Insulation, scaffolding and industrial coatings company Kaefer South Africa, through its subsidiary, Kaefer Energy Projects (KEP), achieved a significant milestone by clocking up 500 000 work hours without a lost-time injury (LTI) at Eskom’s Medupi power station, near Lephalale, in Limpopo province.

JSE-listed construction giant Murray & Roberts awarded Kaefer the contract to provide all the scaffold services required for the boiler mechanical erection works on all six of the powers station’s units in 2010, a contract that is expected to run through to 2014.

The company says this is the biggest project it has undertaken and also the most dangerous, with scaffolds as high as 107 m.

Kaefer currently has in excess of 350 personnel on site and about 2 500 t of scaffolding equipment has been used to date.

“There is a requirement to maximise the employment and training of local personnel wherever possible. It is crucial for us to train and prepare our crews to work carefully, as well as to emphasise a zero tolerance policy when it comes to safety violations,” says KEP operations manager Martin Kruger.

The company says it has an impeccable safety record, making it the first choice for many in the energy conservation indus- try. The company achieved ISO 14001 (environmental) and OHSAS 18001 (occupational health and safety) accreditation in July 2010.

“Our ISO 9001:2008-accredited quality system has been certified by the South African Bureau of Standards for the past 23 years and we are now proud to have achieved ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 accreditation as well,” said Kaefer MD George Wardrope.

KEP is a black-women-owned company. It is classified as a Level 1 contributor as measured against the Codes of Good Practice on Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment.

Kaefer has a 35-year working relationship with Eskom and, in addition to the new build projects, is the appointed scaffolding and insulation maintenance contractor at three of the utility’s 14 coal-fired power stations, namely Tutuka, Majuba and Matimba.

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