Mining safety wasn’t a significant concern until 1891 when congress passed the first federal statute to govern and regulate mine safety. This first initiative included minimal ventilation and age requirements. While we have come incredibly far since then, as an industrial minerals company with five mining locations and hundreds of men and women who work there, Dicalite Management Group knows we still have a long way to go. Using the current Dicalite Management Group policies and programs as the foundation, we have streamlined and simplified the process to further safety efforts to our goal of Absolute Zero accidents. It starts with the ABC’s of Safety: Always Be Careful. The goals of our program include:

• Develop a proactive safety culture for all operations
• Instill a sense of ownership and pride in safety for all phases of operations
• Reduce injury rates–become an industry leader in safety
• Unify training for all employees where practical
• Improve and maintain compliance with regulators
• Improve and maintain recordkeeping obligations

Absolute Zero Safety Initiative

There are many ways we are planning for safety success, including new processes to put in place. Our top-level plans include:

• New hire safety training
• Annual safety training
• Incident and injury management and reporting
• Temporary staffing obligations
• Contractor obligations
• Increase and encourage communication
• Appropriate signage

Action Items

In order to reach our goals and implement plans, our action items include:

• Risk analysis at the beginning of a project and standard operating procedures for processes and equipment
• Track incident and injury rates, then identify trends
• Implement corrective actions to address trends
• Signage improvements and renewals for equipment, workplace safety tips, incident-related topics, and more
• Document and track training for all employees
• Maintain tracking for regulatory compliance
• Standardize recordkeeping formats and procedures for all sites

Our Partnership with Arbill Team for Absolute Zero

Arbill has been a leader in workplace safety processes since its founding in 1945. Arbill envisions a world where every single worker makes it home safely after every single shift. Its mission is to make every workplace one that embraces a culture of safety. Dicalite Management Group partnered with these experts in safety to create Absolute Zero. With their help, our plan includes:

• Support in providing quality PPE and other safety materials
• Incident and Injury Tracking Software
• Scheduling for training and tracking training progress
• Multi-format training opportunities available to all sites (on-site and online)
• Remote training sessions with multi-site potential

Surpassing Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) Guidelines

As part of Absolute Zero, we are following and surpassing government guidelines to make our working environment as safe as possible. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is a part of the United States Department of Labor. This government agency helps to reduce deaths, injuries, and illnesses in mines throughout the country with a variety of activities and programs that develop and enforce safety and health rules and provide technical, educational, and other types of assistance to mine operators.

Absolute Zero Accountability

December 6th is an important day for us to recognize; it’s National Miners Day, a holiday that honors the industrious men and women that supply the minerals for the demands of our society. As part of our celebration in December of 2021, we are going to check-in to ensure the effectiveness of this safety initiative. Rewards and recognition will include:

• Yearly recognition for best performers through the distribution of Absolute Zero Branded apparel
• Overall annual best performers chosen by the DMG Safety Committee receive a reward
• Lowest injury and incident rate measured through DART and TRIR
• Non-injury Incident Reports
• Best safety innovations and improvements

Dicalite Management Group is an international industrial minerals company with a unique multi-mineral platform including perlite, vermiculite, and diatomaceous earth. We are a vertically integrated company, so the minerals you received started right with our miners. Call us today at 866-728-3303 to discuss your mineral needs.