Safety key cornerstone in mining's success. (Executive Director).

Everyone in the mining industry has a vested interest in safety. It's why safety is the theme for the Saskatchewan Mining Association (SMA) in 2002.

Miners working underground in potash and uranium, truck drivers, drag line operators, tradespeople working in the mills and shops around the industry, office personnel and anyone who makes a living from the $2.4-billion mining industry takes safety to heart.

"Safety is a key cornerstone that we feel contributes to the success of our industry," says SMA Executive Director Phil Reeves. "As an industry we take great pride in our focus on safety. Everyone takes ownership of creating safe work environments and has a vision that they're part of a bigger process."

The best accident frequency rating of any mining jurisdiction in Canada is proof of what Reeves calls a 'safety culture' in Saskatchewan's industry. The lowest rating in a country perceived by people around the world to be extremely safe; that is, the best of the best.

"Our accident frequency rate is consistently around one per 200,000 hours. To put that in perspective, if one person worked for a hundred years they would have one lost-time accident," Reeves explains.

Saskatchewan companies mining uranium, potash and coal have consistently won national safety awards over the past few years. To win a trophy your mine must have close to a zero accident rating or in many instances a zero rating.

"We've raised the bar in terms of safety across the country," Reeves says. "Over the past five years the injury rate in our industry has decreased by 40 per cent."

Saskatchewan's safety-conscious mining workforce is made up of a high proportion of industry veterans. Reeves believes this is all the more reason to put safety first and foremost: attention must be paid to chronic injury concerns and new workers must be trained properly.

"A lot of ongoing effort goes into nurturing the safety culture," he says. "We have to continue to be diligent because it only takes a moment for an accident to happen, but a lifetime to recover from one.

Mining's safety culture extends to communities around the province, both on the front lines of emergency response and in individual homes. Men and women trained in mine rescue are often the first to join volunteer emergency services.

"The training they receive becomes a resource for the community in that they can transfer their skills to everyone. Other volunteers can feed off and learn from these highly skilled and well-trained individuals," Reeves says.

The whole idea of good corporate citizenship in Saskatchewan communities is important to the SMA and to Reeves personally. He's seen wonderful synergies develop between mines and the communities where their employees live.

"The mine provides very good employment opportunities and acts as a nucleus for other businesses," Reeves says. "Every business needs that sustainable client and then they have the ability to serve the rest of the client group in the area."

Survival of the rural economy depends on attracting people and businesses. Many of the province's mines are located in rural areas and allow people to continue working in traditional jobs. Other industries in the province such as forestry and large-scale livestock operations can take their cue from mining in how to be part of their communities.

"We've got to grow the population and get more young people out there," Reeves says. "We have the inherent benefits of the rural lifestyle but you need more than quality of life -- you need a critical mass of people.

"We're seeing it more and more in this age of technology that it is feasible to be in a rural community and still serve global customers. We're not bound to the city any more."

Changes in training methods also speak to the necessity of connecting to communities. The mining industry has seen a shift to on-site, modular training sessions held in comfortable environments that serve to reduce culture shock for new employees.

The SMA has also generated innovative measures to get into classrooms around the province and attract those future new employees. A comprehensive multi-media presentation available on both CD-ROM and VHS was created to provide better awareness as to the career opportunities available in mining.

A Teacher Tour program affords teachers a week-long examination of opportunities in mining, both with local operations and in corporations extending beyond the province's borders. Teachers then take their impressions back to the classroom.

"The beauty of the teacher tours is that in the course of visiting the mines they can see the diversity firsthand," Reeves says. "They visit all types of mines in a week and get positive reinforcement opportunities are there in everything from milling to underground to head office. With many current employees reaching retirement age and with exciting new development opportunities on the horizon the mining industry will continue to provide exciting and rewarding career opportunities for the young people of Saskatchewan as they move into the workforce."