Quarry sits down with Henrietta Jukes, Komatsu Australia’s new General Manager for Safety and Sustainability.
Newly appointed as manager for safety and sustainability for Komatsu, Henrietta Jukes is pioneering a new role for the company as the point of call for increasing the safety and sustainability outcomes for Komatsu customers and employees.
Jukes will work with the executive team to lead safety and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy initiatives and achieve Komatsu’s strategic goals in these areas. Komatsu’s national safety team will report directly to Jukes, with a core focus on elevating their safety initiatives to beyond an industry best practice level.
Jukes brings with her a wealth of experience, having worked at Westside Corporation, ERM Australia and GHD in Australia, plus some time in Abu Dhabi with GHD. She has a Bachelor of Geography and Environmental Science (Hons), Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Management and Post Graduate Certificate in Occupational Hygiene.
Quarry had the chance to speak with Jukes regarding her appointment and how the role will serve to benefit the quarrying industry and the wider resources sector.
What is your previous experience in a position such as this?
I started my early career in environmental science and have worked largely in consulting, where that experience has taken me to and across many industries. Whilst this is my first industry role in heavy machinery, I have worked in the industry before from a consulting perspective, assisting businesses with their ESG strategies, their environmental strategies and particularly their safety strategies.
Can you highlight the importance of your role in a world where evidence-based data and reporting is key in achieving sustainable outcomes?
You can’t manage what you aren’t measuring, so ensuring you have the right protocols set up to monitor, measure and report on a regular basis is key to managing your sustainability pillars.
I think Komatsu are very forward looking in appointing this role, as it shows clear understanding that having a credible and experienced person to coordinate and facilitate the many ESG projects in the business will ensure the best possible outcomes for the environment and the communities that we work in.
Evidence based data and reporting this data in a consistent way using the right tools will ensure we can monitor and track progress. The targets we have set are important but ensuring the pathway to meeting the targets is practical and realistic is also vital.
With the use of modern technology, in the form of telemetry and artificial intelligence – which provide live data on the condition and operation of the equipment – we have the tools to reach meet these targets.
With your background in workplace hygiene, are there particular areas of safety which you are looking at as key concerns within the industries you look over?
At Komatsu Australia our safety focus is multifaceted, including ensuring that all of our staff are assessing and controlling hazards at all times. There is particular focus on people plant separation, heat stress, musculoskeletal, and pinch point hazards. We also monitor exposures to occupational noise, dust, vibration, and hazardous substances.
From a corporate perceptive the safety in design of our equipment is constantly evolving and improving to ensure owning and operating Komatsu equipment is contributing to the overall safety and sustainability of the quarry. Using technology to improve operator visibility and awareness of their surroundings, using human factor research in the design of the controls, gauges and screens, to designing and manufacturing equipment and their components to ensure they can be accessed and serviced in a safe manner.
In the future increased robotics and automation will reduce the need for people to be put ‘in-the-line-of-fire’ or hazardous situations.
What overarching sustainability goals does Komatsu have at a global level?
We have some very stringent goals that are part of Komatsu’s global priorities. We have a very detailed and defined set of key performance indicators and targets for 2024 and one of those targets includes reducing our Scope-3 emissions by 45 per cent. This is a big ask, considering many businesses in this industry across Australia are not looking at their Scope-3 emissions in this timeframe.
97 per cent of our emissions are Scope-3, so we are focusing on that and focusing on partnerships with our suppliers and our customers to make sure we can work together for reductions in emissions, energy consumption, waste and water consumption.
Importantly, to facilitate this reduction, Komatsu has undertaken a materiality assessment to ensure our focus is on meaningful environmental, social and governance areas to the business.
We are in the process of developing a detailed sustainability framework that will guide the business towards net zero in 2050 and assist in meeting other ESG targets along the way.
What plans do you have in place to continuing to improve ESG related targets within the quarrying industry?
Globally Komatsu has a detailed and defined set of KPI’s and targets that have been shared and communicated with all its entities. Komatsu Australia is on the sustainability journey and is currently transitioning the business under three key themes – Community Member, Solutions Partner and Future Company.
Evidence based data and reporting this data in a consistent way using the right tools will ensure we can monitor and track progress. The targets we have set are important but ensuring the pathway to meeting the targets is practical and realistic is also vital.
For the quarrying industry to continue achieving sustainability targets, the sector should continue developing and utilising measures such as recycling material that isn’t used for its initial purpose, putting in place actionable life cycle plans for the quarries and looking at electrification or other efficient fuel types for equipment onsite.
Is there anything you would like to share about the role that you are particularly excited about?
Being the first GM for Safety and Sustainability for Komatsu Australia gives me an exciting opportunity to drive innovation, research and improvements.
It’s an important time for things such as electrification, with alternative sources of fuels like hydrogen, synthetic diesel and biofuels to reduce the emissions of operating heavy equipment available, so being able to work to incorporate that technology into the business is very important.
We are working on continuous improvement around safety and making sure that that we’re working closely with industry partners for the best outcomes for both people and the environment.
Of course, we already have a very good safety team in place, and they’ve been doing so many great things over the last few years. Our lost time injury rate is about half of the industry standard, so whilst there’s always room for continuous improvement, I’m very comfortable with the way the business operates from a safety perspective.
We’re on a journey with sustainability and I am very excited to come in at this point. There are so many wonderful things that come out of what we’re doing for the national industries of quarrying, mining and construction. For my role, to bring this all together, and to make sure that we are utilising the projects that are being done in certain areas across the business, is really important.
Komatsu Australia has shown its commitment to sustainability by creating this role and I look forward to contributing in this exciting time of change and leading the development of innovative and new solutions towards the opportunities we have in sustainability.
How important is diversity within the industry and how is Komatsu working to foster that diversity?
There’s a strong focus from Komatsu on diversity, in both gender diversity and diversity of people from different walks of life.
We do have targets around gender diversity and those are being met. This year, almost 50 per cent of our apprentices in the new apprenticeship program are female and our focus is on making sure we support them and keep them engaged in the workforce.
We are a flexible workplace and a workplace that welcomes women and people from around the world and we really have a focus on developing that further.