Archive - 2011

The last LTI was recorded at the project site more than a year ago, on 15 January 2010. "This is a remarkable achievement and very few construction projects in the world have been able to match this", said Francois Louw, Kumba Iron Ore's executive head of projects. "The old school belief is that the changing risk environment in a construction project tends to result in a lower safety performance benchmark than well-established stable operations. The Kolomela project has proven this belief to be wrong", he added.

The new mine will start producing in mid-2012, ramping up to full production of nine million tonnes in 2013. The R8.5 billion project is more than 80 per cent complete. It is one of Anglo American's top four expansion projects worldwide. Currently about 4 700 workers are on site.

The project eclipsed its previous best ever LTI free performance of five million man hours on 20 August 2010, and reached seven million LTI free man hours on 22 October last year. "The relentless drive for Zero Harm and the discipline in applying the Anglo American Safety Way are evident in the Kolomela Project", said Louw, "".

Project manager Pieter Rossouw attributes his team's success to its total commitment to the consistent application of the Anglo American Fatal Risk Standards. "It is all about attention to detail and focusing resources on key risk areas." Seventeen leading safety indicators have been identified through the analysis of more than 2 000 mini task observations per week. These indicators are tracked constantly to enable the team to identify safety risks in advance and proactively taking preventative action.

"With numerous contractors involved in the project we had to put a huge focus on establishing a safety awareness culture in everyone," said Rossouw. This was done through the implementation of a ‘top of mind' campaign. A strong hierarchy of controls and disciplinary code, a structured permit system, and relevant safety training forms critical components of the safety system. Ongoing awareness campaigns and full investigations of any deviations and incidents also plays a key role. "The emphasis is on mentoring, rather than simply complying with a set of rules."

Achieving Zero Harm starts with the selection of contractors for the project, he said. "In addition to assessing companies who can do the job safely, we pay significant attention to getting people on board who share our passion for safety. They need to be fully aligned to our safety standards before they are allowed on site." The project has also established a safety forum on chief executive level with contracting companies to ensure alignment with and support for the Zero Harm philosophy.

In thanking the team, he paid tribute to the previous site construction manager Hennie Kaltwasser, thanking him for his tremendous efforts. "It is with great pleasure and pride that I thank everyone who contributed towards this record. We are grateful for their hard work, dedication and commitment."

The Anglo American plc board of directors visited the project site in October 2010, shortly after the seven million LTI free man-hour mark was reached. "The team's ongoing focus on safety is outstanding," Anglo American chief executive Cynthia Carroll said at the time. "One can see that it is their number one priority."

Earlier this week, Kumba's flagship Sishen iron ore mine, set a new best-ever safety record – 110 days without a Lost Time Injury (LTI) – for the operation.

The mine passed the six million LTI free man-hour mark on 22 February. Its previous best performance was 5.4 million LTI free man-hours.

What makes this even more exceptional is that it was achieved amidst exceptionally heavy summer rains, and the ramping up of production from the mine. Getting to six million LTI free man-hours was the result of excellent collaboration and caring for each other, said Andrew Loots, general manager. Doing this with a staff complement of more than 8 000 displays outstanding safety acumen, he said.