Tichaona Tapera
Forty-five ordinary level students from Muriel Mine High School toured the local mine reduction/plant department under the educational tour trip recently. The educational tour began with the students being interviewed for allergies, chemical reactions or related health complications at the local clinic.
After that they went through Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) and security inductions where they were taught about safety regulations and security concerns on the mine premises respectively.
Plant operator Gadzirai Hove showed the students all the processes that are done after the ore has been hoisted from underground starting from crushing, milling, concentrating, thickening, floatation, filtration, drying and selling of the gold/copper concentrates among other varied processes in the plant. Hove gave the kids a chance to ask questions after each lecture so as to increase their understanding.
“Feel free to ask on aspects you do not understand,” said Hove.
After the plant tour the school children got a chance to tour five shaft hoist under the tutelage of skills trainer, Louise Tembure and Human Resources Assistant-Welfare Tichaona Tapera who explained how the hoist works, the kind of communication used, which is the use of bell signals between the hoist driver and the bellman among other things.
“The skip carries six persons per deck and no men to be transported together with material,” said Tembure.
After the tour the tutors and the school children gathered at the assembly point for a tour post mortem whereby the kids were asked a few questions. Matthew Phiri went away with a prize for knowing the noise levels in the plant and the kind of safety devices worn to prevent hearing loss.
“The noise level is 96,5 dB(A) and employees are encouraged to wear ear plugs,” answered Phiri.
At the end Muriel Mine High school vice-head girl Tricia Mutondoro thanked Muriel Mine staff members and management for approving their request to tour the mine complex, “On behalf of Muriel Mine High school I would like to thank Muriel Mine management for allowing us to tour the mine complex, surely we have learnt a lot,” she said.
“This educational tour is a benefit to us, since we now know the practical aspect of plant processing/mining activities which will help us in our sciences subjects,” she added.
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