Alegra Safety

When it comes to issues such as safety, security and emergency/crisis management, in-house knowledge may not always be enough. Bringing in specialist expertise ensures that no stone is left unturned in the implementation of robust and comprehensive systems to cover every eventuality.

Perth, Western Australia-based Alegra Safety is a consultancy offering safety management, risk management, emergency management, security management and OHS auditing to businesses of all sizes across the world.

The company’s considerable international expertise saw it recently selected as the primary safety contractor for the Khnaiguiyah Mining Company’s joint venture project between Saudi Arabian mining company Manajem and Australia-based mining company Alara Resources—the first combined zinc and copper mine in Saudi Arabia. When at full production in 2014, the zinc-copper mine will have an annual throughput of more than one million tons per annum and is likely to employ over 500 people, all of whom will need a safe and secure working environment.

“It is Alegra Safety’s international expertise as well as its strong industry reputation that made us the obvious choice to assist this Saudi Arabian project with developing a customised and comprehensive safety management system for the site,” explains principal consultant Stephen McPherson. “Each of our safety management systems will meet all legislative requirements and international standards; and once developed, our competent and internationally accredited staff will assist with implementation.”

McPherson adds that the opportunity to be involved in this landmark project is very exciting, and that the company is looking forward to increasing the profile of safety in the Middle East. “We are in the business of protecting businesses and their people from incidents that can so easily occur when rules and guidelines are not in place. We are encouraged by KMC management’s strong support of safety and believe this project will become the template for other businesses in the Middle East to follow.”

Shanker Madan, managing director of Alara Resources, comments: “Management has appointed Alegra Safety to assist with developing a comprehensive safety management system which will take this project from feasibility all the way through to first production. We take the safety of our employees very seriously and we want to ensure that this project meets the highest safety standards possible and provides all our employees with a risk- and hazard-free work environment.”

For any business serious about protecting employees, a comprehensive safety management system is a must. This is a structured system providing the rules and guidelines that management expect their employees to follow when it comes to safety, including areas such as how to operate machinery safely, what protective safety equipment needs to be worn at all times, what areas are restricted and so on. A system like this helps protect employees from all possible safety injuries on site, as well as protecting the business from legal ramifications as a result of an injury. 

In addition, a work site with fewer injuries means less forced shutdowns—saving the business both time and money. This results in a stronger financial performance, which is a key to attracting foreign investment for any project. A strong safety performance can also give a business a competitive edge to help differentiate it in a global market. 

Alegra Safety can also create risk management strategies for companies large or small, wherever they are in the world. The team analyses, assesses and evaluates all potential risks that can impact on a business and its employees before creating a risk management strategy using risk management plans to meet ISO 31000:2009 requirements; hazard identification; risk assessment; business continuity plans (disaster recovery); hazard operability studies workshops; job safety analysis; and risk register development.

Security is another area in which the company specialises. “Security management is simply about identifying key issues that affect your business and creating a plan that keeps your staff safe and your business operating continuously,” explains McPherson.  

A security issue can be any activity which adversely impacts the business’s normal operations, attracts intense stakeholder interest, threatens reputation and ultimately jeopardises ongoing viability. Alegra Safety creates best practice security plans for businesses, integrating risk management, corporate governance, strategic management, risk and communications, issues and reputation management and strategic security to provide a complete security management service. Services provided include risk assessment and analysis, preparation of management systems and teams, communications, and customised training and exercises.

Clients are given the skills and capability to identify and vigilantly avoid threats leading to breaches and to swiftly and effectively handle incidents threatening organisational survival. And where there are existing security management structures, plans and processes in place, Alegra Safety is able to audit and assess their effectiveness and suitability against international practices with a view to validating and improving them. 

However the company’s services are not limited to management plans, says McPherson. “An important part of this process is assessing management’s capability to identify and avoid threats leading to security breaches and the existence of key success factors, such as carefully developed stakeholder relationships and competently trained personnel.”

Emergency planning is another key area of Alegra’s offering. “When a crisis does occur, your business’s survival may well depend on your ability to act quickly and appropriately,” comments McPherson. “This is where a crisis management plan can be worth its weight in gold.”

Most businesses will have an emergency and crisis management plans, elements of which may include pre-crisis risk assessment and analysis, business continuity (disaster) processes, preparation of management systems and teams, crisis communications planning, customised training and exercises, in-crisis support, and post-crisis recovery and review. Alegra Safety believes its services can add significant value to existing plans, however comprehensive they may already be. The company provides customised emergency management plans, created specifically for an individual business, based on best practice crisis, emergency and business continuity principles and integrating the elements of risk management, corporate governance, strategic management, risk and crisis communications, issues and reputation management and strategic security.

www.alegrasafety.com.au