Cementation, Compass Minerals Win Hatch-CIM Project Development Safety Award


Miners work on the Galloway at the Goderich salt mine in Ontario. (Photo: Cementation)
The Hatch-CIM Mining & Minerals Project Development Safety Award is an award presented to the project team that carries out a major mine and mineral plant development project in Canada that best excels in safety. The award criteria requires the project to be more than 300,000 work hours and completed in Canada within the last two years. Cementation’s application was the Goderich Mine Shaft Relining Project Nos. 1 and 2 shafts, which was a complex and challenging scope of work, executed with 543,474 work hours and no lost time injuries. The overall project duration was 1,673 days and achieved safe substantial completion by mid-February 2019 and only 75 days longer than the original baseline schedule.

Cementation engineering design for the Goderich Mine Shafts Relining Project was the initial scope of work. After, the project’s operations team engaged in design reviews, risk assessments, procedures, and the recruitment of personnel with a known history of a strong safety culture. From the beginning, there was full support and involvement from the mine operator, Compass Minerals, and its project management group, Bemac Construction Corp. “The culmination of achievements on this project were the result of an incredible true team effort. Cementation, Compass Minerals, Bemac, along with our sub-contractors and suppliers, embraced common goals to make this project a notable success for all stakeholders,” said Richard Bartlett, Cementation’s project manager for the project. The scope of work included demolishing and replacing two headframes, relining of both shafts, and installation of full circumference steel liners in both Nos. 1 and 2 shafts as well as related infrastructure on surface and underground to provide ventilation upgrades.

“Above all the expertise of the people and the teamwork between organizations and departments, what stood out to me from the Goderich Mine Shaft Relining Project was the care that the team showed to each other. Their commitment to ensure everyone made it home healthy and safe allowed this complex project to be completed without high potential events,” said Steve Wrixon, general manager-health and safety, Cementation. Safe work execution was a result of planning and dedication to health and safety as the team went beyond a culture of compliance, to one of commitment.

“It is a great achievement to receive such safety recognition for a project of this scale, complexity and duration,” said Peter Baker, vice president, operations, Compass Minerals’ Goderich Mine. “This team effort required discipline, comradery and focus, with safety as a primary objective, a goal well accomplished. Compass Minerals is proud of all involved in helping us operate as safely and efficiently as possible.”

Cementation Americas specializes in delivering sustainable engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, operations and maintenance solutions. Cementation Americas is part of the Murray & Roberts group of companies, which provide comprehensive services to mining and mineral processing clients across six continents.

As featured in Womp 2021 Vol 05 - www.womp-int.com