Team Safety’s Integrated Safety, Fitness, and Skills-Based Leadership program goes global...

IAMGOLD’s MBA program achieves Zero Harm on Gold Mining Construction Sites

Background

IAMGOLD (IAG), a Canadian firm, is a leading mid-tier gold mining company with operations on three continents. In a very short period the company grew from 100 employees to over 4000 with over 200 supervisors. In 2009, IAMGOLD authorized pilot projects to develop a standardized framework to achieve IAMGOLD’s worldwide vision of Zero Harm to the environment, its employees, and contractors working in 16 countries.

The Company acknowledged that to achieve Zero Harm required highly competent supervisors with the necessary leadership skills. Jordan Vince, Manager of Health and Safety for the organization said of the workforce: “We had employees coming directly from their mud huts with dirt floors into our mining operations”. What evolved was the Mind Body Achieved (MBA) Program, described by Vince as a “team-based safety and fitness program driven by strong supervisor leadership skills”.

What we did

Consultants at Team Safety, Inc. conducted Executive workshops in Toronto, CANADA, and in Suriname. Feasibility studies were conducted and as a result, two pilot construction projects were proposed, one in Quebec, Canada and the other in Suriname, South America. the company adopted the skills-based approach and were licensed to brand the program "MBA" so they could deploy the program across their various sites under the same corporate banner. We consider adopting the program at the organization's executive level one of the major factors determing program success.

Team Safety consultants implemented a Train-the-Trainer program to deploy the systems and closely monitored and reported progress throughout the process. The program is now being deployed across the organization.

What they achieved

Even though these sites were extremely different in culture, language, and customs, the Pilot programs transcend the barriers with remarkable results compared to the Non-MBA sites. Both sites achieve their Zero Harm goals--a first in the company's construction division history.

Going Forward

Based on these results, the sites were the first to be awarded the IAMGOLD President’s award for ZERO HARM. CEO Stephen J.J. Letwin said, “we have achieved a great deal of success with this program and will continue to expand its breadth and scope in the coming year”. Since then, the MBA program has been designated the model for ZERO HARM throughout the company. As Senior VP of Health, Safety, and Sustainability Ross Gallinger stated “what the MBA Program has accomplished is truly a milestone and a gamechanger”.