The most important thing to come off site each day is our people

Every worker in the Queensland Resources industry, including 4,500 Queensland Metals employees and contractors, is participating in safety resets, an initiative to reinforce the necessity of safety at work.

Developed in consultation with Queensland Resources stakeholders including unions, industry associations and mining groups, the 2021 Safety Resets’ theme is Chronic unease: Improving safety culture through better hazard and incident reporting.

The Glencore leadership team have been holding face-to-face sessions across all Queensland Metals sites including Mount Isa Mines, Ernest Henry Mining and the Townsville Copper Refinery to deliver a consistent industry message on the importance of safety and reporting on hazards and incidents in the workplace.

Queensland Minister for Resources, Scott Stewart, and the Department of Resources Director-General, Mike Kaiser, visited Cloncurry in early September to attend Ernest Henry Mining’s safety reset and meet with workers.

Minister Stewart called on all industry workers to focus on preventing injuries and fatalities and to report any incident, real or potential. This Safety Reset follows the 2019 Review of Mining and Quarrying fatalities, serious accidents and other incidents by Dr Sean Brady.

The report urges the industry to adopt a chronic sense of unease when operations appear to be running safely, as there may be underlying issues and problems not being detected, reported or acted on.

Glencore’s Queensland Metals’ Chief Operating Officer, Matt O’Neill, says the most important thing to come off site at the end of each day is our people.

“Safety resets are excellent in reinforcing how our workforce can take a more proactive approach in improving safety for themselves and their colleagues,” says Matt.

“We train and expect our workers to be able to identify any hazards or risks on site and report them through the appropriate channels.”

“We want our people to call out unsafe practices and stop the job and speak up if something is unsafe,” says Matt.

Glencore’s Queensland Metals Health and Safety Manager, Miranda Giuliano, says it’s crucial safety issues are reported so the business can learn valuable lessons from them.

“Hazard and incident reporting and investigations are the most useful and practical early warning system we have of identifying potentially unsafe activities,” says Miranda.

“Every person, regardless of their role in our operations, has an obligation to do what they can to ensure the safety and health of themselves and of others.”

“Complacency can lead to serious harm, so there is absolutely no room for it when it comes to the safety of our workers. It is everyone’s responsibility to be proactive about safety.”

“These Safety Resets are also an opportunity for employees to provide feedback, improvements and recommendations to our Senior Leadership Team, and we’re committed to addressing every one of these and keeping our people updated,” Miranda says.

This year’s Safety Reset also complements National Safe Work Month which occurs every year in October. This initiative asks all workers and employers across the country to commit to safe and healthy workplaces for all Australians.

We all have a role to play in safety – make sure you play yours.