NEWS RELEASE
8 October 2009
SUMMIT
DRIVES SAFETY FOCUS AT EXXARO
Diversified resources group Exxaro
Resources Limited (Exxaro) today held its second
safety summit aimed at identifying, prioritising and adopting safety
improvement interventions within the group.
Following Exxaro’s
first safety summit in March this year, chief executive officer Sipho Nkosi again convened a
summit involving internal and external stakeholders to highlight progress and
plan implementation.
We have involved a range of stakeholders involved to
identify key areas where we can make a tangible difference to our safety
performance. These areas include consequence management, safety training,
culture (Exxaro’s safety way of life),
mini-HIRA (high impact risk assessment) and communication. Task teams are now
driving a broad spectrum of action plans in these areas, said Nkosi.
Regular safety summits maintain a high profile for
safety within the group which we believe will, in due course, help us to
achieve a step change in safety performance to record 30% fewer safety
incidents each year, and ultimately reach the goal of an injury-free workplace,
added Nkosi.
Exxaro’s
2009 safety record shows a lost time injury frequency rate (LTIFR) per 200 000
man-hours worked to date at 0,35 against a target of
0,21. In the 2008 financial year ending December the LTIFR per 200 000
man-hours was 0,39 against a target of 0,21 and
compared to 0,36 in
2007. The group has recorded three fatalities this year following an accident
at its Zincor operation earlier this month. In 2008
there were five fatalities.
The achievement of improvement in safety performance
is both non-negotiable and urgent and that is part of my message to the company
via the safety summit, said Nkosi.
Exxaro
has pockets of safety excellence and we want to include this knowledge and best
practice as part of the roll-out of task team action plans throughout the
group.
To date Exxaro has adopted
an aggressive, multi-pronged approach spanning, among others, enhanced safety
awareness and preventive programmes, a strong focus on hazard identification
and visible felt leadership.
Today’s Exxaro safety
summit was attended by management and employees with inputs and support from
the Chamber of Mines, Department of Mineral Resources and labour unions.
Ends
Editor’s
Note:
Exxaro is one of the largest South African-based
diversified resources groups, with interests in the coal, mineral sands, base
metals, industrial minerals and iron ore commodities.
www.exxaro.com
Enquiries:
Dr Nombasa Tsengwa
Executive General Manager: Safety and Sustainable
Development
Tel: +27
(0) 12 307 4316
Mobile: +27 (0)
83 442 8499
Email:
nombasa.tsengwa@exxaro.com