Our Stories
HOME-SAFE: Our Flagship Safety Initiative
August 15, 2022
When it comes to safety, everyone is committed to maintaining injury-free operations. However, mining is a high-risk work environment where the pressures of production and a multitude of other factors constantly influence decisions around safety and risk.
According to Darren Parry, Corporate Health and Safety Manager, this is why the HOME-SAFE initiative was created. “While B2Gold is considered a safety leader within the mining sector, consistently delivering one of the lowest injury rates, we can always do better. HOME-SAFE is an initiative aimed at instilling in our workforce individual and collective ownership for safety. Employees at all levels have the right and responsibility to take all reasonable actions to prevent injuries to themselves and others.”
HOME-SAFE focuses on two key elements: engagement and continuous improvement. Employees who are engaged look out for one another and will be more supportive of safety programing. This nurtures an environment of continuous improvement where employees actively report hazards and seek ways to prevent injury.
Darren experienced an example of this collective ownership at B2Gold’s Fekola operation in Mali shortly after HOME-SAFE was launched in Q2 2021. “I was engaged in a focused safety session with a group of trade personnel in the heavy mining equipment workshop when I was approached by a worker I had never met before. The worker advised me that I was in a ‘Personal Protective Equipment Required Zone’, and he handed me a pair of safety glasses. While some may say the Corporate Health and Safety Manager should have known better, the message is that ‘safety is everyone’s responsibility.’”
HOME-SAFE is about creating a culture of “caring enough”, not only about yourself but about others as well. When Darren entered a zone where he was at risk of injuring himself, the worker, Boubacar Sissoko, cared enough about his safety to take action.
