Student Name: Masauso Zimba

University of the Witwatersrand (Johanesburg)

VACATION WORK REPORT

INTRODUCTION

Safe mining is one of the key aspects that are very important in the production of copper in Zambia. This in itself does not only include mining, but all aspects that relate to it. Mopani Copper Mines is one such mine that takes this as one of its main priorities. This goes as far as ensuring all works such as work done by civil engineers is safe and the lives of workers preserved.

COMPANY OVERVIEW

‘Mopani Copper Mines Plc is an integrated copper and cobalt producer that is owned by Carlisa Investments Corporation, a joint venture company registered in Zambia comprising Glencore International AG (73.1%), First Quantum Minerals Ltd (16.9%) and ZCCM Investment Holdings (10%). Mopani is the largest copper mine in Zambia and one of the largest mines in the world. Recently, the board of Mopani announced a new $320m shaft and associated infrastructure to be constructed at its Synclinorium project. The new shaft will significantly boost production and extend operations well beyond the current depletion dates.’

The engineering department is slightly broad, consisting of mechanical, civil and electrical engineer sections. In order for these to carry out their works, they are assisted by the drawing office where my vacation work experience began. The drawing office consists of draughts men who make the designs for the wide variety of projects.

WORK EXPERIENCE

In the drawing office, the skills and knowledge in how to handle and make autocad designs was achieved as all drawings are done using the software. A week into learning the software, the first assignment was handed. As a civil engineer, it is not only important to be able to interpret a drawing but to be able to draw it as well. This gives the engineer a much clearer picture and understanding of a drawing presented to them.

The safety department wanted to have a ladies change house constructed. This included a locker room, two showers, two toilets, two store rooms and a kitchen.

The following was done:

The work began by carrying out measurements for the proposed area in which this building was to be constructed. This would also indicate whether or not it was possible to build on the area that was proposed.

A rough drawing based on the measurements taken, showing all the buildings that existed as well as the area where the new building was meant to be constructed was drawn. This showed exactly how much space was available for the project. This presented enough data to get to the drawing board and begin drawing a building that would fit the area and criteria they required.

A plan that showed all important dimensions such as the thickness of the walls, distance to drains and sewers, distances to existing water pipes and to the fence as well as the pavements was drawn.

A foundation plan showing dimensions of the footing for both the internal and external walls was done.

A cross section of the proposed building showing all important dimensions such as heights to the windows and vents was done.

A plan of the roof was done. The drawing showed the location plan of the proposed building as well as the window

and door schedule. A drawing of the elevations was also done.

After this, the full drawing was printed and handed over to the Section Engineer (Design) so it could be checked and was then sent to the Safety department so that they could indicate whether they were happy with the design or not.

At this stage, all drawings are then sent to the Section Engineer (Civil) then to the Engineering Superintendent so the drawing is signed and then sent back to drawing office for necessary adjustments if there are any and these should satisfy the client which in this case was the Safety Department.

The second assignment that was handed over was proposed by the Fire Station. They required a parking lot because the one that existed next to the station was also used by the department next door so they wanted one for their employees only. The same approach was used;

The area for the proposed project was surveyed. Necessary and relevant information was gathered such as a variety of measurements

such as width of the existing driveway, width of the drain, distances to the fence and water pipes as well as the 11kV power line that run close to the fence. In so doing, rough estimates just to get an overview idea were made.

A drawing was then made and managed to fit 6 parking slots with the hope that this would satisfy their requirements. The drawing included front, side and plan views. It

also included specific details on joints and the connection of the lot to the ground as well as connections to the roof.

All necessary information was shown and the Design Section Engineer signed off on the drawing and it was sent to the Fire Station so they could approve the drawing or state where they required changes and then sent back to the department.

A couple of more designs were done such as mechanical drawings and assistance was rendered by me where I could.

CONSTRUCTION PROCESS

The drawings are then sent to the projects section of the department which partly consists of civil engineers. A Bill of Quantities (BOQ) is done which is a cost estimate of the project and is then sent to the client for approval. The client then makes adjustments if need be and at the same time consults the civil engineer(s) that made the BOQ. The project is then tendered out. A few contractors suitable for the job are selected and then a list is sent to the contracts office who then send out a scope to the selected contractors. However the scope does not have costs on it.

The contractors are then invited to a site visit where they are taken to the project site so they can have a clearer picture of the scope that they were sent.

During the site visits, all contractors must be present at the same time so no favoritism is shown.

The contractors then go back to the drawing board and come up with the best proposals and send them to the department where they undergo technical adjudication to pick the best suited contractor. The contractor that presents a proposal that is within the estimates of the projects section and one that is most suited for the job is chosen and notified.

