In an underground environment that features tunnels, ramps, catwalks and ore faces – where power tools and large vehicles are used and tonnes of rock are continuously being drilled, blasted, loaded and transported – safety has to be a plan, a program, a value and a culture.
Hudbay’s Manitoba operations have solid safety records by industry standards. However, we expect more. Our goal is always to be a leader in safety. In 2021, we had a fatality at our Lalor mine, after 20 years and over 60 million hours worked without an occupational fatality in the Manitoba Business Unit. In addition to immediate corrective actions implemented in 2021, through 2022 we continued our efforts to draw on what we learned and create a safer workplace.
After any significant safety incident at any of our operations, we conduct an Incident Cause Analysis Method (ICAM) review. Developed by Safety Wise, a consultancy and training organization focused on understanding and improving industrial safety performance, ICAM is the industry standard for incident review. The review’s objective is to go below the surface of an event to discover the root causes and develop corrective action. The ICAM process can be conducted independently of Safety Wise, using a template process they provide. In the wake of the incident at Lalor, to further reduce incident potential and maximize the benefit and the impact of the ICAM process, our Manitoba operation engaged Safety Wise to provide oversight on high-potential incident reviews.
As well as providing additional oversight and review of high-potential incidents through the ICAM process, we are conducting a review of the last four years of ICAMs. The goal is to see how effectively we are in using the ICAM method, and determine if the corrective actions that came out of the process were implemented successfully.
Managing procedures and the environment at a workplace has a tremendous impact on safety, but, over the long term, it is essential to build and support a safety culture. To help foster and strengthen the safety culture at Lalor, we engaged dss+. The company assists organizations in protecting, transforming and sustaining elements of organizational processes and culture concerning aspects of environmental, social and governance (ESG) and sustainability, such as safety.
dss+ conducted a review of our safety routines and safety systems. Then, working with the mine’s Health and Safety team, they helped us develop a comprehensive safety perception survey that went out to all employees and contractors at Lalor. Subsequently, dss+ did field visits to all of our operations and conducted focus groups and interviews with management and the hourly workforce. The results of the survey and other research, in combination with the enhanced ICAM process, will help the Manitoba team to establish a baseline to measure the effectiveness of current safety practices and identify gaps in our safety approach. This will help us develop a roadmap that will lead to meaningful safety improvements at our operations.
Engaging outside experts to review our procedures provides us with expertise and external perspectives. However, we recognize that when it comes to safety, accountability rests solely with Hudbay. Therefore, we are continuously improving our approach to safety and building a culture in which everyone understands that we are all responsible for maintaining a safe workplace. To achieve this, we must empower employees, so they know that we will always support making the safe choice.