In world-class mining, safety and control of fatality risks are a primary concern, which has led to a reduction in the number of deaths in mining operations (ICMM, 2015).
To improve safety, the focus is on strengthening proactive safety practices, in which the reporting of conditions and behaviors that meet expected standards plays a central role. In this way, near-misses can be made visible and accident prevention measures can be improved. However, despite the importance of reporting, its occurrence is often low because it is unpopular among workers. Indeed, those who report are often perceived as traitors to their teammates, making it difficult to implement.
The theory of social penetration (Altman & Taylor, 1973) establishes that when people manage to establish deeper interpersonal relationships, their attraction to others increases, as well as their ability to exchange information and are more willing to do things for others. By applying this theory to a 240-minute group program to promote safety and increase reportability, the impact of the measure on standard safety indicators such as the LTIF and the reportability of substandard safety behaviors and conditions, as well as on pretrial arrests, is evaluated.
The results show a sustained decrease in the LTIF indicator in the months following the program, as well as an increase in proactive safety indicators measured by reportability and arrests.
These results suggest that the intentional promotion of deeper, more intimate, and respectful interpersonal relationships is associated with improved safety performance, which in turn generates a higher quality of work life and, consequently, improvements in productivity and corporate reputation.