Johannesburg — THE emphasis on improving safety at South African mines, which might lead to a move away from using contractor miners over whom the mining companies have less control, is unlikely to affect Scharrig Mining's business.

Scharrig chief operating officer Robin Berry says there are more challenges in improving safety at underground mines, but Scharrig's business is open-pit contractor mining and its safety record has been excellent.

Scharrig has had a long association with some of its customers and its workforce is treated in the same way as their employees, with the same obligation to follow strict safety rules, he says.

In fact, Berry is upbeat on the outlook for Scharrig, not just on the contractor side but on the coal mining side. This is partly because Scharrig is positive about the prospects for energy demand in the foreseeable future, which will benefit its production of coal assets. It is also because of the increased number of tenders being issued for contract mining services.

Some of this is from the junior coal mining sector and some is from other minerals, such as platinum, copper, ferrochrome and iron ore, he says.