What's New

The tragedy of two contractors dying in a confined space on the company's South African Richards Bay Minerals site was the catalyst for Rio Tinto to commission the eight-minute 'Confined Spaces' film, which we shot recently in South Africa.

The brief was clear: this had to be an awareness-raising programme about the dangers of confined spaces without being a training film. We spent two weeks in South Africa reconstructing the accident and interviewing people who powerfully re-enforced the message of the film.

Clearly the effects of the accident were felt deeply within Rio Tinto and particularly by the staff at the site. We believed that they were best placed to tell the story of what happened and that that the personal tragedy would be most powerfully communicated by those most deeply affected - the families of the two men who died.

The Richards Bay staff tell how dangerous it is to enter a confined space, where lack of oxygen can result in loss of consciousness within seconds and describe the facts of the tragic events.

The interviews with the victim's families deliver the message powerfully and poignantly: everyone takes risks every day of their lives, but if you take risks in a confined space, things can go catastrophically wrong.

The film's closing sequence of a widow who must now bring up her young son serves as a stark reminder of what the consequences of risk taking can be.

'Confined Spaces' will be seen not only by employees of Rio Tinto, but also by others as the company is distributing it without charge throughout the mining industry.

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