ICMM Publishes Conference Presentations

The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) has published the presentations from the ICMM2012 Health and Safety Conference, held last fall in Santiago, Chile. More than 300 SH&E experts, and mining and metals executives attended the conference, which featured 60 speakers discussing topics such as leadership, worker health programs, community health management, safety in operations and eliminating fatalities.

Key takeaways from the conference included:

• SH&E is a collaborative issue not a competitive one.
• SH&E is about building trust and promoting human life and wellbeing.
• Systems are only as effective as the integrity of the people applying them, which in turn is linked to leadership.
• SH&E needs to be considered in the context of all aspects of a person’s life (e.g., at home and in the community, as well as at work).
• The safety and business cases interdependent, as safety is good for business.
• Leadership is critical at all levels, particularly with regard to changing behavior.
• To succeed, the values of SH&E need ownership by all levels of an organization, including CEOs, senior management, employees and contractors.

According to ICMM, the results of the conference will influence the group’s 2013-2015 safety and health strategy.