WorldWide Drilling Resource

31 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® JUNE 2016 Sandvik Remains at the Forefront of Safety Adapted from a News Release by Sandvik Construction New EN (European Standards) safety standards have led manufacturers to take a closer look at their drilling rigs, to ensure operational safety is improved. One of the major improvements in the stan- dard is the revised requirement to better protect operators and other personnel from the entanglement hazard caused by the rotating drill steel. Sandvik’s solution was to develop and install a safety cage around the feed beam. New require- ments are also in place to reduce the risk of fire associated with hose leakages. Protective sleeves have been fitted over hydraulic hoses in coolers and the power pack. These are just two examples of how Sandvik has, through its proactive collaboration and membership of the safety standards committee, been at the forefront of improving product safety, and vitally, ensured all Sandvik drilling products meet the new standards on the day they became operational. Sandvik Construction drill rigs are internationally known for being leaders in technical safety. Fulfilling the requirements of any new safety standard is a challenging experience; however, for Sandvik Construction there are also many benefits. “Product standards are very important to us. From Sandvik’s point of view, it is a definitive benefit to be able to bring high-quality products that comply with the requirements to all market areas. With the help of safety standards, we are able to show the safety level of our drill rigs,” said Päivi Kautiainen who is responsible for the general development of drill rig safety at Sandvik. “Naturally, we pursue development for competitive advantage in the market, of which safety is one of the most important ones. We focus on improving safety all the time,” said Jarno Viitaniemi, product manager for surface drill rigs. “In addition, our 3-D hole navigation system, together with the drilling pattern design program, significantly improves safety and productivity of the drilling-blasting process. In developing drill rigs, we constantly pay attention to machinery and functional safety, which in turn helps our customers to improve their own safety at work. Nowadays, the customer is able to choose such items, such as remote-controlled drill rigs, dust sealing compound systems, and noise protective systems, as our customers are increasingly seeing the benefits of professional safety design and safety solutions.” According to Jarno, these new safety features are important, no matter where the equipment operates. “Though this is an EN standard, we have a lot of customers in various markets who want drill rigs that are built according to EN standards, and therefore possess high-quality safety solutions, even if their local legislation does not require them.” EN 16228 has led to major safety related changes to the modern drill rig.