Exemplifying its commitment to safety as it helps businesses grow, Unitrans has won the coveted Most Outstanding Contractor Partner Safety Award at the Rio Tinto RockStars of the Year Safety Awards for the second year in a row.

Unitrans, which went up against an estimated 18,000 other contractors across 35 countries in 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 every step of the way.

“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 John Kettlewell, Mining Executive at Unitrans. 

“This remarkable achievement reflects the power of partnership and Unitrans’s 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 Werner Duvenhage, Managing Director of Rio Tinto Iron Titanium  - Africa Operations.

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. Additionally, Unitrans must provide ongoing progress reports to the management team at Richards Bay Minerals (RBM), ensuring transparency and continuous alignment with safety expectations.

Unitrans also had to prove it had a strong focus on onboarding and supporting new employees to adapt quickly to RBM’s safety processes. It stood out through its superior safety technologies such as collision avoidance and driver-fatigue alert systems.

In addition, the company demonstrated a commitment to employee feedback, ensuring a workplace that is inclusive, respectful, and continuously improving.

The pillars of safety

Unitrans, which has been working with Rio Tinto at its Richards Bay Minerals (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. Through the structure of our meetings, we build respect and trust of colleagues, while also emphasising environmental sustainability,” explains Sandile Shange, Unitrans’ Contract Manager. 

Care shows itself in a culture of being our ‘Brother’s keeper,’ while courage empowers everyone to speak up about potential hazards – like spotting a new pothole – so that risks can be mitigated.

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. 

As part of Unitrans’ commitment to RBM, it integrated the latest in trusted artificial intelligence 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 Edwin Hewitt, CEO.