IGO Interactive Annual Report 2019

these hazards are managed. A safe system of work encompasses the policies, standards, processes and procedures that provide direction and guidance on how the work is to be done. A positive safety culture is the accepted behaviours and responses that our employees have to hazards and associated risks when the “boss is not watching”. A positive safety culture is achieved when our people: • believe their manager or supervisor is concerned about their safety and wellbeing; • pro-actively look out for others and feel concern for their safety and wellbeing; • participate in the development of our safety standards, processes and procedures; • adhere to IGO’s safety processes on the understanding that they will assist in keeping them and their workmates safe whilst never being seen as a substitute for thinking for one’s self; and • have the courage to speak up or intervene in unsafe situations or if someone is at risk. At IGO, we are actively creating a positive safety culture. This effort is informed by the belief that culture is the product of the attitudes and behaviours demonstrated by IGO leaders; from the front-line supervisor to the CEO. IGO’s safety program is known as Visual Safety Leadership (VSL). The purpose of the program is to educate and guide our leaders, at all levels, so they: • understand both IGO’s safety philosophy and their statutory safety obligations; • allocate time for the sole purpose of checking on or promoting workplace safety and employee welfare; and • follow up on concerns or identified hazards raised by employees and provide feedback on how they have responded. Safety leadership must be visual. It must be seen. It must be felt. If we do this well, it is our firm conviction that we will create a better workplace. An Improving Safety Culture In FY19, we undertook an engagement survey of our entire workforce and a safety culture survey of our Nova workforce. The positive results revealed that our people feel supported by their supervisors and management and are empowered to take responsibility for their own safety, and that of their workmates in terms of both hazard management and making improvements to safety systems. Over the past 12 months we have seen an improved culture, as assessed by our people. Beyond the positives, the surveys also revealed many further opportunities for improvement; with the most significant being the need for a more timely response to rectifying hazards and system deficiencies. In FY20, IGO will continue to pursue improvements in this area, including increased internal communications among our employees, suppliers and contractors to continue to build awareness and influence behaviours. For further information on IGO’s safety performance and safety programs, please refer to the 2019 Sustainability Report, which will be released in October 2019. The pursuit of new resources takes IGO’s exploration team to diverse geographies and environments – from remote parts of Australia to new arctic frontiers in East Greenland. With a growing number of people working in smaller exploration teams, often in isolation for lengthy periods at a time, we need to ensure our teams are well equipped to manage the specific conditions. Equally, it is vital that our teams are ‘equipped’ with the right culture; a culture of empowerment and a culture in which ‘getting the job done’ is balanced by a demonstrable care for the safety and wellbeing of one another. Empowering our exploration teams to own both their personal and team safety is the primary focus for Ross Jennings, HSE Manager Exploration. “It is simple. Any discovery marred by serious injury or incident is not a successful discovery. For us, a safely performed discovery is a successful discovery”, says Ross. “Everybody is entitled to a safe work place and to be part of a team in which anyone can speak up when things aren’t right. I’ve seen what happens when this doesn’t happen. It’s about teamwork, empowering individuals to own their responsibilities and being comfortable making decisions.” We are deliberate in our efforts to shape culture. This starts with choosing the right leaders, people who are concerned with the safety and wellbeing of their people, and then fostering an environment that encourages people to consider the challenges and hazards that may be encountered, and how these are best managed. To this end, each exploration team comprises a mix of both new and experienced IGO employees to help transfer knowledge, skills and experience. CASE STUDY: WORKING TOWARDS A SAFE DISCOVERY Exploration team working in field IGO ANNUAL REPORT 2019 — 15