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Background
People are central to the success of our business; and, accordingly, understanding the potential for health risks and establishing suitable mitigation measures are integral to our journey towards Zero Harm.
Some of the potential health risks present in the organisation include:
- inherent occupational health risks associated with the nature of our operations, such as noise, dust, hazardous materials and gases, and vibration
- communicable diseases present in some of the countries in which we operate, including HIV/AIDS and mosquito-borne diseases
- travel-related risks
- ergonomic exposures relating to work requirements
- general suitability for job criteria and fitness for work.
The following section discusses our health performance over the year and highlights some of the initiatives and subsequent outcomes.
Health performance
Establishing a baseline understanding of potential health exposures and performance across the organisation was a focus of our health programs during the year.
Ninety-seven per cent of sites reported undertaking a baseline survey on occupational exposure hazards and establishing associated monitoring programs. Ninety-one per cent of those employees requiring medical health surveillance completed the medical examination (see Figure 8). Occupational health and medical surveillance monitoring and reporting are essential components of our health program, with results central to the planning of mitigation measures and strategies.
Figure 8.
Employees Who Completed Medical Examination
(as % of employees requiring examination) 2002/2003
In improving our understanding of potential adverse exposure of employees from our operations, we have focused on three distinct areas for measurement:
- Potential exposure of employees above noise exposure limits (NEL) (85 dBA 8-hour time-weighted average)
- Potential exposure of employees above action levels (50 per cent of the occupational exposure limit) but below the occupational exposure limit (OEL) for other exposures
- Potential exposure of employees above the occupational exposure limit for other exposures.
It should be noted that all exposures monitored are potential exposures and do not take into consideration the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) where it is utilised to mitigate exposure. Having said this, our aim, consistent with the ‘hierarchy of controls’, is to remove or avoid hazards through engineering or design solutions wherever possible. PPE is utilised where this is not readily feasible.
The requirement for reporting potential exposures above action levels but below occupational exposure limits has been established to give us an understanding of the potential for harm and enable us to establish proactive plans to mitigate exposures. At levels greater than the occupational exposure limits, it is accepted that harmful effects on health will eventually occur in a significant number of individuals if they are not adequately protected. While all operations provide personal protective equipment and other measures to reduce exposure, the reporting of employees in this group gives the Company a clear understanding of the exposures that need to be reduced to further minimise the chance of adverse health outcomes. The reporting of these two categories allows the tracking of our efforts to reduce exposures on-site over time and consequently reduce the incidence of occupational illness.
Noise has been identified as the most significant potential occupational exposure in our business, with noise-induced hearing loss affecting a number of our personnel. Fifty-one per cent of our employees are potentially exposed above the noise exposure limits. During the year, a survey across the organisation identified that our other significant potential exposures are associated with dust (including coal and silica); coal tar pitch volatiles; gases, mists or fumes (including fluoride, sulphuric acid, carbon monoxide, welding and caustics); vibration; and heat.
Additionally, data indicate that, without the use of PPE, 20 per cent of our site-based employees are potentially exposed to hazardous substances above action levels but below the occupational exposure limit and that 16 per cent of employees are potentially exposed above the occupational exposure limit (see Figure 9).
Figure 9.
Percentage of Employees in Potential Exposures*
2002/2003
*i.e., would be exposed if not using PPE.
While every effort is made to protect all employees potentially exposed from any adverse health effect through the use of PPE, the drive within the Company will be to progressively reduce exposure over time.
This knowledge is being used to develop global BHP Billiton occupational exposure limits and occupational practices based on leading practice and incorporating knowledge drawn from literature and research.
With the incorporation of the BHP Billiton occupational exposure limits into the operating and reporting processes of all sites during full year 2004, there will be for the first time in the Company a minimum requirement that, in many cases, will be more stringent than that required through local regulation and reporting processes. As a consequence of this standardised process of reporting, it has been decided to review our target for exposure for the full year 2004 under these more stringent limits and require that all operations achieve an annual reduction in the number of people potentially exposed above the occupational exposure limit.
While the elimination of exposure risks is our key driver, often this is not readily possible or feasible, and PPE is utilised. Data from the year indicate that overall PPE compliance in the Company was, on average, 94 per cent. This is an area where we continually seek improvement and are encouraging operations to implement formal audit programs of PPE compliance. Currently, 70 per cent of operations have formal audit programs in place; and we will endeavour to expand this number over the coming year (see Figure 10).
Figure 10.
PPE Compliance and Formal Audit programs
2002/2003
The reporting of occupational illness within the Company is important in tracking our performance towards the 2007 target of a 20 per cent reduction in occupational illness throughout the Company, built on the reduction of exposures.
During 2003, there were 226 new cases of occupational illnesses reported throughout the Company. While more than half of these were due to noise exposure, there was also a significant number of new cases of respiratory disease and repetitive trauma diagnosed (see Figure 11).
Figure 11.
New Illnesses by Type
2002/2003
Analysis of the respiratory disease data indicates that a proportion of these cases would not have been associated with exposure at our operations. This factor indicates the importance of adequate medical surveillance to ensure detection of existing illnesses in new employees, so that these conditions will not be aggravated. Repetitive trauma cases are primarily due to musculoskeletal problems. This is an area of exposure that we are tracking closely, as our operations have ageing workforces and an associated increased risk in this area.
The full year health reporting has provided comprehensive data that indicate the extent to which we are potentially exposing employees to workplace hazards. It requires that we continue to be vigilant in protecting employees from these exposures while we seek ways to reduce the exposure from our processes and work environments. The illness data collected provide clear baseline information from which to measure the success of our efforts to reduce exposure to harm and potential development of illness.
Our health targets will ensure that we continue to look for opportunities - through engineering and design initiatives - to minimise the potential adverse health effects associated with work in our operations (see Case Study No. 1).