For the second consecutive year, logistics and supply chain solutions company Unitrans has won the Most Outstanding Contractor Partner Safety award from diversified miner Rio Tinto, at the 2025 Rio Tinto Rockstars of the Year Safety Awards ceremony.

Unitrans won the award for its “exemplary” contributions to South African mineral sands miner Richards Bay Minerals (RBM), of which Rio Tinto is a majority owner and operator, reports Unitrans in a statement.

To meet Rio Tinto’s stringent safety standards, Unitrans was required to demonstrate to international auditors that it had fully integrated the miner’s safety culture and practices across all its operations. This included adopting a proactive approach to risk and safety management, such as conducting regular self-assessments.

In addition, Unitrans had to provide ongoing progress reports to the management team of RBM, ensuring transparency and continuous alignment with safety expectations, as well as prove it had a strong focus on onboarding and supporting new employees to adapt quickly to RBM’s safety processes.

Here, Unitrans’ safety technologies, such as collision avoidance and driver-fatigue alert systems, ensured safety.

Unitrans also demonstrated a commitment to employee feedback, ensuring a workplace that is inclusive, respectful and continuously improving.

“I’m exceptionally proud that we have won this award for the second consecutive year and that Rio Tinto’s safety maturity model has been implemented across the operation at Richards Bay Minerals,” says Unitrans mining executive John Kettlewell.

Unitrans, which went up against an estimated 18 000 other contractors across 35 countries on six continents to win the accolade, believes that the implementation of a good safety strategy, as part of a holistic supply chain solution, is vital to ensure the safety of staff and clients while protecting products from theft.

“This remarkable achievement reflects the power of partnership and Unitrans’ dedication to safety excellence. Their journey demonstrates the positive impact of focus, commitment and collaboration, proving that meaningful change is possible when a team unites to prioritise safety,” says Rio Tinto iron titanium – Africa operations MD Werner Duvenhage.

Safety Pillars

Unitrans, which has been working with Rio Tinto at its RBM operations for more than four decades, follows the miner’s four-pillar approach to safety, helping ensure that the entire working environment is safe: care, courage, curiosity and collaboration.

“We start each day with the care principle through holding two meetings at which employee wellbeing and the previous day’s experiences are discussed. In these meetings, we prioritise everyone’s physical and emotional well-being,” says Unitrans contract manager Sandile Shange.

He adds that through the structure of Unitrans’ meetings, the company builds respect and trust of colleagues, while also emphasising environmental sustainability.

The pillar of care is evidenced through a culture of protecting fellow employees, while courage empowers Unitrans’ employees to speak up about potential hazards – like spotting a new pothole – so that risks can be mitigated, notes Unitrans.

“Curiosity flourishes in learning and improvement sessions where everyone learns from one another and collaboration ensures Unitrans’ teams plan and execute together to meet performance targets,” adds Unitrans in a statement.

As part of Unitrans’ commitment to RBM, it integrated the latest in trusted AI solutions to analyse data related to various aspects of safety, such as driver fatigue.

A complete safety strategy also boosts RBM and all Unitrans’ other clients’ growth through more cost-effective and streamlined processes, enabling Unitrans’ customers to improve their profitability through better productivity.

“At the heart of our mission is empowering businesses with supply chain solutions rooted in uncompromising safety. This isn’t just about risk mitigation; it’s a strategic growth accelerator,” says Unitrans CEO Edwin Hewitt.