The policy applies to all employees and contractors working across our business. The policy is backed up by robust enterprise and site specific safety management plans and systems which align with the international best practice standards OHSAS18001 and ISO45001.
Key elements of our safety and health management systems include:
Risk Management: We regularly assess safety and health related risks across each part of our mines. These assessments ensure that we are aware of the specific risks in each part of the mine and inform the most appropriate hazard controls are implemented. Individual risk assessments (also known as field risk assessments) are also conducted prior to any work or team conducting potentially hazardous or non-routine work.
Employee Engagement: We encourage our staff to think proactively about safety and health risks and to take responsibility not only for their own safety but also for the safety of their colleagues. We empower our workers to challenge their supervisors if they believe that appropriate safety measures or equipment are not in place, and all workers have the right to refuse work on the grounds of safety or health risk.
Training: Safety education and training are a critical part of induction and ongoing development for all employees and contractors. Additional job-specific safety training is provided followed by competency reviews to ensure employees have the knowledge, skills and practical experience to conduct their work safely and effectively. Examples include heavy equipment operation, the safe use of chemicals, dealing with spills, working at height, and hot work.
Occupational Hygiene: We are striving to ensure parity between our approach to manage safety risk and those related to occupational health hazards. In 2020 significant progress was made is improved characterization of workplace exposures and associated controls. Our sites have recruited professional occupational hygienists and enhanced coordination with occupational medicine specialists and consultants.