Boart Longyear’s new critical risk management programs and simplified company field standards support employees in understanding, embracing, and practicing an exceptional safety culture. The Company focuses on safety programs like THINK (Take the time, Hazard recognition, Identify the risk, Necessary controls applied, and Keep safety first), Stop Work Authority (authorizes and mandates employees immediately stop any work that does not comply with safety standards), the Golden Rules of Safety, the Rules of the Road, and Make it Personal Cards with safety program basics, a signature for their commitment to work safely, and a place for a photo of why they are working safely.

“I am incredibly proud of the employees at Boart Longyear. I acknowledge each one of them for their hard work, for embracing and living our high safety standards and world-class safety programs, and the way everyone takes responsibility for their own safety and keeping each other safe. This is a significant accomplishment for Boart Longyear and is a great outcome resulting from the efforts of everyone in the Company living and breathing our safety culture,” said President and Chief Executive Officer, Jeff Olsen. “I congratulate every Boart Longyear employee for this prestigious achievement.

”The Company acknowledges the participation, collaboration, and contributions from every level and department within Boart Longyear. Denis Despres, Chief Operating Officer stated, “On a site level, we value the everyday procedures from standardized pre-start information meetings that focus on daily job tasks and associated hazards and risks, our online data management system including the system’s mobile app, and the daily team and individual-based field level risk assessments. At Boart Longyear, it is everyone’s responsibility to work safely.”

Video: “Make it Safe | Make it Personal | Make it Home” 

Over the years Boart Longyear has performed many types of drilling including Freeze Hole Drilling and PWT Bull Nose Bit Drilling. It’s not unusual to drill to 120 meters deep and at dips of +90’ to -90’, for the installation of pipes to freeze the ground. Picture three layers of diamond drill rods encased in thick cement. The ground is then frozen so the uranium ore can be extracted. Additionally, over-coring is regularly performed to remove the brine freeze pipes.

To call the work at McArthur River specialized is an understatement.  In 2011, Boart Longyear was presented with The Cameco Innovation Award. This was in recognition for the innovative technology in “A New Application of Freeze Technology to Isolate Mining Areas.” No other contractor has received this prestigious award at the mine.

The ground conditions at McArthur River can be extremely challenging. Ore body mapping and core rock exploration have been conducted under drill hole pressures of up to 1000 psi, which prevents the ground from “squeezing in” on the rod string.

When dealing with Uranium, 100% of the water must be contained within the drill hole and/or rod string. Boart Longyear crews are trained to protect the underground environment while the drill hole is producing 500 gallons of potentially contaminated water per minute at a hydrostatic pressure of up to 780psi. Implementing and following safety and policy procedures have been and always will be the key to successful mining.

Revising policies and procedures for safety and efficiency and creating a strong safety culture were the number one goals when Jim Nelson took over operations at McArthur River in 2006. Years of drilling experience and knowledge gave Jim the credibility to identify and implement necessary changes. Streamlining the project for safety and productivity was not an easy task. Jim was tasked with overcoming scheduling challenges, complicated personnel issues, and a lack of organization.

By listening to the crew’s concerns and working with them for their ideas and buy-in, everyone started noticing the changes. Supervisor Brian Reister who has been working at McArthur for 15 years says, “JSEAs and policies and procedures were built around the specialized drilling at McArthur River”.  He and Supervisor Jonathan Roy, who has also worked at McArthur for the better part of a decade, have been instrumental in driving the safety culture.

Continuous training, safety stand downs, positive incentives and consistent reinforcement of policy and procedures made the entire crew accountable for their actions and success. A safety team was put in place and everyone worked hard to create an environment that brought out the best in each other.

The achievement of reaching 14 years with no lost time incidents, first and foremost must be attributed to all the individuals who have worked at McArthur River over the years.  

Every employee at McArthur has changed their behavior and embraced the proactive safety culture that Boart Longyear prides itself on; from the longstanding Golden Rules of Safety and JSEAs to the more recent introduction of the Hazard Wheel and improved FLRA process focusing on the Hierarchy of Controls.

