How Mine, Hwange, Blanket Proto teams fitness excites judges

How Mine Proto team

The level of fitness for the Proto teams which participated at the Mine Rescue Association of Zimbabwe Westzone Quarterly training exercise held at Metallon Corporation Zimbabwe’s Bulawayo Mining Company (How Mine) recently excited judges, however, the judges pointed out a lot of areas which needed to be improved by the teams in preparation of the National Rescue competitions to be held later this year.

Rudairo Mapuranga

The WestZone of the Mine Rescue Association of Zimbabwe (MRAZ) comprises of How Mine, Caledonia’s Blanket Mine and Hwange Colliery.

The teams were working on a written instruction that, “A three-man lashing crew was reported to have gone into the mine for an earlier shift at 15L20m Sub level 300N. Information received from the 14-level pump attendant is that there has been a reversal on the ventilation circuit. He noted foul air coming from the main access haulage towards where he was working at the pump station close to the North shaft. He checked that access drive but could not proceed further due to the ambient conditions.

Team Instruction

“You are expected to proceed underground and do the following:

  1. Assess the ambient conditions for 14 level, document and report your findings (Airflow, ground holing, visibility and temperature).
  2. Locate the missing employees and render the necessary help required. Assist the employees out of the mine.
  3. On completion of the task generate a report and submit it to the control official.

Judges from the Zimbabwe School of Mines, Ministry of Mines and Mining Development and How Mine ex brigades persons could not hide the fact that the teams’ fitness was good but were also disappointed by the teams’ shortfalls in different areas which need improvement.

Speaking to Mining Zimbabwe on the sidelines of the competition Proto teams National Coordinator who was also a judge at the training exercise, Jaffrey Sanudi said the teams needed to improve when it comes to map reading.

“The teams performed well in terms of fitness although there is a need for improvement. Key learning points that we noted, for example, we saw the need for improvement in terms of plan reading, in terms of articulation of sequence of events. We also noted that most teams did not pick the critical items they were supposed to identify as instructed,” Sanudi said.

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The Zimbabwe School of Mines representative at the Event Mrs Ndiweni said the teams performed well in terms of first aid but needed to improve in other areas.

“The first area of improvement is findings, and updating our documents. Most teams were living out vital information right from the control room to back. There is also an issue of sequential asking of questions. First aid was done well but all the teams. On fitness, the teams were fairly good but we need to improve,” Mrs Ndiweni said.


This article first appeared in the Mining Zimbabwe Magazine issue 66. Download HERE

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