Safety solution provided to contractor at Sappi mill

Rope-access specialist Skyriders has provided a working at height safety solution for a contractor undertaking maintenance at pulp and paper manufacturer Sappi’s Ngodwana pulp and paper mill, in Mpumalanga.

The company explains that this follows an earlier successful project in 2016 where it undertook inspection and repair work on the ducting between the boilers and the smoke stacks as well as platform installations inside a smoke stack at the mill. This is a fully integrated kraft mill producing pulp for newsprint and containerboard, as well as for in-house use, with a capacity of 210 000 t/y.

Skyriders marketing manager Mike Zinn explains that the company was called upon to assist a contractor undertaking maintenance on a tower-crane platform. Owing to the height of the platform, a working at height safety solution was necessary.

“Rope access has allowed Sappi to achieve significant cost savings in terms of its maintenance and repair requirements. Scaffolding on the other hand is costly and time-consuming, and disproportionately expensive, compared with the scope of work,” comments Zinn.

He says a senior Level 3 rope- access supervisor and technical manager were dispatched to site to come up with the best solution. Further, Skyriders briefed the team on basic working at height safety requirements, and how best to use the customised system it had devised for Sappi.

The fast-track two-day project was completed in January and represents the company’s ongoing involvement with Sappi exemplifying a growing successful working relationship between Sappi and Skyriders.