Working as a team is paramount at McArthur River; every single individual comes together to develop solutions to make sure the work environment is not only safe for themselves but for everyone else.  There is no room for error when working in a radioactive environment, contamination not only puts individuals at risk but also the livelihood of every person on site.

Due to the unique and dangerous environment, traditional drilling materials and tools have been substituted with specialized products. Operations teams worked closely with Boart Longyear engineers to develop controls to eliminate the chances of human error such as the quad latch backend to ensure a latched tube stays latched.

The Delta Clamp allows the LM^TM150 to drill and install oversized rods and casing (PWT, SWT, UW rods and 8”). The Anti-Drop System was developed and installed to prevent the foot clamp and jaws from being open at the same time because of the manual chucks. The Kelly Valve, another innovation developed specifically for the mine, prevents any radioactive water from being present and making contact with employees during tube changes or adding or removing drill rods.

Reaching the milestone of 14 years without an LTI has been a team effort.  Participation, collaboration, and contributions from every level and department within Boart Longyear should be acknowledged.  On a site level, it is the everyday procedures from lineup meetings, to following and adding to JSEAs, to conducting both team and individual-based Field Level Risk Assessments.  Everyone has a role in working safely. It is both believing in, and utilizing all the tools and contributions that the Boart Longyear team has been able to: Make It Safe. Make it Personal. Make it Home.

The award was presented by Ken Reid, Country Manager to the Gosowong team whilst on site recently.

“We are so proud of our team for their outstanding accomplishment,” said Matt Glossop, Site Manager Gosowong Site. “Through our 'Make it Personal' campaign, our drillers and greater support team make a commitment to safety and to making it home safely every day. It’s everyone’s role on site to look after each other and as such keeping everyone accountable and making decisions with respect to safety.”

With over 127 years of experience, Boart Longyear’s safety programs such as the Make it Personal cards are designed to address the critical risks that employees encounter and to keep them safe.

Every employee is asked to sign a Make It Personal pocket card and add a picture of why they stay safe. The inside of this folding card contains two sections; “Why I’m Working Safely Today” and a commitment to safety. In the commitment section, the supervisor commits to providing a safe work environment, the employee commits to follow EHS programs and standards. In the “Why I’m working safely today” section employees place a picture of someone or something important to them, such as their spouse, family, significant other, a hobby, favorite activity, or prized possession. This picture should serve as a reminder of what’s most important in their life, and why they work safely.

Management interactions are an important factor in driving the importance of safety and the presentation of the card to each employee is a great opportunity for the employee and the supervisor to commit to going beyond the numbers and making safety personal.

A commemorative celebration was held on site with key client personnel attending to praise the Gosowong team and their achievement. 

PT NHM Newcrest Goldfields Geology Manager, Rob Taube, who attended the celebration also commented on the milestone.

Well done to the Gosowong team and let’s continue to make it safe, make it personal, and make it home every day!

As a statement of that safety commitment, the entire staff of the Jakarta office recently celebrated 20 years of being LTI (lost time injury) free. 

Jakarta employees say they are committed to keeping this achievement going for many, many more years. It is a good reminder to all of us that this achievement is more than a number; it represents our people making it home to their families safe and sound.

Boart Longyear’s safety programs are designed to address the critical risks our employees encounter and keep them safe. There are multiple programs in place, such as the THINK safety program, and the Golden Rules of Safety.

The THINK safety program instills in staff to never make any task menial and to always “THINK” before they act.

The Golden Rules of Safety address critical risks that Boart Longyear employees face every day. Each Golden Rule is built with an accountability statement that each employee must commit to in every task.

I will never perform tasks if impaired, unfit or distracted, with no exceptions.

I will never perform tasks for which I am not capable, competent or authorized.

I will never bypass, modify or remove safety controls.

I will never perform tasks without appropriate and approved PPE.

I will never misuse tools or equipment or modify their design without the Engineering Department’s approval.

I will never work at heights without using appropriate fall prevention or fall protection controls.

I will never work on energized equipment without appropriate controls and will never use an unrestrained wrench under power.

I will never knowingly allow others to violate these Golden Rules and will use my Stop Work Authority when I see them violated.