LIVING AND BREATHING SAFETY

Daniel is a Safety Representative and Plant Attendant in Rustenberg, South Africa, who has worked at Glencore for five years. He lives and breathes safety, at work and at home. He’s proud to be part of a global organisation that helps him learn from different countries’ best practices.

Outside of work, Daniel coaches primary and secondary school soccer teams.

Daniel’s sense of responsibility extends beyond his team. He also feels responsible for his local community and always considers the long-term impact and sustainability of the operations.

Safety is part of our daily lives. When we leave our homes and drive to work, we get in and instinctively fasten our seatbelts. At work, we must follow similar protocols to protect ourselves and others.

Again, it’s like driving a car. If you do not check things like the tyres, you are as much a danger to yourself as you are to other drivers. Safety is my number one priority from the moment I wake up in the morning. I never compromise when it comes to safety.

Before learning how to kick a ball, you need to learn the rules of the game. When you’ve got a full kit, soccer boots, shin pads - that’s your PPE. It’s the same at work. Before anything else, we always make sure that we’ve done a risk assessment. You need to look at the premises and check it is safe enough. Are there any hazards? If there are, do we have the correct tools or PPE to manage it?

This is a company that takes care of its communities. There are projects that help youngsters and remind them they are the leaders of tomorrow. At work the difficult part is conveying the need for leadership to a team. I can’t just lecture them and tell them they’re wrong. I need to think about how I can best communicate with different people. If I don’t correct you but allow you to do the wrong thing, that’s irresponsible and I haven’t acted with integrity.

You can’t be a safety representative without integrity.