At Xstrata Coal, maintaining a safe environment for our employees and all others entering our sites is paramount. We have developed several programmes to achieve this, including SafeCoal, which is our primary safety initiative.
Our approach to safety goes beyond legislative compliance to assess, manage and address any potential cumulative impacts on our people and local communities, and any existing social and health risks associated with coal mining.
We implement a combined sustainable development management system in line with our SD standards. These standards have been cross-mapped with the Minerals Council of Australia's Enduring Value Principles for sustainable development.
The key health and safety considerations for our proposed mining operation in Wandoan will be noise, dust, degenerative musculoskeletal conditions, heat stress and wellbeing. We will develop safety systems and management procedures to address these issues to ensure the wellbeing of our employees and visitors.
Eliminating fatalities and serious injuries is our key safety challenge. We will work to eliminate safety incidents in the workplace by identifying, assessing and, where reasonably practical, eliminating or otherwise controlling hazards.
We have undertaken comprehensive auditing of contractors’ safety standards and work practices for the Xstrata Coal Wandoan Project to ensure they meet our standards.