Safety is a clear focus for the Papua New Guinean Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML) mine site, the nation’s largest company. Managing director, Nigel Parker, has spent the last 30 years of his career working outside of his home country of Australia and the past five with Ok Tedi, which opened in 1981.
“Ok Tedi is the most complex business I have been involved in, yet this is what makes it so unique and special to me,” says Nigel. “Complexity is one of its greatest strengths, and it means that every day is a different day.”
Papua New Guinea’s challenging landscape, its remoteness, and the fact it sees approximately 11 metres of rain each year makes safety a very real concern for the mine.
“The footprint of Ok Tedi is quite extraordinary – it spans from the mining town of Tabubil, which is Ok Tedi’s home base, to mines 20 kilometres north of here. It covers 150 kilometres of road logistics, from Tabubil down to the river port in Kiunga.”
The company also barge their products along 800 river kilometres to the ocean. “There is also Port Moresby and Brisbane representation to manage,” adds Nigel.
Responsible for a workforce of some 5,000 people employed directly or indirectly by Ok Tedi, Nigel says the mine is extremely important to the local community, with an estimated 200,000 locals benefiting from it’s activities.
“The whole province lives off Ok Tedi and we are a major contributor to the economy of PNG, being its largest company as well as making up 18 per cent of its GDP and 30 per cent of its export earnings. We are a significant company for the country, yet we have some very specific safety challenges.”
Of those safety challenges, Nigel cites the rugged and narrow roads leading up and down the mountain, extreme weather conditions, such as fog and low-lying clouds, and the sheer size of the mine pit itself.
“Driver fatigue is a major issue. The linehaul trip, although only 150 kilometres, is very challenging as the road drops from 1,500 metres above sea level down to about one metre at the port town,” says Nigel.
In measures to reduce these safety risks, Ok Tedi has become the first company in Papua New Guinea to implement the Optalert Alertness Monitoring System. An Australian company that works with organisations to combat driver fatigue as a preventative measure, Optalert have delivered their system across the Ok Tedi bus and truck fleet. The bus fleet in particular is a safety concern for the mine, with each of the eight buses carrying up to 57 passengers to and from the mine every day.
“Last year we had a number of incidents where the drivers were fatigued and dozing off. These are very high mountains here and we can’t afford to risk a bus going over the edge,” adds Nigel.
In recent times, Ok Tedi has also looked to upgrade its fleet of prime movers to combat fatigue issues, and has seen mixed results. Upgrading their aging ‘grunt machines’ with manual gearboxes and dust-filled cabins, to a fleet of brand new auto electric Volvos, has ironically added all new fatigue challenges.
“Originally we felt these 20-year-old trucks were a contributor to driver fatigue so we went through a costly process of buying Volvos that were air-conditioned and had ergonomic seats. Now we find that these trucks are actually too easy to drive and operators are dozing off as a result – it is a different style of fatigue that is setting in.”
Following three recent major accidents – thankfully without any fatalities – Nigel says they are now reviewing the options of going back to the heavier grunt machines as part of fatigue and cost-management strategy.
“We have also looked to Optalert as a tool to help management and our drivers to better measure the state of alertness during a shift, and to record valuable data.”
Nigel points at that there are, however, some psychological challenges with Papua New Guinean drivers around the new technology, which works through tiny invisible light emitters and receivers built into the frame of Optalerts patented driving glasses. These measure the velocity of the driver’s eyelid 500 times per second and an alarm will then sound up to 30 minutes prior to sleepiness characteristics setting in. “Our drivers are simply not used to wearing glasses of any type while driving. This has been a challenge that I feel we are now starting to overcome with solid education.
“Then there is the intangible fear that someone is ‘watching’ while they are driving. And their worry over what repercussions they might face when they do show signs of drowsiness and receive warnings. We have taken great steps to make sure they understand that we as a company will never penalise someone for receiving an alert. Optalert is simply an alertness measure for their own safety.”
Nigel says his personal policy with the drivers has been to reiterate that they have total and absolute control over the vehicle. “I often tell our drivers that they are the captain of their truck. When the system is telling them that they are reaching levels of fatigue, then they have every right to pull over, have a walk around, kick the tyres etc.”
It is not only the safety of the individual that is paramount to Ok Tedi, Nigel explains, but also the extended family to which each of the company’s drivers is a lifeline providing income to potentially dozens.
“Everything that we do is because we want to support the drivers. We also have to be very considerate of our local communities here. An accident could cause the driver and the company serious social repercussions. We always ensure we do our utmost to protect our communities because Tabubil is their land and they are our landlords.” Having reached the 30-day mark with Optalert, Nigel says he is pleased with the results he has seen so far.
“The reports we have received are encouraging, as the drivers are starting to see that they do have control over their vehicles.
Moving forward, I’m sure we will see the full benefits as the drivers accept Optalert as a tool for their own safety.
We are the first to use it in Papua New Guinea. This is the premium company here by a long way and it is now 100 per cent owned to the benefit of the PNG people.”
This year marks the 30th year of corporate presence at Tabubil, with the Ok Tedi mine in operation for 26 years.
“This company is very important to the community. We are here for the long haul and we will not cut corners when it comes to our occupational health and safety,” says Nigel.
“I am really passionate about what I do; I couldn’t be here if I wasn’t. I am intensely interested in this company and its people. I am intensely grateful for the opportunities I have enjoyed in my own life – now I feel that being able to give something back is critical.”