Archive - 2011

The Kolomela project has been eclipsing its own records. It was proud to announce an achievement of 5 million LTI free man hours on 20 August 2010; reached 7 million LTI free man hours on 22 October 2010; on Wednesday 23 February 2011 it achieved a 10 million mark;11 Million LTI Free hours on 31 March and now 12 Million LTI free hours

"We are exceptionally proud of these ongoing achievements" says Floyd Botha, Kolomela Site Project Manager. "They are all the more impressive considering that safety performance records for a greenfields project such as Kolomela are usually lower than those of well-established stable operations."

The Kolomela Project is part of Kumba Iron Ore, in turn part of the Anglo American group. The R8,5 billion Kolomela mine will start producing in mid-2012, ramping up to full production of nine million tonnes in 2013. As one of Anglo American's top four expansion projects worldwide, there are currently about 4 700 workers are on site.

Pieter Rossouw, the Kolomela Project Manager, attributes the safety achievements at the Kolomela project to the ‘Zero Harm' approach of Anglo American and the consistent application of its safety standards: "With numerous contractors on site working on different aspects of the project, it is imperative to ensure everyone adopts a ‘top of mind' safety culture, and awareness campaigns are ongoing. A robust risk-based approach includes a strong hierarchy of controls, disciplinary code, structured permit system, and relevant training. These all contribute to an environment where safety is a priority. Part of the selection process of contractors includes ensuring they can support the Anglo American safety approach and core values and will translate this mindset into their daily operations."

Our target is to achieve Zero Harm for the remainder of the project, said Botha.

One key safety principle in achieving is that of 'no repeats'. Botha explains that it is only through understanding the causes of what happened in site incidents, identifying root causes and acting upon the preventative actions that similar incidents can be averted. "Further to this, the safety message must come from the top, and leadership on this issue must be felt at all levels of the project. Visible Felt Leadership is crucial in displaying to all levels in the field management commitment to safety. Group, Company Board members and Senior Managers regularly engage in site visits, to observe people at work and talk to them about operational and safety issues."

When Cynthia Carroll joined as Anglo American Chief Executive in 2007 she prioritised safety throughout the Anglo group. On a visit to the Kolomela site recently, she noted that safety was clearly top of mind for employees and contractors on the project.

PricewaterhouseCoopers, in its 2010 SA Mine Review of trends in the South African mining industry, notes that in the top ten companies included in this publication, Kumba Iron Ore reflected the best safety record with regard to lost-time injuries.