INTRODUCTION
The introduction of the Mine Health & Safety Act
1996 calls for the appointment of qualified practitioners at every operating
mine and other non-operational mines where closure certificates have not been
issued by the controlling authorities. The Occupational Hygiene and
Environmental conditions to be monitored can be undertaken by an outside
authority and thus obviate the need for a full time appointment by the mine at
considerable cost savings.
It is probable that the Occupational Health and Safety
Act revisions will similarly call for regular monitoring of occupational hygiene
factors under the same conditions as those under the Mining regulations.
With mining operations and industry being pinched by escalating costs and
narrowing margins, the availability of an independent monitoring and
occupational hygiene consultancy staffed by experienced qualified personnel to
undertake routine inspections, annual audits and problem solving could offer
substantial cost savings, design and supply service to all clients, monitoring
of environmental conditions and finally system optimisation.
GERRY KUHN – ENVIRONMENTAL &
HYGIENE ENGINEERING CC
The company commenced operations in August 1997,
translocating its offices from Johannesburg to Piketberg in the Swartland,
Western Cape as an operation ideally suited to service mining and industrial
concerns in the Cape West Coast and Swartland areas. Expansion of the operation into Namaqualand, Bushmanland,
Botswana and Namibia has become a natural extension to the original target area
and the client base extended to the entire country as well as the neighbouring
countries.
We
have quality instrumentation to undertake all audit and survey work, with this
being supplemented as required. We also offer a comprehensive design service of
occupational hygiene and environmental engineering requirements, together with a
project commissioning and operational assessment service to complement a total
suite of skills.
A
complete gravimetric dust sampling, isokinetic and fall-out dust sampling
assessment laboratory has been established on the premises to cater for
industrial and mining concerns, as well as an audit and isokinetic sample
analysis facility.
A
comprehensive water quality assessment and sampling service, both biological and
chemical, is available through an associate company.
Subsequent
innovations have resulted in the establishment of a division specialising in the
supply of our patented DustWatch fall-out dust monitoring equipment, assessment
facilities and a full in-house laboratory service providing a service throughout
South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. The
division controls sales of the units and systems, the servicing of client
requirements, training, assessments and monitoring programmes, in addition to
the operation of an assessment laboratory servicing a countrywide client base.
PERSONNEL
Our principal, Gerry F. Kuhn, holds the Chamber of
Mines Certificate in Mine Environmental Control, the recognised qualification
satisfying the Minerals Act and Regulations, and the Mine Health and Safety Act
1996, and is a Fellow of the Mine Ventilation Society, of which he is a former
council member.
He is also a
professional of the Institute of Occupational Hygienists of South Africa
(IOHSA), satisfying requirements for registration as an authority on behalf of
client operations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1993.
He is a design specialist in the fields of dust control installations,
fume, heat and other extraction and ventilation requirements, including
refrigeration, pneumatic conveying, pressurisation, air conditioning and
evaporative cooling, having served the mining industry in this capacity for 30
years.
In addition, experience in
the petro-chemical hydraulic field, cement industry, and diamond recovery
process is offered to potential clients.
Our Chemical Engineer, Mr.
Christopher Loans pr. eng has a Chemical
engineering degree and brings specialist knowledge
of process engineering, chemical stress and
systems optimisation and computer programming. His
background in the pulp and acid industry has
proved to be valuable in our spheres of operation.
Chris has now registered as a professional through
the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) as
of the 1st of November 2001.
Our
occupational hygienist/air quality analyst, Richard F. Kuhn, is the holder of
the Chamber of Mines Practical and Intermediate certificates in Mine
Environmental Control, in addition to the certificate in Air Quality Analysis.
He has experience of mine and plant monitoring procedures, having served
on several large gold mines – Elandsrand, Free State Saaiplaas, Durban Deep
Roodepoort and Unisel.
He has assistant membership of the Institute of
Occupational Hygienists of South Africa (IOHSA), Associate membership of the MVS
of SA, and his duties include gravimetric sampling filter assessments, auditing,
site assessments and drawing preparation. We are in a position to undertake
stack isokinetic sampling and stack emission chemical analysis.
Our laboratory assistant
is
Suzanne Booysen.
RESOURCES
Gerry Kuhn – E & HE
CC can provide a full project
contracting service, covering both the supply of new equipment, erection and
commissioning to the refurbishment and optimisation of existing plant and
equipment in the following fields:
-
refrigeration,
air conditioning, and ice technology.
-
specialised
clean-room technology.
-
pressurisation
systems.
-
dust
control systems including filtration, scrubbing and suppression
systems.
-
fume
scrubbing and chemical plant effluent neutralisation
-
specialised
evaporative cooling and climate control systems
-
acid
and acid fume handling and scrubbing systems.
-
pneumatic
conveying, placing and capsule transportation systems.
-
refrigeration,
air conditioning and pressurisation systems.
-
fume
scrubbing installations
-
dust
control and ventilation systems
-
fall-out
dust monitoring services or equipment supply and training
EXPANSION POLICY
Being service providers to the mining and industrial
process industries, we are committed to providing an efficient service to local
and remote clients, while remaining abreast of current trends.
Our research and innovation programme strives to retain
a position at the forefront of environmental problem solution.
