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Excellence Award
Penelope Taylor
(Team representative)
Boodarie Iron, Port Hedland, Western Australia
Penelope Taylor and an Operating Excellence team developed a solution to a significant dust problem in the briquetting press area of the Boodarie Iron plant in Port Hedland, Western Australia.
Excessive dust was creating an unpleasant work environment and contributing to health, safety and environmental issues. Employee turnover was high. The measured dust levels had risen above acceptable limits, as had the incidence of eye injuries. A permanent cleaning crew was required to continuously clean the plant from one end to the other.
The team’s role was to identify and verify root causes of the dust problem, develop solutions and manage their initial implementation. The task was challenging. Dust is not easy to measure consistently, and its severity can be influenced by a variety of factors. Finding and implementing solutions is as much a people exercise as a technical one. For example, organising the wearing of dust monitors requires negotiations with two departments and the operators themselves.
The team determined that the cause of the problem did not stem from a lack of de-dusting capability but from limited understanding of how the briquetting presses and de-dusting systems interact. The solutions came from the engagement of people working in briquetting, with numerous small operation and maintenance improvements that cumulatively led to significant improvements in dust levels.
Three months were spent identifying the causes and developing the solutions, which were then implemented over six months through a series of scheduled plant shutdowns. The employees provided the expertise and practical verification throughout the process and gained an enormous sense of purpose and accomplishment through the success of this project. The building of relationships with work groups to harness improvement ownership through honest facts, open communication and team involvement to complete actions and implement the solutions contributed greatly to its success.
Within the briquetting press area, the project has resulted in a 75 per cent reduction in eye injuries. Dust mask and goggle issues have decreased by 80 per cent, and the scale of floor cleaning has reduced significantly. Overall, there has been a one-off capital saving of A$1.29 million and an estimated saving in operating costs of A$300 000 a year. Other benefits include improved morale, lower staff turnover, greater attention to detail through improved work environment, and the demonstration to the workforce that management does care about their work environment and will see improvement projects through to the implementation of real solutions.
Highly Commended
Anselmo Gregorio
(Team representative)
Mozal Aluminium Smelter, Maputo Province, Mozambique
Anselmo and his team developed the Mozal Respiratory Health Program to minimise the risk of employees developing asthma. Developing occupational asthma is a common risk in aluminium smelters, mainly in potroom areas; but the cause remains unknown. The Mozal program has been operating since 1999, prior to the commissioning of the first stage of the smelter.
Based on international best practice, the program aims to prevent the onset of occupational asthma. Activities include occupational hygiene monitoring to identify health risks, a comprehensive respiratory protection program, pre-employment screening and ongoing health surveillance, and employee training and education on the potential health risks and exposure control options associated with their work areas. The team coordinates all facets of the program.
Since the implementation of the program, there have been no cases of occupational asthma reported in the potrooms.
Manuel Muro Cortez
(Team representative)
Tintaya Copper Mine, Espinar, Peru
Manuel and the medical team became concerned at international reports about the risk to children of living at high altitudes. The Tintaya operation is 4000 metres above sea level in the Peruvian Andes. The team conducted a cardiovascular assessment of children living in the Tintaya employee accommodation quarters, in order to evaluate the risks to the cardiovascular system. Eminent cardiologists and paediatricians participated in the study.
A full examination was carried out on the 326 children living at the camp at the time of the assessment. Undertaken with full consent from the families, the project involved information sessions with parents and teachers, documentation of the children’s medical and lifestyle profiles, and a range of medical tests.
The conclusion from the assessment was that the children at Tintaya were fundamentally healthy and that life at high altitudes does not represent a risk to their health, growth or cardiovascular function.
Avril Robson
(Team representative)
Samancor Manganese, Mpumalanga, South Africa
Avril and the Manganism Awareness Team team implemented a program to raise awareness about the disease among employees at the Nelspruit plant. Manganism is a progressive disease that may develop after chronic exposure to high levels of manganese over a long period of time. The team, comprising members from HR, HSEC, R&D, production and contractors, decided to focus the program on prevention through protection against over-exposure but faced a challenge in that many employees are illiterate and several primary languages are spoken.
The team defined ‘10 golden rules of prevention’ and conducted an ongoing series of activities to promote them, including developing a logo, pocket-sized cards, posters and banners. These were supported by interactive workshops, industrial theatre, competitions, counselling and medical examination procedures based on manganism prevention.
Since the program began in March 2002, manganese blood levels in employees have reduced significantly.
Merit
Leah Fay
BMA Norwich Park Mine, Queensland, Australia
Leah initiated a community program designed to address the major health and wellbeing issues of the workforce and community, where information and resources are not readily available. The program has included information sessions with guest speakers, newsletter articles, health assessments, improvements to the local gym, distribution of exercise equipment, flu vaccinations and a quit smoking campaign.
Sandra Gongora
(Team representative)
Cerro Matoso, Cordoba, Columbia
Sandra and her team carried out an occupational health study based on 15 years of employees’ clinical histories, with the assistance of Antioquia University. The project involved developing epidemiological surveillance systems and an international cell-genetic bio-monitoring study. The results were made available to all employees, and recommendations for procedures and equipment purchases have been carried out.
Helen Stanton and Russell Grech
(Team representatives)
Cannington Silver/Lead/Zinc Mine and Hay Point Services, Queensland, Australia
Helen, Russell and their teams are reducing the risk of strain and sprain injuries, the most common form of injury at the workplace and in the community. They are achieving this through holistic personalised programs aimed at improving levels of health and fitness. The activities, based on the concept of the ‘industrial athlete’, lessen the risk of injury or illness. The program is now running across a spectrum of our Customer Sector Groups and assets and is proving to be adaptable to the sites’ demographic and cultural conditions.
Innocent Ndaba
(Team representative)
Hillside Aluminium Smelter, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa
Innocent and the Hillside Aluminium Peer Educators team coordinate an HIV/AIDS intervention program, which aims to minimise the impact of the disease on the smelter and its employees through education, prevention programs and disease management. Surveys have shown the program has contributed to improvements in the knowledge, attitudes and practices of employees regarding HIV/AIDS issues.
Bertha van der Spuy
(Team representative)
Douglas Colliery, Mpumalanga, South Africa
Bertha and the Ingwe Medical Services team have developed an occupational health management system that includes a medical surveillance program driven by an electronic occupational risk profile. The system allows employees to make objective fitness-for-work decisions and screens employees for occupational disease. Ingwe Medical Service is implementing the system at all of its sites.
Neil Wood
(Team representative)
Liverpool Bay Oil and Gas Project, North Wales, United Kingdom
Neil and his team have been operating wellness clinics on the Douglas Platform in a proactive approach to healthcare. The clinics include an examination to provide a baseline health indicator and then six-monthly follow-ups to check progress and identify irregularities. Early signs of health problems have been identified in several employees, who have been treated and not suffered any loss of health or worktime.