Bogdanka supports safety

A new campaign is just taking off under the name “ZERO TOLERANCE for disregarding safety rules at work.” The first ads encouraging both miners and other residents of the Lublin region to be considerate at their work sites will be shown in early August, at the mine site and outside.

I am sure that the zero tolerance policy for disregarding occupational health and safety regulations at the Bogdanka mine will bring tangible benefits to all of us. Our health and even our lives depend on it. We need to feel responsibility not only for the equipment, but mainly for ourselves and for our colleagues from the team, from the shift or just from work in general. Therefore, even the smallest potential security risks cannot be underestimated. Each employee is responsible for complying with OHS regulations.

said Kasjan Wyligała, President of the Management Board of LW Bogdanka SA.

Striving for the highest safety standards requires a systemic approach and continuous improvement. Bogdanka realizes that one of the key factors for success in this area is employee education and training.

That is why the Company invests in human resources development, providing appropriate occupational health and safety training. Awareness of the risks and the ability to deal with them is crucial for any employee, regardless of position.

The premise of the zero-tolerance campaign works when safety is closely monitored, every employee is aware of the risks and responds to the occurrence of a problem himself, and any irregularities are immediately identified and rectified. This minimizes risks, but also increases safety and the overall comfort of this difficult and demanding work. However, we want to take the OHS campaign go a bit further, that is, beyond the mine. We want occupational safety to be discussed throughout the region, among our suppliers, business partners or partner companies. Our dream is that responsible work will also be talked about at home, in mining families. After all, no responsible person comes to a demanding job after consuming intoxicants, alcohol or, for example, strong drugs that slow down reactions.

explains Kasjan Wyligała.

The effects of the work to improve safety are evident in the year-on-year decrease in the number of accidents and the level of hazards at the Bogdanka mine. Thanks to the correct approach to safety (including through implemented procedures in accordance with ISO 45001:2018), the mine is achieving increasingly better indicators in this area. Between 2019 and 2021, there was a decrease in the number of accidents sequentially to 93, 79, 68 and finally to 67. It is worth noting that the decrease in accidents occurred despite the increase and subsequent maintenance of the headcount. In contrast, 2022 at Lubelski Węgiel Bogdanka S.A. was the fourth consecutive year in which a decrease in the number of accidents at work was recorded. Compared to 2021, the number of accidents at work dropped by 1.47%. In 2022, there were 66 accidents causing temporary disability. Unfortunately, during one of the unfortunate accidents last June, in which four miners were buried, one of them died. 

Our goal is to reduce accidents to zero. And this is not just a slogan, but a firm and concrete policy of the Company, whose costs last year amounted to nearly PLN 195 million. Investment in occupational health and safety is not just a current, one-year outlay, but a conscious strategic choice at the mine. The Management Board understands that maintaining the highest safety standards is the cornerstone of mining work. That's why investment in this area and a zero-tolerance policy for disregarding OHS regulations are considered a key element of the Company's strategy for long-term success.

said Adam Partyka, Vice President of the Management Board for Labor and Social Affairs.

On what specifically did the mine spend such big amounts? Reduction of technical risks and improvement of working conditions were implemented last year at Bogdanka through the replacement of machinery to ensure greater safety for employees, training on the operation of machinery, equipment and installations requiring appropriate qualifications, as well as skills in the area of operation of minor mechanization. In addition the technical condition of machinery and equipment was constantly monitored, and numerous innovative technical solutions were implemented in the operation of equipment and tools with improved safety standards. For example, in 2022, an Automated Emulsion Generation Station, an Emulsion Cooling Station and a Water Treatment Station were purchased. Additionally pump stations were delivered for supplying the hydraulic system of the powered support sections during longwall changeover work, and mobile flameproof transformer stations were supplied. Also, a new industrial data transmission system, brand new shunting tractors and a specialized diesel locomotive were purchased. For 2023, in turn, we have planned, among other things, the purchase of a specialized drilling and anchoring device, controlled wirelessly, designed for operation in underground coal mines, in rooms at risk of methane and coal dust explosion, as well as 11 sets of equipment for monitoring loading points under retention tanks.

adds Adam Partyka. 

But it's not just the equipment itself that helps keep the mine safe. The most important thing is the individual and his common sense, which reminds him that following procedures and regulations is the key to his safety. By approaching work in this way, we ensure the safety of all employees. We point out to employees that if they see any abnormality, which could potentially endanger health or life, they must react to such a situation, and not pass by indifferently. Training, discussions with employees and prevention are very important. We conduct numerous courses, including first aid training, and presentations on hazards related to, among others, mining, outfitting and decommissioning of longwalls and excavation of workings. We present, among other things, visualizations of accidents and instruction videos made by our company's employees. We hold open meetings on the surface, such as Safety Days and Days for Health, where employees can take advantage of a range of free medical examinations. The mine has in place the so-called Invention Commission, which collects ideas from LW Bogdanka employees, where, after positive verification, they are implemented in the operation of the mine.

adds Dariusz Szweda, head of the OHS Department at LW Bogdanka.

Another occupational health and safety proposal will be a public education and information campaign organized in August under the name "ZERO TOLERANCE for disregarding safety rules at work." Miners and residents of the region will be able to see more than a dozen billboards featuring Jarosław Hampel, speedway rider, multiple world team champion and champion of Poland, captain of the Platinum Motor Lublin team, and miners appealing for caution at work. Not just in the mine, but in every workplace. Newspaper advertisements will also be prepared, as well as two commercial videos that will be aired in the Lubelskie Voivodeship. Bogdanka's campaign in this edition will last until autumn this year.