Posted by Daniel Gleeson on July 9, 2024
A hard-won safety culture has earned Murray & Roberts Cementation the seven million man-hours-without-fatality distinction from the Mines Managers Association of South Africa (AMMSA).
The award was presented to Kethu Mokgatlha, project director at Murray & Roberts Cementation (left), by AMMSA president Mosala Letebele (right) at a ceremony in Johannesburg in June to recognise the company’s achievements. The seven million works were completed over a period of almost nine years and involved five different shaft sinking projects in South Africa. The works undertaken also covered specialist interventions such as ore pass rehabilitation, grouting and underground support systems.
Trevor Schultz, chief risk officer at Murray & Roberts Cementation, said the award is particularly encouraging in a work environment that involves many technical risk factors. Schultz points to the safety culture, developed over decades of intense focus and commitment, as the foundation for this safety milestone.
“It also requires everyone in the company – from those working on the ground to senior management – to be focused on the same goal,” he says. “It starts with carefully structured training from the beginning and a continued focus on our company values that prioritize safe working practices and a constructive mindset that must be developed over time.”
He points out that the company’s safety systems and protocols have always been in place to support and complement this culture. Its major accident prevention program, for example, has evolved into a critical controls management process to continue to raise the bar on safety. These frameworks align with the requirements of mining customers, helping to improve and strengthen safety efforts on both sides.
“Working safely is also a collaborative effort that extends beyond our company and our customers,” Schultz says. “It involves the constructive involvement of local communities and suppliers. For example, we employ most of our general laborers in the areas around our project sites, making it essential that even our training for novices is highly effective and safety-focused.”
All training is delivered to the highest standards at the Murray & Roberts Training Academy near Carletonville, South Africa. Schultz credited Tony Pretorius, the company’s director of training and education, for formulating innovative training modules to foster its safety culture.