Performance in the fields of Safety, Health, Environment and Communities is a key to the sustainability of mining and metallurgical businesses, especially those of trans-national mining and metals companies. In recent years, companies have developed sophisticated data management systems to collect and analyse safety and environmental data. Companies now also collect data on their interactions with communities and on occupational and community health. These data are published in the annual reports of leading companies, but while attempts at meaningful comparison between companies have been made (see for example Peck & Sinding, 2002, or Limpitlaw & Hoadley, 2003), explicit benchmarking of company performance against a peer group has not been easily achievable.

A discussion on the possibility of establishing a benchmarking database began 1999 at the MineSafe Conference in Australia. This led to the establishment of an experimental web-based database of safety indicators and to an International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) programme to refine the way in which safety performance is measured. Ricus Grimbeek of Billiton, later BHP Billiton, had responsibility for establishing the website and managing the database as part of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). The database proved to be a good platform for harmonising indicators and for benchmarking company performance. Using this web site, member companies could upload their data and run queries comparing their performance to industry averages based on location, commodity or company size. Once the definitions had been agreed upon, the experimental website was discontinued. BHP Billiton felt the need to pass the site over to an independent third party.

In March 2004, the Centre for Sustainability in Mining and Industry (CSMI) was launched. Based in the School of Mining Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, the Centre is primarily focussed on the provision of professional level training, research and services to industry in SHEC disciplines. Issues of particular significance to the industry within the sustainable development paradigm are safety, health, environment, community and quality management. The importance of these issues was reaffirmed at the recent World Summit for Sustainable Development.

The objective of the experimental database, namely the improvement of SHEC performance through benchmarking of SHEC indicators, is closely aligned with the raison detré of the Centre. Consequently, the intellectual rights to the database were transferred from BHP Billiton to the Centre.

In the SHEC Benchmarking.com database, the Centre will not be creating an entirely new entity, but will be building on the work that has gone before. Much of the development work has already been done. The technology is well understood and the database used in the experimental phase was well-structured. Confidentiality is guaranteed and the detailed rules governing the running of the website and the database will be developed by the members.

The website not only provides SHEC statistics, but also analyses of the database and other value-adding products developed by the Centre and its partners. CSMI is actively pursuing partnerships with global centres of excellence for the development of these products.