Underground pump & hoist chambers

The excavations that keep a mine running are rarely its headline projects: the chamber that houses the main pumps, the hoist chamber, the settlers that clean the water, the silos that hold the ore, and the bulkheads that hold back what must be held back. They are large openings, often close to working areas, and they have to be excavated, supported and fitted out without disrupting production.

ShaftCon carries out bulk excavations, pump chambers and bulkheads, sinks and constructs silos and settlers, and does the underground civil work that follows. Our workshop manufactures and installs the steel that goes into these spaces — conveyor belts, loading-box systems and box fronts.

At Barrick’s North Mara underground mine in Tanzania we installed vertical dam support and wet-crete on the 980 and 950 levels, and prepared the handrails for the 980 level — support and fit-out work of the kind every large underground opening needs.

Large excavations near working areas demand discipline. Our crews are trained in hazard identification and safe work practices, and we keep our sites clean and orderly — a clean site is a safe site. Because we also manufacture the steel and run the support crews, a chamber can be excavated, supported and fitted out by one contractor working to one programme.