Psychology of safe mining: What mine managers need to know

Approaching and implementing safety is somewhat of an enigma in the mining sector. Is it more about applying daily reminders or creating a culture within the organization?

A major indicator of a company’s commitment to safety can be found in their number of accidents. The less number of injuries and fatalities the better. In addition, miners typically use leading and lagging indicators to rate their performance and measure areas of improvement.

• Related content: Top 10: Safest Mining Companies to Work For in Australia

And while it appears safety in the mining industry is reaching new heights, the numbers simply don’t lie. Fatalities continue to be recorded all across the mining sector. In fact, Queensland, Australia – one of the top mining jurisdictions in the world – just recorded its worst year for mine fatalities in two decades.

According to industrial psychologist Corrie Pitzer, mine managers need to dramatically rethink their approach to safety.

“The better we become with managing safety, the worse we become in leading the culture of safety,” said Pitzer, president of SAFEmap International, a leading provider of competency based training solutions for the mining, processing and manufacturing industries.

Pitzer said companies spend too much time and resources on small injuries, which leads to damaging ‘fear’. “[It introduces] fear to upset the apple cart, fear to respond and notify when things aren’t going right.”

• Related content: Next generation training tool: virtual reality

According to Pitzer, management is a science and leadership is an art, where leaders share their passion and inspire others.

“That’s the difference between leading an organization and managing it; when you lead them, you give people the comfort to fail, and you support them when they fail.”

The first step to reverse the mining industry’s current trend, according to Pitzer, is to first define safety. “The readiness to respond to risks – if you define it that way, you take completely different ways; if you truly care about people, you make different decisions.”

According to Pitzer, human beings are incredibly capable entities, but are treated as stupid when it comes to safety. He believes emboldening workers would achieve different results.

“If we have designed our [safety systems] around the opposition notion – that humans are incredible, humans are awesome – you’d get completely different outcomes; you’d get people inspired, wanting to contribute, and making huge successes happen for the organization,” said Pitzer.

Corrie Pitzer is a specialist in behavioral safety and strategic safety management, and is a leading consultant in this field throughout Australia, North America, South America and South Africa.  His work is based on extensive research which resulted in his establishing a new concept in safety: (Risk) Competency-based Safety (CBS).

 

 

Source: Mining Global

Recent News

 
Vermeer WC2500TX Wood Chipper
The WC2500TX tracked wood chipper has a 600-horsepower Tier 4-F engine that enables it to handle whole trees. It comes with either a microchip drum, which produces chip sizes between 1/8 and 5/8 inch, or a macrochip drum, which produces chips between 5/8 and 1 1/4 inches. High-wear areas—such as the drum, discharge chute, cutter
“TENEMOS TODO MENOS GASOLINA”
www.tractopart.com TENEMOS PIEZAS ORIGINALES, PARTES DE REEMPLAZO, RECONSTRUIDO Y USADOS CON GARANTÍA.
Antofagasta:  punto de encuentro de la industria minera en Exponor 2017
Una vez más, como ha sido cada año por medio desde 1995, los distintos estamentos que componen la industria minera se reúnen en una de las citas más importantes del sector, la Exhibición de Tecnologías e Innovaciones Globales para la Minería, Exponor. Con sede en Antofagasta, durante una semana se convierte en el polo de
Más de 2 mil operadores de equipos pesados participan en tercer concurso organizado por Ferreycorp
ACTUALIDAD EMPRESARIAL. Más de 2 mil operadores de equipos pesados participan en tercer concurso organizado por Ferreycorp.
Link-Belt 750 X4 Excavator
    The 750 X4 excavator has an operating weight of 158,300 pounds, and is powered by a 512-horsepower Isuzu engine. Cycles times have been boosted by 7 percent, and arm digging force by 15 percent, compared to the predecessor. Digging depth is 32 feet 4 inches with 64,970 lb.-ft. of arm force. Bucket digging
La fuerte baja en El Precio del cobre en Chile y menores leyes mineras golpearon al sector.
La compleja situación por la que atravesó la minería en 2016 se dejó sentir en la recaudación fiscal. Es que la caída en el valor del cobre y la disminución de las leyes mineras impactaron fuerte en el royalty, cuya recaudación alcanzó su menor nivel en la historia del impuesto específico que se creó en

About Us

 
In Tractopart we supply quality construction Parts and Heavy Equipment Parts with excellent discount rate for New , Used Rebuilt & Surplus parts for excavators, Wheel loader dozers, and undercarriage for all heavy equipment brands, we are locate in Miami, Fl

Contact Info

 

At Tractopart we focus on providing high quality parts at a great price. Our parts are subjected to rigorous inspection procedures that allow us to ensure product quality.


Phone: 786.219.1010
Email: sales@tractopart.com
Main Office: 3505 South Ocean Drive #204
Hollywood, FL 33019