Rössing Uranium scooped the Chamber of Mines of Namibia’s Inter-Mine Safety Competition Award for operating mines (Division A) in the country. This was announced by the Chairperson, Health & Safety Committee, Barcelona Tsauses, on Wednesday, 30 August 2023, at the Chamber of Mines of Namibia’s Mining Expo and Conference.

Rössing Uranium, Health, Safety and Environment Manager Jacklyn Mwenze accepted the award on behalf of the mine, for the third time, in the past five years.

In her acceptance speech, she said, it is a privilege to be recognized for our contribution to the success of creating a safe work environment for all who walk through the gates of Rössing Uranium Limited.

“Rössing accepts this prestigious award with grace and humility knowing that with safety no one really arrives. We are all on a journey founded on sound values and a sheer commitment to the safety and wellbeing of everyone who works at Rössing, and we do not rest on this journey, as every second is precious in terms of preservation of human lives,” she said.

“We all know that great achievements are possible only with the cooperation of many minds sharing a common vision and working toward a common goal. The teamwork of more than 2000 people working at Rössing allowed us to reach these great heights of excellence in safety performance to which we received your recognition.”

Using Simon Sinek’s “starting with the WHY” analogy; putting safety management as a priority in a business is like starting with the “WHY” and the Rössing Uranium answer to that why is – because WE CARE, “We care for our people’s safety and wellbeing, and we care for the environment in which we operate. This is the core value that drives our efforts.

“Ownership speaks to leaders that walk the talk by setting and upholding workplace health and safety policies and ensuring that everyone actively owns and participates in the programs and initiatives. Partnership for us speaks to our own efforts that are aimed at workforce engagement and encouraging participation to extend beyond the workplace. Using innovation enables us to go beyond the status quo and keeps us finding new ways to work safer and smarter while at the same time highlighting unsafe conditions/situations to the right people for timely response,” she said.

Mwenze concluded by explaining that the award is not just about recognition for being a company with top-class practices in safety. She emphasized that it is representative of how Rössing values people and how they work together to make Zero Harm a reality so that every individual can return home safely and healthy at the end of each workday.