Management

We manage the environmental work carried out across our Group by a process of auditing. These audits are aimed discovering how well our businesses are complying with our policies and applicable laws, regulations and voluntary obligations.

We also use audits to evaluate performance and the effectiveness of management systems.

How we manage our environmental work

All our operations are required to have formal environmental audit programmes in place. We also require our contractors and other external associates to environmental audit programmes.

In addition to audits carried out by our Group businesses, our internal assurance includes a range of audits and reviews undertaken by our corporate functions.

Our results

In 2006, 48 per cent of operations carried out internal environmental audits of their contractors and 91 per cent of operations had an external audit of their operation. There were some 260 audits of contractors carried out.

Six Acid Rock Drainage Strategic Technical Risk Reviews were completed and a total of 14 significant findings were identified. All very high, high and upper moderate risk sites identified by the Acid Rock Drainage screening protocol have now been visited by the ARD risk review program.

Seven closure management plan reviews were conducted in 2006. Recognised improvements include the integration of community, social and human resource issues in closure plans, aligned with our closure standard.

In 2006, 39 audits were undertaken resulting in 501 non-compliances, of which 27 were classed as significant. There were no repeat findings.