SAFETY ALWAYS ALL THE WAY, KHETHA UKUPHEPHA!
LEEUWPAN BREAKS RECORD WITH 33 YEARS FATALITY-FREE!
<
On 17 April, Leeuwpan mine celebrated 33 years fatality free – a record in the South African mining industry. The festivities included hosting a celebratory event attended by Exxaro’s management, representatives from the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy and the mine’s 2 000 staff and contractors.
The event, which was hosted by soccer legend Brian Baloyi, was opened with a prayer by Pastor Goodwill Bakubaku and followed by several speakers. In a prerecorded message, Exxaro’s Executive
Head of Sustainability, Mongezi Veti, congratulated the many hands that made this milestone possible, saying, “Exxaro is extremely proud of you for being part of the organisation. Please keep the flag high, let anyone who dare distract you from safety practices have no place at Leeuwpan.”
The ceremony was closed by Leeuwpan’s Acting Business Unit Manager, Pleasure Mnisi, who highlighted that Zero Harm is Possible and that life is sacred, saying, “Production targets can be recovered, but if your life is lost, we cannot recover it.”
FERROALLOYS CELEBRATES 1 250 DAYS LTI FREE
On Thursday 27 April 2023, FerroAlloys achieved 1 250 days without a Lost Time Injury (LTI) – the first time in its history that this milestone has been achieved.
This milestone is testament to FerroAlloys’ commitment to supporting Exxaro’s journey to “Zero Harm”, which has long become part of its business DNA.
“We are able to talk openly about safety,” agrees Jaco van Staden.
“Safety is always taken seriously,” says Benjamin Maqamkazi.
In fact, Zero Harm is not just a business imperative for FerroAlloys, it’s become part of how every employee thinks, acts and ensures that every day helps create a safer and more productive tomorrow.
“There is a clear commitment from each individual towards safety,” says Antony Mtsweni.
“We never give safety a day off,” agrees Puleng Pasha.
MATLA MINE GETS READY TO #STOPANDFIX SAFETY
Our Matla mine recently held the Quarter Two Safety Standdown under the theme “Stop and Fix: Back to Basics”, reminding employees to get back to the basics of working safely. This initiative follows on the theme of the 2023 Sustainability Summit which was hosted by Grootegeluk mine in April.
The guest speaker, Mdu Mathenjwa, a former mining Chemical Engineer, took employees through his journey of survival after acid burnt 70% of his body. He encouraged employees to personalise safety, and have each other’s backs. He emphasised that he would not have made it out alive had it not been for his colleague who helped him while he was burning and could not see.
“This feels like a spiritual revival to me – we are here to revive our knowledge
and practices of safety in the workplace.” said Mangaliso Sethethi, Matla’s Business Unit Manager.
Simphiwe Mthiyane, Manager Sustainability at our Matla mine, spoke to the great strides the mine has made in upholding safety while reminding employees that, “our families look forward to seeing us after our shift and this is the reason we must go back to basics and stop and fix”.
Matla’s Head of Safety, Ricardo Van Rooi, took employees through a presentation detailing Exxaro’s safety focus areas. He also introduced a new “high five” greeting method to remind colleagues to take care of their hands, which is the part of the body most injured.
<
>