Mining development and exploration drilling company Rosond achieved zero harm last month, which bodes well for the company’s aim of achieving zero harm in its next financial year.

“In the year ahead, we will continue to focus on promoting safe behaviour and increasing management visibility on the ground through Visible Felt Leadership interventions, to uphold our safety record,” says Rosond safety manager Andre Kleynhans. Since 2008, Rosond has substantially improved its safety record year- on-year.

The company will also continue to conduct quarterly safety drives and “engineer out” hazards through innovation, he mentions.

Other initiatives that the company currently implements include safety training programmes such as A-hazard stop and train. A-hazard means that the probability of injury or accident is greater than usual, and such hazards must be stopped and fixed immediately before continuing. If an employee deviates on an A-hazard, the individual is asked to stop working and attend a retraining course. Rosond operates a number of training centres where employees receive comprehensive training – with training programmes, drills and operating controls standardised as far as possible to facilitate ease of use.

Moreover, the company has recently introduced new remote-controlled drills where the operator sits a safe distance away from the drill rig in an air-conditioned cabin, from where he safely operates the drill. Because the operators are in a more comfortable environment and out of the sun, they are able to concentrate better and are less susceptible to fatigue, which further reduces the likelihood of accidents or injuries.

Tramming the drill rig is also remotely done from a safe distance, giving the operator a better view of surroundings, which reduces the risk of colliding with an object or driving into a person.

The remote operations keep people away from danger, with the drill rods handled by a rod handling system and not the employees, subsequently reducing the risk of their coming into contact with drilling operations, adds Kleynhans. This lowers the risk of employees pinching their hands or fingers during rod handling, while the need for fewer man-handled operations further reduces fatigue.

“We are aiming very high this year. It is our responsibility to ensure that every employee goes home safely at the end of each shift,” concludes Kleynhans.