Injuries
In recent years, the number of fatalities at our operations has declined. However, even one fatality a year would be higher than our target, which 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 reducing injury rates through to 2008. If these are achieved, it will set us on a par with the best in any industry, not just mining. These targets are for a lost time injury frequency rate (LTIFR) of 0.36 per 200,000 manhours and an all injuries frequency rate (AIFR) of 0.81 per 200,000 manhours.
Our results
We deeply regret that, in 2007, three contractors were fatally injured at Rio Tinto managed operations (the same number as in 2006).
- Two contractors lost consciousness and drowned after falling face down into shallow water as a consequence of entering a confined space without applying the mandatory confined space entry procedure; and
- A contractor drill helper died when his retractable lanyard became entangled with a drum winch resulting in the helper being drawn into the drum and fatally crushed in a confined area.
One metal merchant was fatally injured at an Alcan Engineered Products operation in the reporting period after Rio Tinto assumed management control in October.
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 2007 was 0.42 per 200,000 manhours, an improvement of 16 per cent over 2006 for which we achieved 0.49 per 200,000 man hours. The all injuries frequency rate (AIFR) was 0.97 per 200,000 manhours and improved by 11 per cent over our 2006 result of 1.10. We are still on trajectory to achieve our 2008 targets in both areas.
A key factor in the Alcan acquisition was the consistency across both companies on the importance of safety. While our philosophies were similar, Alcan's definitions were different to those used by Rio Tinto and hence 2007 performance is not comparable. Work has commenced to create a 2007 baseline for Alcan using Rio Tinto definitions.
Alcan's recordable case frequency rate was 0.82 at the end of 2007. This represents a 29 per cent reduction over 2006 and an 84 per cent reduction over 2001. This performance was 23 per cent better than Alcan's target for the period. The lost time injury illness rate also declined by 28 per cent but remained eight per cent short of the 2007 target.
Some notable examples of Alcan's success in reducing these rates include controlling hazardous energy sources from upstream operations and development and roll out of large-scale Man-Machine-Interface programmes in downstream operations.