Embedding Safety From Day One
How Sentis Supported Olympic Dam's Growth
- Industry: Mining
- Region: Australia
- Workforce: 400+
The Olympic Dam Project 1 (ODP1) marked the first phase of BHP’s Open Pit operation in South Australia. The Infrastructure Team was tasked with establishing the facilities to support construction and early production, including bulk earth works, pipelines, a contractor’s village, airport, maintenance facilities, high-voltage substations, and road developments.
With hundreds of new personnel mobilising across multiple sites and health, safety and environment (HSE) systems still being finalised, the project faced a high-risk environment where embedding safety needed to be immediate, practical, and effective.
Sentis partnered with BHP Billiton and its contracting partners to design and deliver a customised Cognitive Behavioural Safety Program across two stages.
The project’s Definition Phase Study (DPS) was successfully completed in May 2012 and pre-commitment funding to begin establishment of early site works and purchase of long lead plant and equipment commenced in September 2011. Commencement of early site works establishment whilst at the same time finalising the DPS has meant that the project has been very dynamic which has presented many challenges for BHP Billiton and Contracting Partners in terms of health, safety and environment performance. Despite this, the Infrastructure team including all Contracting Partners achieved one year recordable injury free in the first 12 months of site execution work during a period when HSE systems were not fully bedded down and hundreds of new personnel were mobilising to site.
Classroom Learning
All workers completed a one-day Positive Safety Program (delivered at the time as ZIP Basics), equipping them with cognitive tools to take personal responsibility for safety and identify workplace risks.
Supervisors undertook a two-day Positive Safety Program (formerly ZIP Leaders Module 1), focused on applying neuroscience to overcome common safety leadership challenges.
Superintendents and above completed both foundation and leadership components of a Positive Safety Program across 4-days (then ZIP Leaders Modules 1 & 2), gaining advanced tools such as effective questioning and straight-talking techniques.
In-Field Learning & Embedding
- Safe Days Boards were introduced in daily pre-starts, providing structure and promoting more effective safety conversations.
Leaders of pre-starts attended the Leading MindSets program, designed to boost facilitation and communication skills.
Onsite coaching helped leaders embed tools in real-world contexts, enhancing team engagement and communication.
Results That Matter
The program helped transform pre-starts into a powerful communication channel and strengthened leaders’ ability to influence safety behaviour. Cognitive concepts became part of daily routines, and the project achieved an outstanding milestone:
personnel mobilised across multiple sites
reportable injuries recorded over a one-year period
This result was achieved during one of the most challenging stages of the project — before all HSE systems were fully established — highlighting the impact of effective training, leadership engagement, and practical behavioural tools.
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