At Unitrans, there is a firm belief in the power of doing. “We have a responsibility towards our customers, our employees, as well as the communities we operate in, to do our utmost towards sustainability, the environment and safety,” says Burger. “These principles guide us in all of our operations.”
A safe workplace is a sound business
At Unitrans, a proactive approach is taken to safety, especially in the mining environment with its stringent rules and regulations. Training is critical to a safer workplace, says Johan Swanepoel, SHERQ manager for the Mining Business Unit. “With our in-house training facilities, it is an ongoing activity in our company that supports our culture of safety and ensures a capable workforce, armed with the necessary knowledge and skillset.” The company is committed to the development of its employees and career development is part of the training focus.
“Many of our employees started their careers as general workers and, through our training programme, have upskilled to machine operators and even team leaders.” According to Swanepoel, a wide range of safety protocols are in place to ensure safer operations.
“Our vehicles and equipment are equipped with systems such as DriveCam and Drive Alert. Since the introduction of these technologies, we have seen a steady decline of incidents. This has been the case for both on-road and on-mine operations within the Mining Business Unit which includes road-going trucks, as well as heavy off-road mining equipment,” he says.
The company is also intent on developing new talent. Its diesel mechanic internship is one example of its ongoing investment in skills development. The current intake has also shown the company’s commitment to gender equality, with four of the five interns being women.
Community development
For Unitrans it is important to invest in the local economies and talent pools they are operational in. The company is known for hiring from the communities where their operations are based and up to 98% of staff are from the areas where operations are in. According to Burger, more women are being employed across the business – despite mining and logistics traditionally being considered male-dominated industries.
The company’s ongoing commitment not only to its staff and the communities that it operates in, but also its ongoing focus on safety and the environment, has led to it recently being nominated for the Chairman’s Award of an international mining house, an accolade that is testament to its purpose-driven culture.
