Pit & Quarry, May 2014

Safety leadership Aggregate site superintendents can coach supervisors and managers into promoting better safety practices F BY MICHAEL HAJAISTRON rom the senior most level to the front lines people in the mining industry share a great value for safety Despite this common ground safety results dont always match intention As in all industries production pressures and competing priorities in everyday work can push good intentions to the margins This is why organizations committed to safety have increasingly focused on strengthening the middle of the organization where intention meets everyday work In mining terms this means strengthening the role of the superintendent in driving safety objectives When superintendents are well engaged they help translate objectives into action remove barriers and enable safe work When they are not these leaders can send mixed signals When superintendents are well engaged they help translate objectives into action and in the worst cases inadvertently encourage risk taking that leads to serious injuries or worse So how can mining organizations leverage this powerful position for safety improvement Superintendents are called upon to communicate managements direction implement new initiatives take on special projects and keep the operation moving smoothly Given all of these demands they often have little opportunity to lead safety effectively But when they focus on a few key activities the what when and why that align with their regular duties they become critical partners and coaches in reducing exposures and promoting a culture dedicated to achieving zero injuries The what of effective safety coaching Superintendents need to demonstrate the very best in safety leadership practices They need to evaluate their supervisors know their safety leadership strengths and improvement opportunities and tailor their coaching to the specific needs of each supervisor SAFETY ENVIRONMENTAL The following are critical areas superintendents can focus on when coaching their supervisors and managers 1 Safety contacts are any interaction with frontline workers initiated by a supervisor in which exposure is observed feedback is provided and a discussion is held to strengthen best practices and understanding of exposures Workers are more likely to take ownership of safety if they feel their concerns and opinions are being heard 2 Job safety briefings are pre task discussions about exposures and mitigation measures Superintendents need to ensure that site leaders clearly define what is expected of workers before work begins and that workers follow through on the responsibilities expected of them 3 Life saving procedures application and verification Often procedures that appear effective on paper dont work in practice or are ignored in the name of efficiency Together supervisors and workers in open dialogue can identify and remove barriers that compromise the effectiveness of procedures designed to protect lives 4 Physical hazard identification and mitigation is about eliminating exposure ISTOCK COM 36CLICKS which is more reliable than depending on performance Superintendents can coach supervisors on communicating about hazards discussing how employees can protect against risk working with management to alleviate hazards and keeping employees apprised of the progress on eliminating hazards 5 Incident response and root cause analysis Superintendents need to coach supervisors on how to care for injured workers secure dangerous conditions and address exposures long term Supervisors must ask the right questions to understand the root cause and implement a successful plan of action going forward 6 Accountability Superintendents foster accountability by drawing on three principles context direction and tracking Context is about helping supervisors understand their role in safety and how it benefits them Direction helps supervisors develop clear safety objectives and enables them to achieve those objectives Tracking uses data to provide supervisors with feedback in relation to goals 18 PIT QUARRY May 2014 www pitandquarry com