Speaking SafeWork with Sheena

Glencore’s first priority in the workplace is to protect the health and wellbeing of its employees. To achieve this, we must identify and manage health and safety hazards in our workplace. In order to help realize this goal, we launched SafeWork to provide a common global foundation to build our culture of safety worldwide.

In the Speaking SafeWork series, Glencore Canada connects with employees asking them about SafeWork, and safety in general, in order to keep safety top of mind for all employees and contractors. In this interview, we connect with Sheena, Accommodation Supervisor, at Raglan Mine.

Sheena: SafeWork means that the company cares for its employees, that the safety and well-being of our employees matter, and that it is important we get home in the same healthy way as we got to work. Not only has SafeWork helped me to take the time and observe if there is any risks in my work environment, I continue to do the same at home to make sure we do our daily chores in a safe way, too.

Sheena: While I really enjoy my job and am becoming increasing comfortable with it, the highlight of my stay at the mine site is Saturday – the day of the week fire drills and firefighter training take place. I find being a member of the firefighting team very challenging. I learn many things and that gives me the opportunity to challenge myself. Often, I am surprised to see that I successfully completed a task I never thought myself capable of completing.

Sheena: As a child, I learned to associate emergency vehicle sirens with bad news. Firefighting was attractive to me and my desire to join a fire brigade grew. In fact, when I accepted the role of Accommodation Supervisor, my request was to remain a member of Raglan Mine’s fire department. I use my firefighting knowledge to better support my team in terms of prevention. Whether it be the importance of evacuation procedures or extinguisher inspection, I use my experience to push forward my teammates’ reflections on the topic. Also, I appreciate the importance of teamwork. Each one of us has a role to play, and everybody’s safety resides on everyone performing his or her tasks safely.

Sheena: At home, I have started explaining to my young nephews what to do and not to do in the event of a fire. Prevention is not a theoretical concept, but a reality of daily life both inside and outside of the workplace.