Safety interactions

For several years, Rio Tinto Coal Australia has used safety interactions as a key tool in reaching our goal of an injury free workplace.

Safety interactions generally involve a targeted discussion between employees to better understand the risks involved in an activity, be it a workplace activity such as changing a tyre or an out of work activity such as driving.

The purpose of safety interactions is to reinforce safe behaviours and gain commitment to improve less safe behaviours.

Rio Tinto Coal Australia is actively implementing 'peer to peer' safety interactions across our sites. This programme of interactions is separate from the current safety interactions process for managers and supervisors in that it is designed and implemented by a team of operational employees at each site.

To encourage employee participation, the programme of 'peer to peer' safety interactions is optional and results are confidential.

Implementation is different for each site, but is driven by employees who, with appropriate support from management, are responsible for designing, implementing coaching and driving the process on-site.

In 2009, our target is to continue with the implementation of the 'peer-to-peer' safety interaction process across all operating sites in New South Wales and Queensland.