Sites and operations undertake audits against the requirements of the management system standards every three years and selected major hazard standards annually. Audits are conducted by an audit team independent of the site. Major findings from site audits are reported to the executive management team and corrective actions are tracked to completion, using a company-wide action tracking system. Site managers are held accountable for developing and closing out actions arising from audits.

Independent, third-party verification audits are undertaken at a minimum of two sites every year. These audits assess the effectiveness of the site's internal audit system, confirm that critical actions have been completed as reported and fully assess conformance against at least two company Standards. The results of these independent verification audits are reported directly to the executive management team.

Special issues audits are conducted when the need is identified.

In 2005 audits will be conducted against Legionella and Asbestos Management.

In 2004, sites continued to audit against selected Major Hazard Standards. Audits were not completed against the Management System Standards, as the focus was on addressing the gaps identified in the 2003 audits through close out of critical actions.

Actions from previous independent and internal audits were also addressed and reported to the Executive through the Quarterly Assurance Reporting Process.

The progress on addressing the major findings from these audits is tracked through our company-wide critical action tracking system. This system maintains management focus on critical actions to ensure they are completed in an appropriate time frame.

Environment, health and safety management system requirements will continue to be incorporated into the integrated WMC Management System. While this changes the document structure of our environment, heath and safety management system, it does not diminish the priority of achieving consistency in the management of the environment, health and safety aspects of our operations.