Case Study: A Holistic View to Enhance Safety Culture
Challenge
A mine was grappling with a significant increase in Total Reportable Incident Frequency (TRIF). The cause was unclear. The workforce, primarily local individuals with limited mining experience, was at the heart of the issue. Our task was to uncover the reasons behind the escalating TRIF.
Approach
At Tengu, we adopt a straightforward assessment approach: “Hear It, See It, Prove It”.
Hear It
We initiated our investigation by interviewing management and leadership at all levels to understand their perspectives on the issue. The majority of senior leaders, who were mining professionals, attributed the problem to the team’s lack of maturity. Additionally, the safety software in use was not user-friendly and was not available in the native language of most employees. We conducted an employee survey, and the overwhelming response was that safety was perceived as the responsibility of supervisors or management.
See It
We carried out a series of observations involving employees and frontline management. We found that adherence to safety processes was mechanical rather than mindful. Safety briefings and “Take 5” sessions were conducted, but engagement was low. The observations revealed a perception that “Safety was Separate”. We noticed the existence of separate Safety, Quality, and Production Systems, each requiring attention from the leaders as part of their standard work. However, there was no holistic view of the role of safety in the mine.
Prove It
We performed data analysis to identify any correlations between the number of incidents and external factors such as weather, seasons, vacations, and commodity prices. No clear correlation emerged. The only noticeable pattern was a spike in incidents during shift changes and break times. We also critiqued the Systems of Work to examine meeting schedules and information flow. The result was startling: due to the three separate systems, each supervisor was expected to attend 18 hours of meetings within a 12-hour shift.
The Outcome
Based on our assessment, we developed a roadmap to instill a new Safety Culture at the mine. This included a deliberate Culture Change, Leadership Alignment, and the introduction of a Holistic Systems of Work. This comprehensive approach aimed to ensure that safety was not seen as a separate entity, but as an integral part of the mining operations.
“We were doing our best without a result. They listened, observed, and made pragmatic recommendations on how to look at things holistically. With the changes we made, I actually have time in my day and we have a consistent message throughout the mine on safety culture. We all now know that Safety is everyone’s responsibility.”
