National Group’s Emily Maddern has a busy job.
As the mining services group’s support and improvement superintendent, she oversees the firm’s safety and compliance reporting across seven mines sites in Queensland.
Based at Moranbah, Maddern took on the newly created role in early 2023 as part of National Group’s ongoing investment in its safety protocols and its broader focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance.
She describes her new role as “another layer” for National Group’s safety procedures and reporting.
“My job is to work with all the site admin teams to co-ordinate compliance reporting and ensure everything is done precisely,” Maddern said.
That task is a complex one. National Group, a leading supplier of heavy-earthmoving equipment and end-to-end mining services, works with some of the world’s largest mining companies across Australia. The miners each have different safety policies, procedures and reporting requirements.
“A big part of my role is client interaction,” Maddern said.
“I spend a lot of time understanding client requirements and expectations around safety and communicating those needs to our Queensland crews. This ranges from detailed monthly reporting to weekly field site safety inspections for clients.”
As a supplier, National Group employees or contractors fall under the client’s health and safety management plan at each mine.
“We know when a National Group employee or contractor swipes at the gate to enter a mine that they have adhered to the client’s safety policy for that site,” Maddern said.
“We also know that all National Group equipment used on site has been maintained correctly and is being used with the right PPE (personal protective equipment) from a safety perspective for that mine site.”
Safety performance
National Group’s safety strategy continues to achieve strong results. The past two years have seen the firm achieve several key safety milestones at mines sites in Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia.
In Queensland, National Group has been LTI (lost-time injury) free at the Caval Ridge coal mine in the Bowen Basin for almost eight years, which covers the entire contract length. At the Daunia and Goonyella Riverside mines, also in Queensland, National Group is around three years LTI-free.
And in WA, National Group is 12 years LTI-free on clients’ mine sites.
National Group head of business development in WA, NT and SA Craig Binstead told Australian Mining that he believes the firm’s agility underpins its long-term safety performance.
“As a founder-led, privately-owned company, we’re able to move quickly when clients adjust their safety policies and procedures,” he said. “Our personnel adapt to different safety requirements across different sites.”
Binstead said National Group’s safety focus has two main goals. First and foremost is keeping people safe by correctly following National Group and client safety protocols and procedures. Second is helping clients enhance their on-site productivity through National Group’s safety performance.
“The last thing we want to do is introduce problems on-site for clients through poor safety performance,” Binstead said.
“Potential injuries to National Group employees on-site could affect equipment performance and output. Our goal is to make things hassle-free for clients, who rely on us to consistently get the job done safely while meeting their safety requirements.”
According to National Group maintenance superintendent – Queensland Damien Melville, the firm’s focus extends beyond procedures.
“Ultimately, it’s about National Group’s workplace culture,” he said. “We have a tight-knit crew that looks out for the safety of their colleagues and other workers on site, and always does the right thing by clients.
“We talk about safety a lot, including identifying potential safety hazards at the start of each day.
“It’s ingrained into all our mine superintendents to work closely with clients on their health and safety management plans, and to ensure National Group employees have appropriate safety training.”
ESG focus
National Group founder and managing director Mark Ackroyd said safety is a key part the firm’s new ESG strategy.
Launched in 2023, the ‘National Group sustainability strategy’ builds on the firm’s sustainability work and provides a roadmap to expand its ESG focus this decade. The project involved extensive stakeholder consultation and industry research, including using external sustainability experts.
The strategy describes employee safety as a key area of focus, stating “The company is committed to a zero harm policy by promoting a safety culture through the organisation and ensuring its employees are aligned with customers’ safety values”.
Ackroyd said National Group has always focused on safety.
“From day one, we have achieved consistently strong safety performance,” he said. “We’re not perfect and there is always the potential for accidents and injuries with heavy earthmoving equipment in tough conditions, but we have worked very hard to minimise that risk and continue to do so every day.”
National Group’s safety performance is also underpinned by its fleet of mostly top-tier equipment from the world’s leading original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
“Investing in the best equipment means National Group provides machines that offer excellent reliability and safety for our employees and customer workforces,” Ackroyd said. “We do a lot of work with OEMs around equipment safety, maintenance and training requirements.”
“We always do work on maintenance scheduling and ensuring our equipment is well-maintained. We’re also investing more on in-house maintenance training, including our expanding apprenticeship program, all of which contributes to safety.”
In the health space, National Group is a long-term sponsor of sporting events in remote towns and has recently increased its support for mental health charities.
“National Group has helped the remote towns where our employees live and work with financial or in-kind support for community events or charities,” Ackroyd said. “If we can make even a small difference to health in those towns, it’s worth it.”
For all the good work, Ackroyd knows safety requires a never-ending focus.
“We never take anything for granted with safety,” he said. “We’re proud of our recent safety milestones, but that’s in the past. What matters is the safety of our employees and our customer workforces today and tomorrow.”
Head to National Group’s website for more news.
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