Onboarding solutions provider KBC Health & Safety has been hired by coal and minerals mining company Exxaro to oversee the onboarding of contractors for its Grootegeluk Six (GG6) expansion project, in Limpopo, South Africa.

The new GG6 plant will enable an additional 600 t/h of throughput o‌n the run-of-mine feed, as well as higher, more valuable yields through enhanced operational efficiencies and better beneficiation processes.

“KBC has been employed by Exxaro to facilitate the site-specific inductions for the GG6 contractors at the Exxaro Marapong Training Centre. We handle the onboarding training and administration to avoid delays in the process without adding pressure on the normal mining operations,” says KBC regional GM Dries Loubser.

He adds that, when there are new projects at a mine, the mining project team needs to assess the number of contractors to be onboarded, as well as the scale of onboarding requirements, such as medicals and training, that will need to be accommodated. Analysis of this assessment by the project team will determine whether the mining infrastructure and operations can handle the influx without any disruption.

“If the mining operations and infrastructure cannot handle the influx, the mine will outsource certain services.”

As safety is an integral part of the onboarding process, a KBC representative remains on site for the duration of the project. This ensures that onboarding and training is carried out and executed correctly.

“While our training is classroom based, all Covid-19 regulations are strictly adhered to. This includes contact tracing, temperature monitoring, social distancing and all delegates and facilitators wearing masks or face shields at all times,” explains Loubser.

KBC provides a comprehensive solution for safety and training on site. All compliance training and inductions can be carried out on site. The senior administrator coordinates this training to ensure that all delegates attend the necessary courses before they start working.

KBC is also providing induction training and short course compliance training at the Exxaro Matla Mine One Relocation Project in Mpumalanga, South Africa.