From Systems to Safety Mindset
A Cultural Transformation Story
- Industry: Mining (Zinc)
- Region: Australia
- Workforce: 800+
Glencore’s Zinc Assets Australia division had solid safety systems in place, but leaders recognised something was missing — the culture needed to shift. People were compliant, but not always personally invested. Safety outcomes had plateaued. It was time to dig deeper.
This partnership was originally delivered through Sentis’ Zero-Incident Process (ZIP) methodology. Today, the same foundational principles are embedded within our refined Positive Safety approach, guided by the Driving Positive Safety framework.
From uncovering cultural insights to embedding change, here’s how we partnered with Glencore to create real impact.
Unearthing Cultural Truths
- Deployed a Safety Climate Survey (SCS) to assess employee perceptions
- Conducted Onsite Safety Evaluations across multiple locations to observe maturity in practice
- Delivered Safety Leadership Assessments (SLA) to evaluate current leadership behaviours and strengths
- Identified that the organisation was operating at the ‘Public Compliance’ stage of cultural maturity
We had the right systems, processes...all that stuff was in place. But we needed to do more work on the mindsets that drive behaviour.
Building a Shared Vision
Facilitated senior leader workshops to align on a clear safety vision and culture goals
Analysed site-specific data to tailor improvement pathways for each location
Designed three targeted development programs for:
Senior leaders
Frontline leaders
Team-level employees
Developed coaching passports to support long-term leadership growth and accountability
Shifting Mindsets and Behaviours
Rolled out senior leader training in April 2015, followed by team-level programs in March 2016
Commenced 1:1 and group leadership coaching in November 2016
Introduced tools and practical strategies to:
Improve error reporting
Strengthen safety conversations
Foster ownership and psychological safety
“We’ve seen a transition in reporting. People are more proactive, and there’s more follow-through and accountability.”
Embedding Change for the Long Term
Provided ongoing coaching to reinforce behavioural change
Delivered quarterly safety toolkits and trained supervisors to roll them out consistently
Conducted a follow-up climate survey in 2017 to assess impact and progress
Achieved measurable change in both lead and lag indicators
Results That Matter
decrease in LTIFR
increase in reporting of high-potential accidents
of participants felt confident applying what they learned
were highly motivated to implement new skills
rated the program above average compared to previous training
Watch Their Story
In this short video, Glencore’s Chief Operating Officer, Greg Ashe, shares how a focus on mindset helped shift safety culture and deliver lasting results.
Ready to Shift Your Culture?
Explore how our Driving Positive Safety approach can help you unlock mindset, strengthen leadership, and create a culture where safety sticks.
Contact UsBook a Meeting