Effective safety leadership - The key to a fatality free future

I am pleased to have the opportunity to present this paper about our highest priority - the elimination of fatalities, injuries and diseases from the Australian minerals industry. This goal is not a pipedream, and as young professionals and future industry leaders, I would like to explain how you will play a part in achieving it. The Minerals Council of Australia is the national organisation which represents the major companies in the Australian minerals industry. The Council's member companies are striving for a vision of "an Australian minerals industry free of fatalities, injuries and diseases". To realise this vision, effective leadership and the commitment of every individual is needed. Any person can take a leadership role on safety and health matters. While some aspects of leadership can be learned through formal education, effective safety leadership is also about commitment, motivation and action. In this paper I discuss why it is important to have a vision in order to improve safety and health performance - and what we can do, collectively and individually, to achieve it.