Mine testing and training services

What we do

Contact information:

Riaan Bergh
Impact Area Manager
@email
@phone

Isaac Mthombeni
Fire explosion testing and training facility manager (Kloppersbos) 
Training and Testing Supervisor 
@email
@phone 

Michael Sehlabana
Self-contained self-rescuer laboratory
Laboratory Manager 
@email 
@phone 
 

Highlights

Technician measuring an item

Understanding suppression of fire for safer underground mobility: A nine-ton flameball

The CSIR conducted a first-of-its-kind fire characterisation test on a full-scale mine locomotive and battery, weighing approximately nine tonnes. In partnership with Sibanye-Stillwater, Trident SA and Mines Rescue Services, the aim was to characterise fire behaviour and identify the most effective suppression methods. A series of large-scale fire exposure tests were carried out on lithium-iron-phosphate battery assemblies, which are increasingly used as a safer, more sustainable alternative to conventional lead-acid batteries for powering underground mining locomotives. The tests, undertaken at the CSIR’s specialised fire and explosion test facility as Kloppersbos, generated data that supports CSIR research on underground fires.

Extraction process

Nine decades of testing to ensure worker safety

Our rope testing laboratory is equipped to handle a range of rope diameters and conduct breaking strength tests. A tragic accident and loss of lives in the early 1900s led to the introduction of statutory testing for such ropes and the facility was established in 1935. Ninety years later, it continues to support the mining, manufacturing, construction, engineering and other industries, ensuring the integrity of hoisting equipment and contributing to overall worker safety.

Our services

 

Our services include tensile testing of steel wire ropes, conveyor belt splices and proof load testing, as well as failure inspections and investigations. A comprehensive database of testing records is maintained for reference purposes. Watch what happens at the laboratory.

As strategic support partner to industry and the state, we have a track record spanning many decades of delivering essential services that ensure legislative compliance and protect worker safety. 

Our services include: 

  • Annual monitoring and legislated performance acceptance testing for self-contained self- rescuers

  • Bi-annual, legislated destructive tensile testing of mine winder ropes

  • Monitoring and analysis of industrial air pollution

  • Mine fire and explosion suppression testing

  • Competency-based training using fourth industrial revolution (4IR) technologies

Our facilities

Vuyani Jarana
Fire explosion testing and training facility

Located at Kloppersbos, north of Pretoria our fire and explosion testing and training facility plays an essential role in promoting safety in the mining industry. It offers a wide range of services, including competency-based training in mine emergency response, explosibility characterisation of coal dust and various industrial dusts, large-scale explosion suppression testing, fire testing of conveyor belt and batteries and coal dust explosion safety training. 

Nomsa Dlamini
Self-contained self-rescuer laboratory

The self-contained self-rescuer laboratory is a unique testing facility that conducts industry-wide monitoring to identify defects and track unacceptable deterioration in the functional performance of self-contained self-rescuers used in mining operations.

Fabrizio Dionisio
Mechanical testing laboratory

The mechanical testing laboratory has been at the forefront of large-scale mechanical testing since 1935. Established to promote mineworker safety, the facility houses two of the country’s largest mechanical testing machines, capable of testing heavy-load specimens such as mine support structures, hoisting equipment and lifting gear.

Fabrizio Dionisio
Rope testing laboratory

Our internationally recognised steel wire rope testing laboratory supports the mining industry by evaluating new and in-service steel wire ropes. The laboratory assesses their strength and condition to determine whether they meet safety standards.

Resources

VR-enhanced safety training delivers experiential impact

Enhancing our training material with the power of virtual reality gives mining employees a realistic sense of emergency scenarios. The simulated, immersive training environment provides a competency-based reskilling method for workers and encourages the application and adoption of 4IR solutions in the mining industry.   

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