Everyone working in the quarrying and mineral products sector has a moral obligation to operate to the highest health and safety standards. The ramifications of ignoring best practice can have a devastating impact on personal wellbeing, as well as affecting commercial success, corporate reputation and shareholder value. Now there is growing recognition that a safe workplace should be a given, not a goal. That means moving from a ‘conscious’ commitment to safety to a culture where safety is ‘unconscious’.
The Institute of Quarrying (IQ) champions safety in the mineral products sector through the continuing professional development (CPD) of operatives and operators. This encompasses everything from the overarching responsibility of operators to achieving Target Zero, to personal awareness of potential hazards such as conveyor safety.
Turn the clock back 12 months. It’s the first-ever Institute of Quarrying (IQ) Fellows Lunch and Student Awards. The setting is the New Armouries’ Banqueting Suite at the Tower of London. A new IQ president takes the stage and sets out his stall, introducing the Institute’s ‘Creating Future Leaders’ strategy, shaping the direction ahead for the organisation and its members.
On the face of it, minerals extraction may appear a relatively simple and straightforward process to the unversed. Reserves are identified and applications are made for the go-ahead to remove the earth’s natural riches. But, as we all know, the process is considerably more complex, wrapped up in a rich mix of consultations, legislation and an equal measure of negotiation, all of which can take years.
The UK’s quarrying and mineral products sector is always moving forward and seeking out new ways of doing things that challenge the status quo. These are often achieved through exciting collaborations between quarry operators and suppliers introducing new innovations setting out standards of excellence that become future operational norms.
Major advances in technology are impacting construction industries like never before. In the mineral products sector the application of robotics and automated production processes is reshaping one of the world's largest industries, improving safety and optimising production efficiencies.
Progress in business is often measured by increased profitability. How that progress comes about can be the result of technological advances, improved operating practices, smarter deployment of resources; the list is endless. But the common theme that flows through these incremental gains is invariably innovation, something in which the mineral products and quarrying sector excels.
Knowledge and innovation drive the quarrying and mineral products industries. Discovering smarter ways of doing things is at the heart of the sector’s search for meaningful performance improvements that deliver a real difference to the bottom line.
The Institute of Quarrying Southern Africa (IQSA) celebrated reaching a landmark in its history at this year’s annual conference and exhibition, held in Durban from 11th to 12th April 2019.
Leadership. There are many discussions and activities across the quarrying and mineral extractives sectors around the term, but what does it actually mean? And how is it best to deliver it within an organisation? There is no single right answer for showing leadership but a constant theme in all cases is the need for those in leadership positions to lead by example.