In April 2001, Rio Tinto published its first Human rights guidance which was revised in October 2003 to make it conform with The way we work which was revised in April 2003. It is intended to help managers in the implementation of the human rights policy in The way we work .

This detailed guidance document was developed through internal and external consultation. It is designed to guide managers on how to apply the policy in complex local situations.

The main points of the Human rights guidance document give advice on how to handle situations in the areas listed in the "Main points" box to the right of the page.