Q & A with Josh Olmsted
Safety , Operational Opportunities ,
Development Focus of 2023
“ Ownership , commitment and personal responsibility toward safety , and that of their co-workers , are key .”
The 2023 road map for Freeport Americas is set , and , not surprisingly , the journey picks up right where 2022 ended – with an all-in commitment to safety .
In fact , the single strategic objective communicated to leadership is to stay focused on achieving the company ’ s safe production plans . Unlike last year , when safety was incorporated into the organization ’ s strategic themes , safety has been pulled out and placed above all other work .
Of course , there is important work happening all around the company – all of which is designed to support the company ’ s safe production plans . Those supporting pillars for this year include maintenance and reliability , Leach to the Last Drop , development of frontline employees and supervisors , and attracting , hiring and retaining to meet the needs of the plan .
As we complete the first quarter of 2023 , Josh Olmsted , President and Chief Operating Officer-Americas , discusses the relationship between the supporting pillars and the uncompromising focus on safety , reflected on the improved safety performance toward the end of 2022 , and offers insight into his own career journey .
“ I always tell people to get comfortable on the uncomfortable part of the learning curve . Just get used to that feeling and figure it out .”
Q :
With safety incidents on the rise in 2022 , company leadership asked employees at every level of the organization to take a step back from their jobs , eliminate distractions and focus on the fundamentals of safe production . How do you believe employees responded ?
I think it ’ s been heard , but there ’ s still a lot of work to do . We ’ ve been talking about it , the sites have been focused on it , and we ’ ve been working on it . We ’ re seeing an impact . As operators , we own safety . That ’ s just the way it is . When we step back and look at the data our safety team provided , we ask ourselves if we are prioritizing safety in actions in our day-to-day work . We always talk about the calendar test . If you look at your calendar , how much time do you have allotted to where you ’ re really dedicated to supporting folks in the field ? It ’ s a never-ending job , and we can ’ t relax and be satisfied .
Q :
In your experience in the company and the industry , what common themes do you see in organizations that are successful in their safety performance ?
When there is clarity and alignment around expectations with respect to safety – both behaviors and production – within their job responsibilities is where it all starts . Ownership , commitment and personal responsibility toward safety , and that of their co-workers , are key . And then holding ourselves accountable to those expectations is what makes it live and be successful . If you think about the strongest safety organizations , they ’ re also typically the most efficient and productive organizations as well .
“ As you assume additional responsibility in an organization , and you ’ re responsible for a crew or you ’ re responsible for a division or a site , the worst nightmare you have is receiving a phone call in the middle of the night about an accident – whether a fatality or a serious injury .”
Q :
In your position , what is the impact of injuries to members of the workforce ?
As you assume additional responsibility in an organization , and you ’ re responsible for a crew or you ’ re responsible for a division or a site , the worst nightmare you have is receiving a phone call in the middle of the night about an accident – whether a fatality or a serious injury . I don ’ t know that I could do it justice to describe how it makes you feel when you get that phone call knowing that you lost somebody in a terrible tragedy or that somebody was permanently impacted . Having to tell a family their loved one is not coming home is the single most difficult thing anybody will ever experience . It ’ s one of the reasons I
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