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Gord Winkel talks about life safety and technology improvement in mining |
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Gord Winkel talks about life safety and
technology improvement in the mining industry
In today’s economic climate, GoodOil continues to ask, “What are mining experts’ concerns, and what is their focus?” GoodOil recently had the opportunity to sit down with Gord Winkel, current Industrial Professor of Engineering Safety and Risk Management at the University of Alberta and the Chairperson of the Surface Mining Association for Research and Technology (SMART) industry association.
GoodOil: You have had a broad background in many facets of mining. It appears from your career achievements, that you especially have a passion for providing leadership in the areas of life safety and continued improvement in the application of technology within the mining world. Why are these two areas particularly of importance to mining executives?
GW: In regards to safety, anyone that takes leadership in a company has a responsibility to their people, society and the environment, and the success of the firm as a whole in achieving its particular objectives. Our duty should be first to live out our moral imperative and simply do the right thing. Ahead of any other objective we then have to ensure the safety and security of our people. People are most important to any organization, so when you put them first it drives a set of behaviors, and “operationalizes” how you move forward in your executive efforts to lead in your company. People coming first in the area of safety also sets up a culture that is very positively linked to excellence in all dimensions of company performance.
Technology, on the other hand, acts as a lever. Mining has benefitted greatly from technological advances. Leveraging these advances effectively to appreciate their benefits in a mine workface is something that takes a lot of work. We can make available a lot of technologies, but it takes real innovation and a culture of engagement to actually integrate those technologies effectively and realize their intended benefits. Technology will be a key driver as we move forward in the mining world.
GoodOil: How did your background in mine operations and mine management help to prepare you for your current role at the University of Alberta?
GW: I had the good fortune to work for most of my career with Syncrude Canada Ltd. where we encouraged learning and innovation in everything that we did. It is one thing to understand the sciences and their mechanics, and this is very important, but quite another to practically apply and implement them in an operating environment. The Syncrude experience has allowed me to appreciate the importance of leadership and teamwork, and enabling a culture of achievement. It is not just about the technologies; it’s a lot more about integrating them effectively into a workplace. That’s why, in my retirement, I’ve found it is important to reflect back to the students some of my learning so that they can achieve proficiency in actually making such things as safety and risk management practically work in the field.
GoodOil: Can you give our readers an understanding of what SMART is and why it exists?
GW: SMART, or the Surface Mining Association for Research and Technology, is an association made up of mining people who share a passion for making the mining industry better. These members regularly contribute from their personal time and effort to collaborate in industry-wide initiatives and best practice sharing. SMART was formed with the understanding that surface mining is a very important segment of the total mining industry, and there was a need to establish a forum for technology development and practice that did not exist previously. SMART provides surface mining people with an opportunity to explore and work with new emerging surface mining technologies based on the learning of others.
GoodOil: How has SMART’s collaborative research activities and projects affected and benefitted the mining industry, and what has been your contribution in these areas?
GW: One of SMART’s key value propositions is “networking.” SMART provides a forum where people from mining operations around the world – Canada, the US, Australia and most recently South Africa – can come together to compare practices and achievement. SMART also provides education through yearly “Learning Seminars” which draw from our membership companies. Participants learn and contribute their experience on a large variety of topics ranging from safety, maintenance and production effectiveness, application of best practices in mine operations and many more focus areas. SMART has also been instrumental in establishing user groups in which people with like equipment or interests can get together to advance that particular interest in the mining industry. These have included groups focused on truck/shovel performance, large off-road tire reliability, benchmarking equipment performance and establishing compatible data transmission systems. In terms of my role here, I’ve had the privilege and pleasure as acting as the Chair for SMART since 2002.
GoodOil: You have a lot of practical, research and operational experience in the mining industry. Can you talk about the some of the current issues facing the mining industry that you have found at both the university and the mine level?
GW: One key issue for mining is that it is not well-understood by society in terms of its impact and contribution to our standard of living. That leads to an information gap which does not allow people to be truly informed about what mining does. This is critical because mining is very important in everything that we do in society. If it isn’t grown, it has to be mined. When you consider the implications of that very simple statement, you start to appreciate how mining positively touches every part of our daily lives. Mining is also not necessarily recognized for much of its good work in terms of safety and environmental performance, owing to legacy issues and lack of information. Although my focus is on safety and risk management at the University, I also continue on as the VP of the Canada Mining Innovation Council whose vision it is to make Canada a global leader through leading edge innovation and research, and this too requires our society to be more informed about the mining industry.
GoodOil: In addition to staying up-to-date on new technologies and future needs within the mining industry, what other roles do research & development play in today’s rapidly evolving mining industry?
GW: Research and development is not an option; it’s a must. In every field of endeavor, technology development is changing how we live, work and interact. Leveraging technology is very important in improving performance in safety, production, costs, the environment, and project management. Mining must move forward to collaborate on these technology developments to apply them creatively and effectively. What distinguishes mining companies is less about what technologies are available to them and more about their ability to use the technologies to achieve benefit within their operations. I’m a strong believer that technology is an enabler. With Canada being such a resource blessed nation, and having mining firms in abundance, we’re already a leader in mining. It is a key imperative to put technology in the forefront so we can stay there and be globally competitive.
GoodOil: How can Universities, mining companies and mining associations, such as SMART, work together to help develop a safer, more informed future for the mining industry?
