Improving Safety Performance with Technology: Transporting People and Materials to Remote Mining Sites

Client Profile

A Canadian mining organization, with multiple operations in North America, Europe, and Asia that has extensive supply chains around the world.  

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Client Challenge

As with most mining operations with sites often located in remote locations, access to these sites tend to navigate through remote communities and are adjacent to sensitive ecosystems. Transporting people, hazardous materials and critical materials exposes these sites to material business continuity risks including community impact, asset damage, fatalities and environmental consequences.

The company was looking to measure its journey management performance, to specifically know for each individual trip the conditions of the following critical controls:

a. Are drivers fit for duty?

b. Are vehicles fit for purpose?

c. Are routes free from unacceptable risks?

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Partnership in Review

With InterKnowlogy’s support, the mining company set out to improve transparency and capability to manage the risks associated with journey management. The updated journey management process aligned with the International Council of Mining & Metals’ (ICMM) Critical Control Management Process. This was carried out through facilitated workshops that:

• Identified specific Material Unwanted Events (MUEs)

• Defined controls for each event

• Selected critical controls and

• Developed performance requirements that enabled the site to measure, analyze and improve critical controls

Once the workshops were carried out, InterKnowlogy was able to quickly configure a platform that supported the measurement and communication of control performance information that served operators and superintendents on a customized dashboard.

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Outcome

With the ability to monitor control performance at the individual trip level, the company was able to provide assurance that:

1. >90% of drivers were fit-for-duty and free from physical, emotional and mental impairment including fatigue, drugs & alcohol and work schedule

2. >80% of vehicles were fit-for-purpose facilitated through a pre-journey checklist

3. Planned routes to and from the sites were free from unacceptable hazards >95% of the time

This was a key step towards helping the organization achieve its "zero-harm policy" in regards to health and safety of their employees.