South African company, Unitrans, has won the Most Outstanding Contractor Partner Safety Award at the Rio Tinto Rock Stars of the Year Safety Award 2025, held in Zanzibar.
This was the second consecutive year the company had scooped the award, defeating approximately 18 000 contractors across 35 countries on six continents, it announced in a statement on Monday.
The award recognises the company’s exemplary safety practices at Rio Tinto’s Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) operations, where it has been a partner for more than 40 years.
The company attributed its success to its comprehensive safety strategy that protects staff, clients, and products while fostering business growth through efficient supply-chain solutions.
“I’m exceptionally proud that we have won this award for the second consecutive year and that Rio Tinto’s safety maturity model has been implemented across the operation at Richards Bay Minerals,” said John Kettlewell, Unitrans mining executive.
Werner Duvenage, managing director for Rio Tinto Iron Titanium Africa Operations, said: “This remarkable achievement reflects the power of partnership and Unitrans’ dedication to safety excellence.
“Their journey demonstrates the positive impact of focus, commitment and collaboration, proving that meaningful change is possible when a team unites to prioritise safety.”
To meet rigorous safety standards the company underwent scrutiny from international auditors to demonstrate full integration of the mine’s safety culture.
This included proactive risk management, regular self-assessments, and ongoing progress reports to RBM’s management team. The company also excelled in onboarding new employees to adapt to the safety processes and implemented advanced technologies such as collision avoidance and driver-fatigue alert systems.
Unitrans contract manager, Sandile Shange, said the company’s approach aligned with Rio Tinto’s four-pillar framework of care, courage, curiosity and collaboration.
“We start each day with the care principle through holding two meetings at which employee wellbeing and the previous day’s experiences are discussed.
“In these meetings, we prioritise everyone’s physical and emotional well-being. Through the structure of our meetings, we build respect and trust of colleagues, while also emphasising environmental sustainability.”
He said care fostered a “brother’s keeper” culture, while courage encouraged employees to report hazards, such as new potholes, to mitigate risks, and curiosity drove learning through improvement sessions. Collaboration ensured teams worked together to meet performance targets.
Unitrans has also integrated artificial intelligence to analyse safety data, including driver fatigue, to enhance risk management.
“At the heart of our mission is empowering businesses with supply-chain solutions rooted in uncompromising safety. This isn’t just about risk mitigation; it’s a strategic growth accelerator,” said Unitrans CEO, Edwin Hewitt.
