20 September 2024

2024 Safehaven Conference a resounding success

Whitehaven Coal’s annual Safehaven Conference took place on 17 September, with the well-attended event once again providing a range of insights and learning opportunities for the more than 250-strong crowd.

Now in its 10^th year, the Safehaven Conference is Whitehaven’s annual safety event focused on building safety leadership capability and encouraging collaboration on the company’s annual Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) strategic plans.

The conference was the biggest yet. Video highlights capturing the enthusiastic and collaborative atmosphere on the day can be viewed here.

A key feature of Safehaven each year is the involvement of Whitehaven’s Board and Executive Leadership Team (ELT). Chairman, Mark Vaile, and CEO, Paul Flynn were among the speakers on the day, while a range of other Board and ELT members also participated in the collaborative sessions with Whitehaven’s on-the-ground operations teams throughout the event.

This year’s event was MC’d by Carmen Braidwood and featured keynote addresses from a range of subject matter experts, including Kim Nguyen, Dr Amantha Imber and Dr David Poran who covered topics such as learning from change, small steps that can have a massive impact, and how to make the shift from a compliance organisation to a learning organisation.

The audience also heard from Whitehaven’s operational teams about some of the successes, challenges and opportunities they’ve identified in the health and safety space.

The conference theme was Leading change together, in a nod to the transformational change Whitehaven has undergone in the last 12 months through the acquisition of the Blackwater and Daunia metallurgical coal mines in Queensland, the beginning of early mining at Vickery, and the transition to rehabilitation at Werris Creek.

Speaking at the event, CEO, Paul Flynn, noted that the acquisition was a significant undertaking that required a relentless focus on safety.

“Safety, stability and a commitment to minimising disruption underpinned our successful approach to the acquisition and the period of hypercare that followed,” he added.

“We know that change can be jarring at times. It often results in changes to processes that have been in place for a lengthy period and adopting not just new ways of working, but new ways of thinking.

“It’s been great to see the willingness of our people to embrace this change and we are confident we will reap the benefits for years to come.

“As we move into this new chapter for our business, we’re focused on developing a strong, cohesive safety culture within the organisation that involves everyone contributing ideas, taking responsibility, and supporting each other throughout the journey.”

Sarah Withell, Whitehaven’s EGM Health, Safety & Environment, praised the outstanding quality of presenters and the participation from attendees at the conference.

“The success of Safehaven hinges on the active engagement and contributions of attendees on the day, and this year’s participants exceeded our expectations once again,” she added.

“The Safehaven Conference provides us with a unique platform to bring together leaders from across our business to collaborate with renowned experts in Health, Safety and Environmental leadership.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for knowledge sharing that can drive positive, tangible change within our industry.

“We have invested a lot of energy, time and resources into enhancing our HSE outcomes in recent years and it’s pleasing to see the benefits of this investment materialising.

“We have created alignment and consistency in our systems and processes across our operations and as a result we have built greater transparency, clarity and, most importantly, a safer place for people to work.

“We look forward to another great event in 2025.”

Photos from the event can be viewed here.

For more information about Whitehaven’s Safehaven Conference, please contact Andrew Denovan.

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