The Role of Leadership in Driving a Culture of Safety 

From road accidents in remote locations, electrocution, machinery malfunctions, catastrophic events like gas explosions or mine cave-ins, health problems and deaths from harmful substance exposure – mine sites can be dangerous workplaces and safety is paramount!

The highest priority for every mining company should be worker welfare, and the leadership team’s role in promoting mine safety management systems can make all the difference.

This blog post discusses the value and impact of leadership when they show how to create a safety culture in mining operations.

Setting The Scene With Solid Leadership

Leaders who emphasise safety and show commitment to safe practices send a powerful message to their teams that they take pride in mine safety management systems and that everyone’s safety matters. 

Particularly effective ways to send a visible and active message to teams are:

• Always following rules and procedures, and not just when others are around.
• Be on the front foot with conducting inspections and participating in relevant training.
• Communicate clear expectations to all workers.
• Hold workers and other leaders accountable for meeting expectations and recognise and reward optimal performance and achievements, such as making a suggestion that improves safety or intervening to prevent an unsafe practice.
• Encourage open communication and feedback about concerns and take action to address them promptly.

Creating a Clear Safety Vision and Strategy

A company’s safety vision is an aspirational declaration about its ideal level of safety and the strategy is an actionable plan for getting there. To ensure that the safety vision and strategy are achievable and supported by all parties concerned, it is vital to get input from workers, management, and union representatives. 

The following stage is to accomplish a hazard assessment, which entails assessing the workplace and identifying potential risks. Teams can then devise mitigation solutions once the risks have been identified. After identifying the risks, the organisation can develop specific, quantifiable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals and objectives.
Developing mine safety management systems that outline the steps teams will take to achieve their goals and objectives, including specific actions, timelines, and resources. Once the plan is implemented, we recommend regular reviews to track its effectiveness.

Empowering Workers to Be Safety Leaders

When workers are given the authority to make decisions regarding workplace safety, it generates an atmosphere of cooperation and mutual respect that aims to reduce workplace injuries and fatalities.

You empower your workforce by:

• Encouraging them to report hazards and incidents without fear of reprisal.
• Providing workers with the training and resources they need to work safely.
• Giving workers the authority to stop work if they see an unsafe condition or practice.
• Recognise and reward outstanding efforts.
• Create opportunities for workers to participate in relevant committees and initiatives.
• Encourage workers to share their ideas and suggestions for improvement.

Safety Performance Metrics and Reporting

By tracking the following metrics over time, mining companies can identify trends and patterns in their performance and use this vital information to develop and implement targeted interventions.

There are numerous different performance metrics that mining companies can track, such as:

• Action Completion rate
• Hazard and Near-miss reporting rate
• Audits and inspections completed
• Safety training completed
• Worker participation in safety programs

For example, you’ll ideally track your organisation’s Hazard Reporting rate over time to see if it is improving or declining. If the rate is decreasing, investigate the root causes of the decrease and develop a plan to address those causes.

We understand the challenges of creating a culture of safety

We know all of this is a challenging undertaking. Even with experienced and talented teams at the helm, it creates additional pressure on daily operations, which is why the Impress Solutions team is here to help you create a safe and healthy workplace for all your workers.