Mine, warehouse and stockpile inspection in Africa

• That the material is present, and in the quantity claimed
• Count of units — bundles, bags, drums or bars — and weighing on a calibrated scale or weighbridge
• Marks, brands, lot numbers and tags, recorded against the documents
• Packing and condition, including signs of tampering or mixing
• Confirmation from the warehouse operator of who deposited the material and in whose name it is held

Gold in all forms; copper cathodes, concentrate, wire and scrap; cobalt hydroxide; tin, tantalum and tungsten ores; manganese, lithium-bearing ores and other industrial minerals. For each, the inspection follows the practice of the trade — for example brand and grade checks on cathodes, moisture and assay sampling on concentrate, and grading against recognised scrap specifications for wire and scrap.

• Copper cathode — brand and producer marks, bundle count, bundle weights, physical condition and signs of re-strapping; grade read by XRF and, where the contract requires, samples for chemical analysis
• Copper and cobalt concentrate or hydroxide — bag or bulk count, weighing, sampling across the lot by an agreed method for assay and moisture
• Copper wire and scrap — grading against the specification in the contract, inspection for insulation, plating, contamination and mixed grades before baling
• Tin, tantalum and tungsten ores — bag count and weights, tags and seals reconciled with the traceability documents, sampling for assay
• Gold — piece count, weighing and three-method testing, as under our gold testing service

Most substitution happens between inspection and shipment. At loading, our inspector checks the material against the inspection record — counts, marks, seal numbers — observes it being loaded, records each container or truck number, applies numbered seals and photographs them in place. The loading record is issued on the day, so the documents for payment can reference it.

Tell us the exact location, the name of the person who will receive the inspector, the quantity and form of the material, and the documents that describe it. The site should agree in advance to counting, weighing and, if in scope, sampling. Where a weighbridge or calibrated scale is on site, we record its calibration; where there is none, we bring or arrange suitable equipment and state the method in the report.

Many artisanal and small-scale sites are reached by unpaved roads, and some lie in areas where security conditions change quickly. We plan access, transport and local liaison before the date, and where a site cannot be reached safely we say so, propose an alternative — inspecting at the point of aggregation, or at the warehouse before export — and record in the report what could not be seen.

Lenders against stock, trade financiers and insurers often need to know that collateral exists, where it is, and in what condition, at the time funds are released or cover is bound — and again at intervals. We carry out single and periodic stock inspections to a scope the financier sets, report directly to the financier where the client agrees, and keep the same identification and seal references from one visit to the next so that movements can be traced.

• Site identity, date, time, GPS position and the people present
• Description of the operation and its observed scale
• Count, weights or measurements of the material, with method
• Marks, lot numbers and condition, reconciled to the documents
• Dated and located photographs and video taken by our inspector
• Seal numbers and, where in scope, sample numbers and laboratory
• Loading record with container or truck numbers, where requested