When the contractor is selected and before any works begin, there is need to do a risk assessment of the site. A risk assessment is simply a survey carried out to identify the hazards that they may encounter on the site and how they will be able to overcome them safely. This is very important and works cannot begin before this has been done as the mine as a whole works very hard to ensure maximum safety for all workers is achieved and has invested a lot of money to ensure that this is achieved. The contractor must abide by all safety regulations highlighted in the contract signed.

If there is any excavation to be done, there is need to obtain an excavation permit which shows a plan of all existing features on the site such as water pipes, very high voltage power lines etc. This way, all these features may be avoided during excavation.

Before construction begins, a ‘kick off’ meeting is held which includes the engineers, contractors, supervisors and all parties involved in the project. All parties agree on how they will go about doing the work. The contractor presents a program of works that will highlight durations for different aspects of the work involved. The civil engineers must agree with the program of works or find a common ground with the contractor on how the work will be done. A foreman is appointed and will be in charge of the work supervision during the absence of the engineers in charge of the project. A foreman must at least have a certificate in bricklaying, carpentry or construction with the necessary experience and recommendations from previous employers. It is also a new rule now that all foremen must possess a first aid certificate with them which improves safety in the environment that they work in.

Finally execution of the work begins. The foremen of the contractors must present daily and weekly reports till the project is done. A meeting is also held every Friday chaired by the Engineering Superintendent and also consists of the Civil Engineers supervising the work and the foremen who are on site every working day. The Foremen report on the progress of the work.

Once the project is done, snagging is done where checks are done to ensure work is done properly. The performance of the contractor is evaluated and a contractor liability period is agreed upon. A final inspection is done and the project is then commissioned and is ready for use.

PROJECTS

I moved to the projects section where I then got a feel and hands on approach of the work of a civil engineer. I shadowed a couple of engineers and added value to the team.

Sites

Power Plant

The existing foundations are shown in the picture. These are meant to be demolished at the compression house of the power plant. This is to pave way for the installation of a new compressor.

Refinery Basement

The ground just below the refinery has acid spillages and so as a result the concrete was damaged. Therefore, there was need to remove the existing slab and replace it. There was also need to increase the slope from 1% to a 3% slope. The tent material is placed below the reinforcement of the slab to be constructed so as to prevent acid from slipping below the slab and bitumen membrane is placed on the top to prevent the acid from eating up the concrete.

Spacer blocks are put there to suspend the reinforcement in the concrete when it is cast and maintain the concrete cover. This also protects the steel reinforcement.

Breaking of concrete

Laying of reinforcement on spacer blocks

Refinery Upper ground

A $73m project is taking place here being contracted by well-known companies such as WBHO and AMSL. A few of the works include;

Pilling foundations Excavations Demolitions

Construction of a two-story electrical housing room (already done and in use) Construction of foundations for cathode and anode stripping and washing machines Tank House 5 shed extension Construction of foundations for transport system in the refinery (already done) Tank House 5 foundation for machinery Cable racks from electrical room to refinery

Refinery transport rails

Shed Extension

Cable racks from electrical room

Foundations and steel reinforcement

Sewer Line

Works are taking place to re-route the sewer line due to a blockage that has occurred. In summary, this includes excavation, constructing new man holes, laying of new sewer pipes and backfilling.

Mine Manager and Staff offices

The project in summary includes;

The existing building to be refurbished Building height being raised New ceilings being installed Tiling of the floor Construction of partition walls as well as demolition of some existing ones Painting walls

Tiling

Painting

Partial completion

CONCLUSION

Credible experience was really gained working at the mine. There are not only challenging projects but ones that require you to think like an engineer and test you on the spot. It opens your mind to think innovatively and be able to solve both serious and not so serious problems. It was an opportunity for me to think out of the box and get a feel of actual engineering outside the classroom. A lot of knowledge was gained and will be applied as I carry on with my course. One of the major lessons I learnt was that with the right attitude and patience, no problem is too big to be solved. Another was that it is very important to stick to the outlined program and it is important to leave room for errors that may occur as well as delays and these should be avoided at all costs.

RECOMMENDATIONS

My main recommendation is that whenever the contractor lags behind due to weak excuses, in the contract there should be a clause that ensures they pay for the delay. They are paid to get the job done on time and that is why they have the program of works. I also recommend that the contractors follow the program of works more strictly as I noticed that this was one of the main causes for delays. It is important therefore to emphasize the importance of the program of works. Lastly, competence of the contractors must be evaluated much more strictly.

Reference: http://www.zccm-ih.com.zm/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=78&Itemid=79