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The culture of safety at De Beers Canada continues to strengthen with the submission of the 25,000th near hit at Victor Mine.
The milestone was achieved Oct. 24 when Robert Ratte, a mobile maintenance lead hand, noted a tag was missing from a fire extinguisher in the mobile shop.
Not only did Robert fill out his near hit card, but he took the extra step to make sure a new tag was put onto the extinguisher and to ensure that it still worked.
A missing tag may seem like it’s not a big deal, but it’s an important visual reminder that the extinguisher has been regularly checked.
“I want everyone to be safe and to ensure that if there is a fire, employees will be able to use that piece of equipment,” said Robert.
A resident of Kapuskasing, Ontario, Robert has worked at Victor Mine for about 3-1/2 years. “I have worked at other sites where safety wasn’t treated with the same priority. Here, we want everyone to have a safe shift and to get home to our families without being injured.”
On any given day, employees submit about 10 near hit reports, explained Mike Jordan, Superintendent of Safety, Health & Risk at Victor.
“Any time an employee takes the time to submit a near hit it shows that they are looking out for each other. They are following the process of taking the time to stop, and look at a situation and then putting it to paper to identify what it is and how it was corrected immediately”
What’s critical to safety success is that employees not only report the hazard, but take action to correct it. “If it cannot be corrected by the employee, the near hit goes to the appropriate department to be addressed.”
Employees at Victor Mine began reporting near hits in 2010, a practice later adopted across De Beer Canada with much success.
“The safety culture here at Victor has been brought to life by our employees,” said James Kirby, Mine General Manager. “They truly recognize the importance of safe work and perform every task with a focus on getting the job done without harm to people or the environment.”
Near hits identify and remove potential hazards before they have a chance to happen.
Jordan said Victor Mine has experience a surge in near hit reports over the past two years thanks to the effort of everyone working at the mine. Earlier this year, Victor Mine earned the national John T. Ryan Award for 2015 – recognition for being one of the safest mines in Canada. So far in 2016, there have only been 15 injuries at the mine, and none in October.
“The safety performance at Victor is a credit to all the employees and contractors who work there, a reflection on the leadership, and most importantly the professionalism of people who take safety seriously for themselves and for their families,” said Kim Truter, CEO – De Beers Canada. “I am so impressed with this achievement – it is no wonder that Victor is one of the safest operations in Canada.”