South32 has driven down workplace injuries to a new low after taking steps to enhance its safety leadership.
The company’s total recordable injury frequency (TRIF) was down to 5.2 for the first half of the 2023–24 financial year (H1 FY24) from 5.9 in FY23.
Though an impressive leap for the company, both scores are already well below the industry weighted average of 8.3.
“Our TRIF reduced by 12 per cent over H1 FY24, and we expect the lost time injury frequency (LTIF) to follow this positive reporting trend over time,” South32 said.
“We have seen improved hazard awareness with a 29 per cent increase in the hazard frequency metric over H1 FY24.”
The company also recorded zero deaths for H1 FY24, a significant reduction from two lives lost in the same period the previous year.
South32 credited a commitment to its Safety Improvement Program that has seen the implementation of safety frameworks across the company.
“We continue to implement our Safety Improvement Program, a multi-year global program, which was launched in FY22,” the company said.
“The program includes a significant investment in safety leadership through our ‘lead safely every day’ program, which supports our leaders to engage their teams on our ‘safety guarantee’.”
South32 also rolled out its Leadership Fundamentals Program in 2022 in a bid to create stronger safety governance.
“Our ‘lead safely every day’ program continued to be deployed across our leadership teams in H1 FY24 and will be extended to our frontline workforce from H2 FY24,” the company said.
The focus on worker safety and inclusion is key to the company’s overall ongoing sustainability approach, which revolves around addressing South32’s climate and environmental impacts.
The company has a target to reduce its operational carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2035, ahead of its goal of achieving net zero by 2050.
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