Assessments were undertaken at all sites (surface and underground) and in some cases
within each site (e.g., underground operations, surface coal preparation plant). Once the
level of maturity was established, improvement plans were developed to improve the
maturity of individual standards that were weaker than the average and/or improve the
maturity as a whole. The model was likened to a journey as there was a strong focus on
continual improvement and effectiveness of the standards, rather than pure compliance.
The model has been found to be a practical and useful tool by sites as a means of
identifying strengths and weaknesses within their systems, and as a means of assurance
with the safety management system standards.
Keywords: safety culture; safety management systems; safety maturity
1.