A strong culture of shared responsibility and frontline engagement has helped diamond giant De Beers achieve the lowest safety incident rate in its 135-year history, with the company reporting a total recordable injury frequency rate (TRIFR) of 1.0 across its global operations in 2025.
The milestone, highlighted in recent industry reports, marks an improvement on the company’s previous record and is being viewed as a benchmark for mining and geotechnical teams operating in high-risk environments.
According to Tefo Molosiwa, Head of Policy and Planning: Safety, Sustainable Development and Risk at De Beers, the company’s safety gains are rooted in an “ownership culture” that encourages workers at every level to take responsibility for risk management and incident prevention.
“At De Beers, we have leaned into the experience, care and institutional knowledge in our teams by listening, learning and partnering rather than instructing,” Molosiwa said.
The approach has strengthened accountability and leadership in health and safety across De Beers’ operations in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Canada, where many workers are recruited from communities surrounding the mines.
Industry observers say the achievement is significant because mining remains one of the world’s most hazardous industries, particularly in underground and open-pit operations where workers are exposed to heavy machinery, blasting activities and geotechnical risks.
The Geomechanics report noted that De Beers’ strategy relied heavily on routine behavioural safety engagements, crew ownership of risk controls and strong line-led leadership rather than reactive safety measures introduced only after incidents occur.
The company’s safety performance comes at a time when the global diamond sector is under pressure from weak demand and competition from lab-grown diamonds. Parent company Anglo American has also been progressing plans to divest De Beers as part of a broader restructuring strategy.
Despite difficult market conditions, De Beers has continued to emphasise operational discipline and worker safety as core priorities. Earlier company reports showed that the group reduced rough diamond production by 12% in 2025 in response to subdued demand while maintaining stable operational performance across its mines.
The company has also built on earlier safety initiatives across its operations. At the Victor Mine in Canada, workers previously surpassed 30,000 “near hit” reports — a programme designed to identify unsafe conditions before incidents occur.
Meanwhile, the Venetia Mine in South Africa achieved 13 million fatality-free shifts in 2025, reflecting what company executives described as a culture of care, accountability and continuous improvement.
Mining analysts say De Beers’ latest TRIFR result could provide a model for other mining companies seeking to reduce workplace injuries through stronger worker participation and proactive safety leadership rather than compliance-driven systems alone.
