Pegasus

NCIG

Overview

In 2007, the Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group (NCIG) received approval from the New South Wales Government to build and operate a coal export terminal at Australia’s largest coal port. The port of Newcastle moved almost 100 million tonnes of coal in 2010 and this amount is scheduled to double in the next decade.

NCIG is a joint venture between six major coal producers - BHP Billiton, Centennial Coal, Donaldson Coal, Peabody Energy, Yancoal and Whitehaven Coal - and has a 35 year lease on the 136 hectare site on Kooragang Island where the Hunter River has been deepened so ships can reach the new berths.

The first stage of the terminal, with capacity to load 30 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa), was officially opened in May 2010 and 8.4 million tonnes were exported through the terminal on 133 ships to January 2011.

Construction of the second stage, which will boost capacity to 53 Mtpa, started in October 2010 and includes a new rail unloading facility, rail sidings, two additional stacker/reclaimers, additional conveyors and sample stations and an additional shiploader.

NCIG

The Challenge

With a greenfield site there are no safety management systems in place - all systems are developed from the ground up. The challenge is further complicated for a facility that incorporates standards and procedures across several different industries including rail, maritime, logistics and materials handling.

NCIG needed to establish a set of site safety protocols which could be easily communicated to all contractors and site visitors, then roll this program out to everyone that wanted to undertake work at the new terminal.

Construction of the facility was completed ahead of time so some of the site management systems, including those centred on risk assessment, had to be implemented on a very tight schedule.

NCIG

The Solution

NCIG HSEC Manager, Nathan Juchau was impressed with the feedback he had received from several of the venture partners who had worked with Pegasus on various projects in the past.

The Pegasus Safety Division includes experts in compliance and risk mitigation and has a combined experience of over 150 years. The team had established its credentials in the mining and mine services sector. In more recent years the Safety Division has worked in the transport, retail, manufacturing, logistics and professional services sector and now boasts a broad range of clients across every state and territory.

Working hand in glove with the NCIG HSEC Management Plan, Pegasus moved quickly to implement its proven formula of safety protocols which includes:

• A process of registration where all businesses must submit copies of documents that cover legislative requirements such as public liability, workers compensation and professional indemnity.
• Pre-qualification audits – to ensure each business or contractor has the required level of qualifications and that these documents are all up to date. The audit is based on Australian Safety Standard AS/ NZ 4801 and includes assessment of the applicants OH&S policy and Risk Methodology.
• Coordinate an induction program (online and face-to-face) to convey the site safety requirements to every individual who accesses the terminal.
• Consulting with suppliers and contractors regarding any identified deficiencies that could prevent them from meeting the standards that have been set.
• Establishment of an onsite training register to ensure all records are stored in a safe, secure place and are readily accessible to NCIG management.

The onsite training register is administered by Pegasus’ industry leading contractor tracking software, Onsite Track Easy. Through this web-based program, NCIG management have access to all safety and training records of all contractor and business partners in real time. The software also alerts both the administrator and the contractor if any qualifications require updating or renewal.

NCIG

The Results

In the first three months of operation the Pegasus Safety Division registered, audited and approved 55 companies to have staff access at the new coal loader. In that same period Pegasus also successfully helped induct 350 individuals so that they were able to work onsite.

Speed and accuracy are just two of the deliverables that set Pegasus apart from other safety and compliance specialists.

Our systems are proven to help maximise penetration of safety policies and procedures to all stakeholders and minimise risk for the site manager. And the benefits are many including less total reportable injuries (TRI’s), lower insurance premiums and a greatly reduced risk of litigation.

NCIG HSEC Manager, Nathan Juchau said the protocols established and maintained by Pegasus set the right tone for all management, staff, contractors and suppliers from the very start.

“The safety and monitoring systems that Pegasus have implemented for NCIG have assisted, in both time and cost, in establishing our contractor risk management program which provides our management team peace of mind that we know all bases are covered,” he said.

“This is a somewhat unique operation because it covers a wide range of transport and logistical activities yet we found the procedures implemented by Pegasus were relevant and easily transferrable to any supplier or contractor no matter what their core function on the site.

“We were moving very quickly last year to make sure we were operational as soon as possible and Pegasus showed initiative and project management skills in helping us meet our deadlines.”