relates to vehicular safety. A high-profile campaign implemented in the latter half of 2005 has
shown some success and will be continued in 2006.
We will conduct the necessary risk assessments to anticipate, minimise and control
occupational hazards. We will promote initiatives to continuously reduce the safety
and health risks associated with our business activities
Risk assessments are conducted at both group and operational level, from the risks relating
to the group as a whole to risks associated with specific working places, with the aim of
understanding the potential safety and health risks that exist so that they may be removed
or reduced to tolerable levels. A detailed discussion on risk analysis within the group can be
found in the Annual Report 2005.
Risk assessment may be conducted by or with the assistance of external consultants, by the
group's corporate office, by underwriters (for insurance purposes) or by the operations
themselves. In recent years, risk assessment has been extended to the rock face, with basic
hazard identification skills being taught to front-line supervisors and employees.
At Navachab in Namibia, for example, internal risk assessments were conducted by every mine
department during the year, with an overall risk assessment also having been completed. In
addition, risk assessments are conducted for specific issues, such as pit slope stability and on
the tailings storage facility, and these are undertaken by external consultants.
In Australia, risk management is a primary management tool that is used on new projects and
day-to-day activities. Each department has identified all of their risks and controls and during
2006 will review these registers for compliance.
The South Africa region has embarked on an enterprise-wide risk management process over
the last two years. As part of this, the most serious risks have been extensively assessed and
management plans have been put in place to address them. These are are those risks that
have traditionally been identified as disaster risks, namely, flooding, explosions from
explosives and flammable gases, falls of ground, fires, incidents relating to cyanide,
chemicals, tailings facilities (slime dams), vertical transport, horizontal transport, dust, noise
and thermal environment.
At Geita mine in Tanzania, a major quantitative risk assessment was undertaken during the
year by a combined corporate office and on-site team. The outcomes included
recommendations for pit slope design, emergency evacuation procedures and training, and
high-wall stability monitoring.
A risk-based safety management programme has been initiated at CC&V in the United States.
Verification of the risk assessment baseline and commitments for action plans on higher rated
risks in operating departments were undertaken, and the first quarterly review of risk
reduction efforts was completed at the end of September. Encouraging results were achieved,
with an improvement of about 60% in the higher rated risks.
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH
SH15
Risk assessment processes
at CC&V
A safety and health risk assessment was
performed at CC&V during the year, with
the assistance of the corporate office.
The assessment, along with risk rankings
and the risk index matrix, was rolled out
to operating departments at the end of
the second quarter. The assessment was
accepted and during the first quarterly
progress review at the end of September,
approximately 60% of the risk rankings of
action items (highest risk rankings)
identified by the assessment showed
improvement.
In June a risk assessment was
undertaken by Zurich North America,
CC&V’s workers’ compensation, busi-
ness interruption and general liability
insurance carrier. This assessment
recommended that a defensive driving
course be taken by people who drive
company-owned transportation. By the
end of the third quarter, approximately
75% of the affected people had
completed the course.
International Mining Industry
Underwriters (IMIU) performed an annual
assessment in July. Current risk reduction
initiatives at CC&V achieved an overall
score of 79%, which was better than the
world average of 73% (as observed by
IMIU). Several new recommendations
were received from the assessment. By
the end of the third quarter, most of these
recommendations had been undertaken.