Sabita Awards recognise excellence

2020 SABITA AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN THE SUSTAINABLE USE OF BITUMINOUS PRODUCTS

SABITA AWARDS

recognise excellence

At the 2021 Southern African Bitumen Association (Sabita) Awards, four worthy recipients were recognised for their passion and contribution to industry excellence. Last year’s event was postponed due to Covid-19 restrictions. For this reason, a 2019 winner was included alongside three 2020 award recipients at this year’s virtual ceremony, held in April 2021.

2019 SABITA AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN THE SUSTAINABLE USE OF BITUMINOUS PRODUCTS

Winner: Dave Collings, representing Loudon International Project: Development of cold recycling technology with bitumen stabilised materials (BSM)

Dave Collings has contributed to numerous cold recycling projects in South Africa and abroad over the past three decades. His contribution includes the development of specialised pavement evaluation methods for rehabilitation, appropriate laboratory mix design methods, structural pavement design models, application guidelines and implementation (construction), as well as training of the human capital to expand and support the technology. Through the application of the technology, many successful and sustainable projects have been completed, to the benefit of the broader roads industry. In his acceptance speech, he humbly pointed out that his achievements are the result of joint efforts since the late 1980s with numerous role players in industry. He said co-workers from various companies all played a significant role in the development of BSM technology, making it a highly viable option for constructing cost-effective/highly durable base layers. Underscoring this point, he said Sabita’s Technical Guideline 2 is recognised globally as the go-to guide for bitumen stabilisation. Winner: Mahendren Manicum, managing director at Naidu Consulting Project: Rehabilitation of road P20-1 from km 10 to km 30 in the Maphumulo area

The scope of works, on which Mahendren Manicum was extensively involved, included the production of BSM1 using aggregate from milled sections, and thereafter paving with a A-E2 modified binder wearing course. Ancillary works included guard rails, V drains, kerb, channels and gabions by Contract Participation Goal (CPG) contractors. The use of BSM1 resulted in a saving of 80% on the project.

The nomination highlights Manicum’s hands-on passion for road pavements, which is evidenced through his extensive involvement at project and sector level, alongside his responsibilities as managing director. He understands the significance of sustainability and its importance in the South African context, and remains committed to serving as a catalyst for change in South Africa.

He is currently working with one of his teams to unpack CPG goals through pavement rehabilitation works, showing how the initiative may be effectively utilised to capacitate emerging contractors without compromising the output of projects. Manicum is passionate about transformation and has driven the subcontracting of meaningful work to emerging contractors in the road pavement sector.

In his acceptance speech, he stated: “I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge my colleagues who were also nominated for this award. I know that each one of us deserved to win.

“I want to thank Sabita for keeping the asphalt industry moving forward during these unprecedented times, always striving for technical excellence and making a valuable contribution to international best practice. We are all proud to be associated with such a strong brand,” he added.

2020 CEO MERIT AWARD FOR NOTABLE HSE ACHIEVEMENT

Joint winners: Melissa-Ann Jew, AECI Much Asphalt, and Eddie Jansen van Vuuren, AECI SprayPave Project: Health & Safety

At the time when Much Asphalt joined the AECI Group in 2018, the total recordable incident rate (TRIR) was over 3, against an AECI internal aim of <0.5. Melissa-Ann Jew was appointed as the SHEQ manager for the Much group during the latter part of 2019. With her excellent people skills, good planning skills and passion, she drove the TRIR down to a current rate of 0.38. This sets Much Asphalt among the top performers in the AECI Group and indeed against global best practice. In addition, her passion for the environment and her sheer drive ensured that all the Much Asphalt, as well as SprayPave, sites operate within the law and beyond in this respect.

Her approach to everything is totally customer focused and continually promotes the concept that the SHEQ team serves others. It evaluates the process by doing satisfaction surveys and using the input and criticism for better performance.

In her acceptance speech, she mentioned that she is receiving credit for something that is really a team effort and that no strides would have been achieved without the support of every employee. She added: “I want to thank my mentor and leader, Bennie Greyling, for his and the senior management’s unwavering support in all SHEQ aspects. It is a dream come true to work with such amazing people and such an amazing team.” Project: Waste Bitumen Recovery

Eddie Jansen van Vuuren was nominated for initiating a waste bitumen recovery project. The AECI SprayPave team designed and constructed a bitumen recovery system consisting of a drum decanter and heating system. This system recovers bitumen from drums collected from customers and SprayPave’s three operational branches. The objective is to ensure that bitumen waste and the steel drum containers it is held in are safely disposed of in accordance with waste management regulations. This initiative is the direct result of SprayPave’s responsible care policy (cradle-to-grave commitment) and a good example of sound product stewardship.

Commenting on the award, Van Vuuren said: “Waste management in the blacktop industry has always been a thorny issue. Hopefully, this project paves the way for other initiatives that demonstrate that the industry really cares about the environment.”

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