Limpopo Business 2019-20 edition

INTERVIEW
Safety first at
Venetia Mine
Gerrie Nortje, General Manager at Venetia Mine, outlines all the
steps that are taken to keep miners as safe as possible.
Gerrie Nortje, General
Manager at Venetia Mine
BIOGRAPHY
Gerrie Nortje began his career
with Anglo American in 1997
as a bursar studying Mining
Engineering. On completion of
his degree, he worked at various
Anglo American Thermal Coal
operations before becoming
Operations Manager at Xstrata.
He re-joined Anglo American as
a Principal Mining Engineer and
transitioned into a Lead Open
Pit Mining role during 2014 as
a member of the Technical and
Sustainability team. At head
office he was involved with a
variety of projects across the
group’s business units.
What are the key principles behind keeping a
mineoperation safe?
All mines should be constructed and operated as per the design to eliminate
and, where not possible, mitigate risk in every part of the process. Quantifying
the risks to which our employees and communities are exposed forms a key
pillar in Safety Management. Engineering controls remain the most effective
and as a result are the highest on the hierarchy of controls.
At De Beers and Venetia Mine, we pride ourselves in our first value, which
is “Putting Safety First”. This means that all our employees and contractors
are empowered to work safely, stop unsafe work, withdraw from an unsafe
area and escalate any unsafe conditions. This is an expectation from every
employee. The safety culture and one of transparency and collaboration is
absolutely critical. Not tolerating risk and being unconditional about safety
every single day remains paramount in succeeding. Fatigue management
is also important.
What programmes are in place to promote safety?
We have in excess of 20 workstreams focusing on elimination of fatalities.
Controls keep people safe and critical controls keep people alive. We are
improving all our critical controls and verifications.
What are some of your achievements in tackling safety?
Before we talk about successes, we should first reflect on the tragic death
of Maggie Semata on 25 March 2018 in the ore-processing plant at Venetia.
The loss was devastating for Maggie’s family, everyone at Venetia Mine, De
Beers Group and Anglo American. I have taken a stance that no Venetian
will lose his or her life ever again.
Is Zero Harm achievable?
There is no doubt that Zero Harm is achievable. Some departments at Venetia
have never suffered an injury in 27 years since commencement of operations.
Will mechanisation assist in advancing safety?
Removing employees from harm’s way will remain one of the most effective
measures, so yes it will. Mechanisation and automation play a critical role in
keeping our employees safe. It also provides opportunities for employees
to develop other skill sets.
LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2019/20
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