Great Panther Mining runs a Safety Olympics competition at its Brazilian operation. Every two months, the winning team is presented with the Gold Hat trophy and at the end of the year, the overall winners receive $100,000 Brazilian Reals ($17,500) in safety-initiative funding, to be spent at the team's discretion. Courtesy of Great Panther Mining

Now, more than ever before, mining companies across the board are striving to improve safety protocols with the ultimate goal of zero-lost-time injuries and zero fatalities. To that end, mining companies have invested in additional safety training and risk-management assessments while adopting safety performance measures that reward achievements and aim to standardize best practices.