Injuries & fatalities

In recent years, the number of fatalities at our operations has declined. However, even one fatality a year would be higher than our target of none, and that is why we have instituted a number of safety management programmes.

Our definition of all injuries includes medical treatment cases and restricted work day and lost day injuries. Our all injuries frequency rate reflects this definition and includes both employees and contractors. Our lost time injury frequency rate is for both lost day and restricted work day injuries, in other words, for any loss of time or inability to perform all normal duties expected of an employee.

How we record injuries and fatalities

In order to ensure consistent and accurate reporting, we have developed a new tool to record injuries and fatalities. The Social and Environmental Assurance Reporting Tool (SEART) enables us to better and more fully analyse each incident, and then assess where we need to adjust our policies and standards. 

We have set targets for reduction in injury rates through to the year 2008. If these are achieved, it will set us on a par with the best in any industry, and not just mining. These targets are for a lost time injury frequency rate (LTIFR) of 0.36 per 200,000 manhours and and all injuries frequency rate (AIFR) of 0.81 per 200,000 manhours.

Our results

We deeply regret that there were three fatalities in 2006 at operations that we manage.

• At Palabora in South Africa, an emergency services coordinator, who was responding to an off-site emergency call, was involved in a collision with another vehicle.

• At Greens Creek in Alaska, a truck driver was thrown from a haul truck and pinned beneath the rear wheel as it rolled down a decline.

• Near our Simandou project in Africa, a helicopter pilot crashed while attempting an emergency landing after developing technical problems.

We have thoroughly investigated these incidents and communicated and acted upon the lessons learned.

The lost time injury frequency rate (LTIFR) at the end of 2006 was 0.50 per 200,000 manhours, an improvement of 11 per cent over 2005. The all injuries frequency rate (AIFR) was 1.10 per 200,000 manhours and improved by 18 per cent over 2005. We are on trajectory to achieve our 2008 targets in both areas.