuries and significant process safety incidents,” she said. “Rössing celebrates such milestones and achievements with humility, knowing that we never arrive when it comes to safety.”

2020 was also the year Covid-19 broke out in Namibia, with significant implications and related lockdowns falling like a landslide on most of the economy. The mining industry was able to lobby government for special dispensation to be allowed to operate much as usual and many mines were able to justify this allowance by stemming the spread of the virus at their workplaces.

“In addition to implementing control measures as prescribed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), later further enhancing these measures by complying with the state of emergency and other government directives, Rössing introduced a Covid-19 emergency response plan (ERP),” Nghitongo said.

The response plan started while minimal operational mode was forced on the entire Namibian economy in response to the first evidence of the outbreak in March 2020. Until June, controls were implemented to combat the spread of the virus on-site, while mining operations were forced to slow, impacting ore supply. Depleting run-of-mine stockpiles and reducing cut-off grades enabled meeting tonnage requirements at the cost of lower grades. Once Namibian mining was given the go-ahead, Rössing was ready, thanks to their four-phased approach led by the mine’s health management team who established processes and controls to limit the on-site spread of the virus and its impact on the workforce.

All legally prescribed Covid-19 controls were followed, but Rössing and contractor employees also all received fabric reusable masks, employee tool-kit booklets, individual thermometers, fridge magnets with key messages and individual hand sanitisers.

The wide range of measures put in place included temperature checks, thermal cameras for employee screening, hand sanitisers and employee support for those affected by Covid-19.

Extensive awareness was done by communicating to the mine’s workforce as well as its contractor workforce through the issuing of 52 coronavirus newsletters and the distribution and display of posters which addressed key and relevant aspects about the pandemic.

Television monitors were placed throughout the mine with media player capabilities, which enabled Rössing to present informative videos on Covid-19. A link on the mine’s intranet provided ongoing updates on control measures at the workplace. The wearing of respiratory protection has become compulsory on-site, while social distancing measures were implemented in offices, buses, vehicles and all other facilities, according to the mine.

“With the assistance of the ministry of health and social services, Rössing has also hosted several vaccination clinics for our employees on-site,” Nghitongo said.

Mines remain dangerous, even with no pandemics to wrestle with, so the mine employs a fatality-prevention tool known as the critical risk management (CRM) programme.

“The CRM programme was sustained with focus on leaders verifying that critical controls are in place in the field, coaching teams and planning verifications for safety critical jobs,” she added.

The spokeswoman also shared insight into world uranium production since last year. “Globally, primary plus secondary production is expected to match demand in 2021. There are currently some low-cost operations with idle capacity that could be brought back on stream quickly, similar to the Cameco Cigar Lake operation which was brought back on stream in April 2021. Inventory levels also remain high around the globe. Price movements will therefore determine the speed at which such idle operations restart and the extent to which new operations will enter the production mix.”

As far at Rössing is concerned, the mine has maintained its 100% delivery record on its historical contract portfolio, she said. “Unfortunately, this portfolio has decreased over the years, as these contracts have come to conclusion, and with the low spot prices, could not be replaced with similarly priced long-term contracts. The increasing spot exposure has been mitigated by our vertical integration into the CNNC group.”

Looking to the future, Rössing has taken action to address the ever-present threat of water scarcity when operating on the edge of the Namib Desert.

“The Rössing board approved a capital project in 2020 to increase the water storage capacity to complement the storage capacity of NamWater’s reservoirs. A suitable tank supplier was identified to deliver six tanks to the mine. Each tank will be able to contain 10 000m³ of potable water. The total increase in water storage capacity will thus be 60 000m³, providing Rössing Uranium with approximately seven to eight days of additional fresh water supply for operations. Construction of the water reservoirs has commenced and great progress has been made thus far,” she said.

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