Safety message from Holger Riemensperger of AECI

Legislation, regulatory and compliance requirements, industry benchmarks and metrics drive a transparent approach to safety reporting for businesses. I do not disregard the importance of reporting, but to me, safety is far greater than mere metrics. Working in manufacturing across various industries for the bulk of my career, I have developed a stance on safety that relates its importance to the value of human wellbeing and life itself – a metric that has an intangible value, disproportionately higher than any possible gain or loss of compliance points.

Early on in my career, we had a fatality at one of the operations in my area of responsibility. I visited the family, to break the news. As a son, father and husband, this singular experience changed my life forever as I witnessed the family imploding into grief. There are no words one can find to explain to a family that their son or daughter, husband or wife, mother or father, will not be coming home. In that instant, the immeasurability of the safety and wellbeing of the people that work for me, weighted down on me. One cannot put a value on life, as the impact of life altering injuries and fatalities reach far further than the span of our operations, with the impact of its consequences being felt for generations to come. Safety incidents are profound, in that they ripple into society, starting with a person, filtering into a family, then the extended family, reaching into a community and altering the fibre of a society.

As the CEO of AECI Limited, I hold the responsibility of the wellbeing and safety of over 7,300 people; a responsibility I take extremely seriously. Albeit AECI took every conceivable measure, matched with relentless training, the company suffered two work-related fatalities in 2023. These fatalities were not related to explosives, but are important to mention as the emotional impact this had across the organisation, reverberates to this day. We reacted with an immediate intervention program, encouraging everyone to rise up and take safety leadership regardless of rank or work level. Every AECI employee has to be a safety leader and a safety champion.

Our Zero Harm integrated approach is based on the fundamentals of accountable leadership; engaged and empowered employees; risk-based SHEQ Management and continuous improvement, with a particular focus on process safety. Our Zero Harm strategy is fundamentally about changing the way we approach safety - moving away from a compliance-centric approach to care-focused, proactive engagements influencing behaviours for better outcomes. Through our care and trust drivers, we aim to build a better safety culture by fostering open communication, encouraging mutual respect and promoting accountably, building stronger relationships and shared responsibility for everyone's physical and mental wellbeing. At AECI, this shows up with being your brothers’ and sisters’ keeper, and we show up with dirty hands and full hearts – willing to roll up our sleeves, get our hands dirty to get the job done, with engaged and full hearts, responsible not only for ourselves, but our colleagues as well.

AECI is committed to upholding the highest safety standards, aligning with the goals of SAFEX. Given the inherent risks involved in mining and handling explosive materials, our responsibility to safety extends far beyond our own operations—it is an integral part of our customer commitment. AECI ensures safe operations at customer sites where we operate or supply products, continuously pushing the boundaries with innovative products that elevate safety standards beyond the norm. Our focus on cutting-edge digital services and training, including virtual reality modules for both AECI employees and customer personnel, ensures that safe product handling remains a top priority. In line with SAFEX’s mission, AECI believes in transparency and the open sharing of safety-related incidents across the industry. By collaborating with peers, we aim to foster a culture of collective learning that raises the safety benchmark for the entire sector. Safety is not a competitive advantage but a shared responsibility across the explosives industry.

To SAFEX, thank you for shining a spotlight on the importance of building a safety-conscious movement and driving continuous safety improvements throughout our industry. As leaders, we take on the responsibility and accountability to achieve our shared vision of Zero Harm across the sector. SAFEX is an essential forum for fostering these improvements, with transparency being the key to making them a reality. SAFEX has AECI’s, and my personal, full support as we work together to elevate safety standards across our industry.

Holger Riemensperger
AECI Limited
Group Chief Executive Officer

For queries, please contact:
Contact: Craig Maritz
Email: craig.maritz@aeciworld.com
Mobile: +27 76 983 1555