MATERIALS HANDLING
Given that the ASM sector is the biggest mining
SMALL BUT MIGHTY
player on the planet, Darracq Shawe asks whether it’s time we treated it as that
report by global platform Delve, every day, almost 45 million miners pick up tools in 80 countries around the globe. In addition, 2019 figures from the World Bank suggest that another 134 million people rely on the ASM sector for their economic wellbeing. Tese figures are only set to rise too, with a new ‘3T’ (tantalum coltan/tin cassiterite/tungsten wolframite) rush predicted in the years ahead to cater to the world’s new obsession for electric mobility and the batteries to power it. Even with these impressive numbers and the obvious potential for growth, innovations in the ASM sector
D
espite its name, the artisanal small- scale mining (ASM) community employs the largest mining force in the world. According to a new
remain few and far between. Much of the industry operates in a somewhat opaque manner. It’s not all doom and gloom, however, as the study also suggests that improvement in terms of health and safety in the ASM sector is likely an easy fix. Back in 1999, a report found that mortality and accident rates in the ASM sector were on par with those of US and South African miners in the 1970s. Today, however, the fatality rate in the industrial mining sector is near zero. Tis only goes to show what a difference technology, legislation, and public opinion can make. If the same bodies applied the same ideas to the ASM sector, common sense tells us that the safety levels will rise at a similar rate.
Another bit of good news highlighted
in the report, which was co-authored by Delaware University, involves the ASM’s positive contributions to the global economy. Even without a formal structure, the ASM industry provides many benefits to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In no particular order, the report found that small scale mining made a positive impact on the following areas: economic development; clean energy; infrastructure and sustainable cities; adaption to climate change; peace, justice, and governance; partnerships; and social programmes. Of course, the report found some
negative impacts too, but these were limited to a small number of sustainable development goals, namely: human health; environment; social development; cleaner production; and nutrition.
A SHINING LIGHT Altogether, there is too much negativity associated with small-scale mining, but one of the few bright lights in the murky depths of the ASM sector is the Miniveyor ore haulage system from Miniveyor Products. As the name suggests, Miniveyor is a small-scale conveyor system that allows small mining organisations to scale up their operations, lessen their environmental impact and make the most of their ore. By lowering labour
costs, reducing their environmental footprint, and amplifying yield, the system helps small operations become more efficient, productive, and profitable. Alongside the obvious commercial improvements, the introduction of
the Miniveyor system allows for a much safer and
generally more sustainable method of extraction compared to those used in traditional small-scale artisanal hard rock mining operations.
The Minveyor ore haulage system 36
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