In my four years in zinc mining, I have experienced a lot of turnover
within our company. However, one thing our company is committed
to is safety. Every meeting between managers and/or mining
personnel always begins with a safety share to bring awareness to a
recent hazard somewhere from another minesite or close call within
our own operations as a way to keep information fresh within our
daily tasks. I have never heard a pressure within management,
supervisors, or other experienced miners for individuals to cut
corners with regards to safety measures as a way to cut costs or
increase production. We are also constantly reminded that not only
do we have the ability to speak up as employees (even the Finance
department members like me) if we see an employee or contractor do
something unsafe, we are expected to do so. It is better to make
someone mad because for calling them out as opposed to just being a
bystander and allowing someone to put themselves or others in
harms way.
For any company's ethical culture to be an asset, it has to begin with
the upper management. Individuals making the rules have to be
willing to set the example for the rules to have any positive effect. If
the standard operating procedure is regarded as "red tape that slows
down production," then it becomes very clear where the company's
priorities lie. Secondly, these policies have to be communicated to
everyone in the company and there has to be consequences within
the company for not adhering to these policies. If the workers do not
know the right way to do things as part of the company's desired
culture, then the ethical culture is going to be poor. If there is nothing
in place to keep people from deviating from the correct behavior,
then it will not yield a good ethical culture either. Even our governing
body, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) will tell
miners that issues within the company should be taken to their
internal supervisor and/or the Safety Department before involving
MSHA, as they are much more effective at keeping safe by setting a
strong ethical culture of safety than MSHA can do by merely writing
citations. Obviously, serious infractions should involve reporting to
MSHA, but if the situation has risen to that level, it is usually the
result of poor culture within the company.
