Modern Mining June 2021

Strata’s commitment to safety Safety compliance within companies is of the utmost importance to prevent incidents, particularly in the mining industry, where people are exposed to harsh working environments. At Strata Mining Services, management is committed to ensuring SHEQ standards are upheld through various campaigns. Every two weeks, management teams make themselves available and interact with the workforce on site by conducting Visible Felt Leadership (VFL). “We use this tool to check if there is safety compliance. It’s not a militant exercise, but rather one that allows management to socialise with the workforce and explain procedures if needed,” explains Stoffel van Deventer, compliance manager. “It makes a huge impact and reinforces our culture of safety, espe- cially when our employees understand procedures and why they’re important.” Some of the other initiatives that Strata use to maintain its safety culture include holding weekly Health and Safety meetings and run- ning campaigns that report near misses. These campaigns highlight the need to stay alert and encourage staff to report potential hazards. As an added incentive, the employees who regularly report near misses are awarded shopping vouchers at the end of the month. “This campaign enables us to learn from each other’s mistakes. If something happens once, we investigate the near miss, put protocols in place to prevent it recurring and then we share this best practice within the group,” Stoffel says. More recently, a new Traffic Management Plan has been imple- mented at its Northern Cape premises which saw the installation of fisheye mirrors at blind corners and stop signs at possible collision points. One of the safety representatives at the Northern Cape site, Nollie Sobudula, expresses pride in her job as it’s a significant responsibility to look after people’s lives. “I started as a cleaner in the workshop, but now I take care of every- one’s safety and make sure they follow the correct safety protocols. After I became a safety representative, I was worried people might not take me seriously, but they do. When I call out unsafe behaviour, they listen and things start to change,” Sobudula says. Strata’s comprehensive maintenance plan is yet another preven- tative system in place to ensure its machines are in great working condition and that operators are kept out of harm’s way. “Our people and our equipment are our greatest assets,” Stoffel says. “We have a commitment to make sure people get home safely at the end of each day, and this ensures that business keeps moving forward.” 

Strata’s comprehensive maintenance plan ensures its machines are in great working condition and that operators are kept out of harm’s way.

June 2021  MODERN MINING  41