Another of our core values, care and respect, forms the basis of
all of the Group’s health programmes. Our vision is that no
employee is harmed by working at our operations, and that the
health of those who work for us is improved.
Employees at Landau read Anglo Coal's Shift to Wellness bookletOur approach to zero harm in occupational health is focused on the control and reduction of exposure at source through application of the ‘hierarchy of controls’. Residual exposure after this is managed through the use of PPE. All business units are required to report on the estimated number of people exposed above the occupational exposure limit (OEL).
The number of occupational disease cases reported for 2011 was 197, compared with 268 in 2010 and translated to a rate of 0.205, which is a 28% reduction on the previous year.
The number of employees reported to be working, pre-PPE, in environments with noise levels in excess of the OEL of 85 dB(A) on a daily basis during 2011 was approximately 43,000 (about 6,000 fewer than in 2010). Our hearing conservation programme standard specifies the management interventions that are required to make sure exposure is below the OEL.
In 2011, the number of employees reported to be working, pre-PPE, in environments with inhalable hazards at levels that exceed the individual OEL of different airborne pollutants (before PPE) was approximately 3,500. Similarly, our respiratory protection programme standard requires management to reduce such exposures to below the OEL.
It is encouraging to see that there were reductions in the number of new cases reported in almost all categories.