The safety-resources business unit of DuPont is outstripping the
growth of its other traditional businesses, which include
chemicals, agriculture and electronics businesses.
While the safety business unit is coming off a low base in the
$25-billion global company, its growth is more significant than
many of the company’s mature businesses, say business
development manager Andrew Deale and consultant Peter McKie.
Several companies in the mining sector have been enthusiastic about
adopting the safety formula that the firm has developed over the
last 200 years of its existence. These include BHP Billiton, Impala
Platinum, Rio Tinto, Anglo American and nickel-and-copper mine BCL
of Botswana.<bused stone crushers in malaysiar />
Many of these are singing the praises of the DuPont system, which
insists that a zero incident and injury rate is achievable. This is
regarded as important by the sector for purely humanitarian
reasons, as well as the financial ones, driven by the fact that
investors discount shares of companies that are poor safety
performers. McKie notes that the organisation had provided its
clients and interested companies hero factory lego com creep crushers gamewith free advice on safety until
30 years ago, since it was viewed as management’s
responsibility to help prevent death and injuries. However, it
realised that there was a business opportunity in providing
industry with a safety system that was effective in eliminating
incidents and injuries.
It was decided that if the company was going to dispense advice on
safety, it had better do itoat roller equipment for horses whole-heartedly, appointing staff and
allocating resources to the safety business unit.
The unit played a small part in the business in terms of income
until recently, says McKie. However, it is the company’s
current strategy to make it a significant part of the business, he
reports.
The South African branch of the company, dedicated to providing
safety solutions, was opened ten months ago.
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However, McKie had been involved in implementing the systems at
South African Rio Tinto operations as early as 1997.
The company, however, will not simply add clients to its list, he
cautions.
Deale indicates that it would ruin the DuPont reputation, as well
as that of the company concerned, if it simply notched up clients
that were not committed to improving safety.
“The fosmall ricemill pictures in the philippinesllowers in industry will come on board eventually, but
in the meantime we will work with some of the apostles,” he
says.
The Palabora Mining Company’s Palabora copper-mine stands out
as an example of effective use of the system, notes Deale.
It has reduced lost-time injury frequency rates from around 0,9 for
each million hours worked in 1999 to less than a third of this in
the six months to June this year, he says.
Companies such as BHP Billiton have also indicated that they have
seen injuries falling significantly since the introduction of the
system.
Others believe that the system will reduce injuries and fatalities
significantly, including Impala Platinum, which wants to achieve a
50% year-on-year reduction in fatalities and lost-time injuries
using the system that CEO Keith Rumble had first-hand experience of
when he worked at Rio Tinto.
What is believed to be significant about the system is that it
encourages workers to observe each others’ safety-related
behaviour, as well as have managers on site showing their concern
and commitment to safety issues.
Mining companies had argued in the past that their injury and
fatality rates were acceptable given the dangerous environment in
which they operate, says McKie.
They are collectively realising that society will not accept this
as an excuse for poor safety performance, he indicates.