GW: The University of Alberta has made “Safety and Risk Management” a core competency available to our engineering and business faculties, and we’re looking to expand that as a requirement in the future. Having a university that integrates safety and risk management into a curriculum is a very leading effort, and one that is starting to gain traction in other universities across Canada. This really sets the students apart with key skill development and helps them succeed in their future endeavors.
Additionally, the Universities and SMART also pursue programs related to safety and risk management effectiveness. In the SMART arena, as an example, we are working very hard to support efforts on integrating human factor design considerations into mining equipment. While equipment can be designed to very effectively move material, seeing that the equipment can be safely operated and maintained is not always first and foremost in the original designs. We are now through SMART working in conjunction with a number of leading global efforts to see how we can in turn work with original equipment manufacturers to incorporate these safer constructs into equipment.
GoodOil: What are some of the myths and misconceptions that the general public has towards mining?
GW: A lot of people don’t realize that mining makes our standard of living possible. Green technologies like hybrid cars, wind turbines, and solar cells, through to housing, vehicles, medicines, electricity, computers and more are all provided through mining products. In fact, a recent study out of the U.S. shows a requirement of 3.3 million pounds of minerals, metals, and fuels over a person’s lifetime.
Second, many people don’t realize that mining is a major player in Canada’s economy. Mining contributes around 5% to Canada’s GDP, pays about $11.5 billion in taxes and royalties to provincial and federal government, supplies 19% of Canada’s total exports, 55% of all the railway revenue freight, and 70% of all the port volumes.
Third, many don’t realize the fact that mining supports people. In Canada, there are around 115 communities and 1200 Aboriginal communities that are in proximity to mines across the country and enjoy the benefits of that proximity. Further, mining is the largest private sector employer of Aboriginal Canadians and offer wages that are, on average, higher than most other trades in manufacturing, finance or construction.
Additionally, mining is a leader in safety! Mining practices excellence in risk management. In Ontario alone, mining has the lost-time injury frequency that’s about half of all industrial sectors in the province. It’s safer than electrical, pulp, paper and manufacturing sectors. It’s three times safer than working in forestry, construction, and healthcare and four times safer than working in transportation or agriculture. Year over year we have entire operations turning in zero lost-time injury performance across Canada.
Finally, mining is socially responsible. While it’s true that we have legacy issues from the past, mining has made great strides forward. We have reclamation excellence that continues to reform disturbed land into productive habitats. We have close to 200 metal and non-metal mines in Canada, but cumulative emissions are less than 1% of Canada’s total emissions. Canadian mining firms have implemented a number of reclamation schemes that have won awards for excellence in their efforts. Mining is looking to minimize its environmental impact while, at the same time, asserting that it is a necessary and important part of our industrial landscape.
GoodOil: How can industry and university leaders better educate the public to the importance of mining in our society?
GW: It’s a personal responsibility! Everyone in the industry needs to make the effort. Each one of us can become a leader in mining by simply being informed. If we all take the time to learn the facts about our industry, then we can each be representatives for the industry in every forum of society. Each one of us should realize mining is an industry we can be proud to be part of, and when we confront head-on some of the myths and misconceptions about our industry, we are making a difference. Those efforts will help us to create a culture that appreciates mining as an industry.
GoodOil: This newsletter goes out to several thousand mining leaders, most of whom have a different set of experiences than you. Can you share some thoughts on lessons that you’ve learned over the years that could be helpful to our readers?
GW: I believe that our greatest and most important asset is the people that are working within in our industry. I’m very much an advocate for a principle based leadership construct which is focused on engaging those people and positively making them part of our future solutions to achieve continuous improvement in our industry. Their innovation and creativity, if appropriately harnessed through leadership in a culture of teamwork, remains a huge opportunity for us as we move into the future, and one from which I continue to see good results emerging.
To learn more about the University of Alberta, visit www.ualberta.ca To learn more about SMART, visit http://www.smartmines.com If you are interested in more information about Dingo’s Condition Based Asset Management programs, contact us directly by phone or email at goverboe@dingo.com. In North America call +1 888 346-4630 and in Australia, call +61 7 3115 9000.”
About Gord Winkel:
Mr. Winkel graduated from the University of Alberta with a B.Sc. (1977) in mechanical engineering. He completed a M.Sc. (1979) in the same field while conducting wind tunnel research. Mr. Winkel has extensive experience in the oil sands. He was Vice President, Aurora Bitumen Production at Syncrude Canada Ltd. for five years, served as General Manager of Extraction also for five years with Syncrude, and was Manager of Extraction Operations and formerly Manager of Mine Maintenance/Operations again with Syncrude. After retiring as a Vice President of Syncrude, Mr. Winkel went on to teach at the University of Alberta in the Faculty of Engineering. His work to improve workplace safety and promote mining innovation has led him to deliver presentations across Canada for the Canadian Institute of Mining. Gord is supporting mining research and technology development in Canada as Vice President of the Canadian Mining Innovation Council. He additionally chairs the Surface Mining Association for Research
and Technology (SMART). He has also accepted a board position on Careers, The Next Generation Foundation and chairs the J.T. Ryan Safety Committee for the Canadian Institute of Mining which recognizes annually mining operations across Canada that achieve safety performance excellence.
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