We recently spoke with Tom Sibbons, long-time Manager of CPA Group’s Team of the Year at the Gregory Crinum mine.

CPA Group (CG): Hi Tom. For how long did you oversee the team at Gregory Crinum?

Tom Sibbons (TS): I was manager there with Cris Murphy, from July 1 2016 until about October 2017.

CG: The team there won Team of the Year. Could you tell us about them?

TS: They are an incredibly diverse team, and some of the members have been working security together on that site, under various contractors, for up to eight years. This team works so fluidly and efficiently that it practically runs itself. Two supervisors manage just about everything internally; rostering very effectively, working out sick leave and holidays, and generally looking after the entire programme.

CG: What have been some of the team’s most recent accomplishments?

TS: Recently there was a Level 2 scenario onsite. For context, we operate by a remote log—staff report their status and location on the hour, rather than actively calling in, which is a lot more efficient. It’s heavily active, and safety-oriented.

The emergency wasn’t activated or altered by calling in, as is usual, but identified by our staff noting that a remote log hadn’t been made—the team was absolutely on the ball in their monitoring. They knew the exact location of the person, and were able to proactively initiate a search and rescue operation, and activate emergency procedures.

They were also able to contact family members, and field calls from the media, controlling and managing the situation with terrific effectiveness.

CG: That’s terrific news to hear. I assume you received a positive response from the client?

TS: We did. For this, they received glowing responses from BMA, and earned several mentions in BMA’s recent safety report.

CG: And what is the site like at Gregory Crinum?

TS: Gregory Crinum mine is a very large site—with an open cut mine, as well as a fair part underground. Covering and securing it is no small task, especially given the number of entries and access points. Thankfully, the team has great knowledge of the site and all its locations, allowing them to be proactive, and highly accountable. They are intimately familiar with all the various gates, with who is on site, and successfully manage vehicle compliance and equipment checks.

CG: So what is your personal assessment of this team? They seem to be operating at peak efficiency.

TS: In eleven years working with teams such as these, I have never before seen a team get together and work together like the team at Gregory Crinum. They have had remarkably few internal issues, requiring minimal outside intervention, and this allows them to focus on their professionalism and operations as per their contractual obligations.

CG: And they instil a good culture of safety onsite?

TS: As for the safety culture this team promotes and represents, they set the benchmark. Working at a very special site, this very special team consistently raises their own standards, and work hard to exceed their own expectations. As I said before, the client feedback on this team has been remarkable—they come highly recommended, and are highly professional.

CPA Group would like to thank the members of the Gregory Crinum team for their outstanding efforts, and recognise the truly valuable contributions they have made:

• Dan young
• Tony Walker
• Leigh Scott
• Jennifer Elliot
• Sharon Bohan
• Amanda Reynolds
• Rebecca Lucy
• Sue Berthun