Health Awards
Excellence Award
Ramiro Roy
Reducing Dust and Noise during Metal Ladle Lifting Beam Testing
Aluminium, Mozal, Mozambique
Ramiro at Mozal has developed a simple, low-cost device that reduces fluorinated dust and noise in the workshop generated during the metal ladle lifting beam (MLLB) testing process.
The device has revolutionised the MLLB process: dust is no longer generated, which removed the need to wear dust masks during testing and contributed to improved housekeeping. Noise during testing has also been reduced.
The device was assembled from a combination of scrap items, such as curved 60 mm pipe and flex hose; stock items, including silicone and a filter; and a redundant 210 litre empty drum locally sourced.
The greatest challenge in implementing the concept was convincing colleagues that such a simple, low-cost device would work!
Highly Commended Awards
Yusdi Sangadji (team representative)
Bird Flu Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention Project
Corporate, Jakarta Office, Indonesia
Yusdi and the Flu Team Indonesia instigated a program to demystify bird flu, and educate staff on how to manage the risks associated with bird-to-human and human-to-human transmission, and how to be prepared for a potential pandemic. Learnings have also been shared with employee families and local communities.
Bird flu is stated by the World Health Organisation as the most likely next global pandemic. Indonesia leads the world with the highest death rate and is the only country still regularly reporting new cases. The risks are is now well understood and, as a result, the number of false cases reported has declined which, in turn, has reduced employee absenteeism.
Planning for the pandemic has also help foster relationships with a range of organisations for planning not only for bird flu but other potential incidents, such as natural disasters and political disturbances.
Mariaan Smit (team representative)
Digital Noise Display Board
Energy Coal, Ingwe, Khutala Colliery, South Africa
Mariaan and his colleagues conceived the idea of placing a large digital noise level display within the colliery’s main workshop to indicate real-time noise levels. Employees are now more aware of the noise they create during work activities and more focused on protecting their hearing.
The main workshop conducts major overhauls on underground machinery. It is designed in such a way that noise is reflected back to the workers and noise intensities increase during operation. Time Weighted Averages of those employees who are exposed ranged from 89 to 99 decibels (dB). Personal Protective Equipment was issued to all workers and intensive noise training conducted annually, however employees had little appreciation of when noise levels became hazardous.
In collaboration with a supplier, the team developed a model that was able to viewed clearly from up to 15 metres. The moment the noise level rises above 85 dB, colleagues inform each other and bring excessive noise levels under control by either working quieter, changing the way they work or using their hearing protection devices.
Garry Hughes (team representative)
Fatigue Management in Coal Mining Program
Carbon Steel Materials, BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance, Peak Downs Mine, Queensland, Australia
Garry and the Fatigue Management Team have introduced a preventative fatigue management strategy, called Strategic Napping, which allows coal haulers to take a controlled nap in designated napping areas on haul roads.
Consulting colleagues and reviewing incidents involving fatigue revealed that fatigue was primarily occurring on haul roads and not in the Run of Mine where napping rooms are located. Accordingly, the team introduced designated napping areas on haul roads.
Generally all that is needed to get an employee safely through a shift is taking stretch and coffee breaks, and rotating through other tasks which require other motor skills. If these methods fail, operators can now at their own discretion take a controlled 20 minute nap in a safe location. Unlike with random napping, safety and production is not jeopardised as operators must inform supervisors before taking a controlled nap; this also allows supervisors to identify any one suffering from regular fatigue so as to assist with gaining access to other professionals to help overcome fatigue.
The program is supported by an educational program designed to raise awareness of the hazards associated with working while fatigued and how to minimise the onset of fatigue. Since the inception of program, there have been no fatigue related incidents at Peak Downs.
Merit Awards
Tony O'Keefe (team representative)
Fatigue Management Project
Carbon Steel Materials, Western Australia Iron Ore
Tony and the Fatigue Management Team have implemented a holistic approach to managing fatigue by developing a program that is delivered to all employees, contractors and the local community.
The program has four levels: initial, a 1-day complete training, supervisory training and community education. A fatigue management policy has been developed, together with supporting procedures.
The program recognises that fatigue and alertness are issues that require both personal and corporate responsibility, with initial training focusing on personal and lifestyle issues. The program is embedded into Iron Ore's training matrix and it is expected that by the end of 2006, over 6,000 people across the business will have been trained. The local community has been included in the training, as have contract mining partners who have developed alternative working hour arrangements as a result of attending the training.
Carlito Rena (team representative)
Hallmark Nickel Prospect
BHP Billiton Minerals Exploration, Hallmark Prospect, Region XI, Philippines
Through the efforts of Carlito and his colleagues, the incidence of malaria and malnutrition in surrounding communities has reduced to negligible levels and the communities have become self-sufficient in maintaining proper hygiene and sanitation conditions.
The Hallmark Prospect is a joint venture project between BHP Billiton and AMCOR, a local Filipino company, for the exploration of nickel laterite deposits on the island of Mindanao. At an early stage of the project, Carlito and his team committed to institute basic community health programs to benefit not only employees and contractors but also the host and surrounding communities.
Consulting with the community revealed that malaria was endemic, a large proportion of elementary children were malnourished, the occurrence of rabies and TB was high and general sanitation and hygiene facilities were lacking. Projects were implemented to address each of the concerns, with the malaria program based on our Mozal experience - acknowledged as an international benchmark - and adapted to local conditions and resources.
Sebastião Rodrigues (team representative)
Improving Ergonomic Conditions at Horizontal Direct Chilled Casting Machine
Aluminium, Valesul Aluminio S.A., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
After several workers had suffered severe bone and muscular injuries, Sebastião and the Horizontal Direct Chilled (HDC) operators set about eliminating inadequate ergonomic conditions at the HDC operation.
The HDC operations include continuous billet production, with frequent setups. General wear and tear and obsolescence required operators to assume uncomfortable postures and exert themselves excessively.
By applying Lean Manufacturing methodology, a management system focused on the elimination of waste from the production process, the project brought about changes to the operational cycle, with several tasks eliminated or improved. As a result, set-up time reduced from an average of 14 hours to two and the level of predictability for the process increased. Most importantly, inadequate ergonomic conditions were eliminated and general safety improved.
Sebastião's team included Aluisio dos Santos Monteiro, Jr and Joao Orlando Rodrigues de Menezes.
Samantha Lee
Risk-Based Medical Assessments
Petroleum, Australia Operated Asset Team, Griffin Venture, Western Australia
Samantha Lee at the Perth-based Australian Operated Asset Team (AOAT), working closely with Dr Robin Wright, has developed and implemented a new Risk-Based Medical Assessment process that streamlines medical requirements into one comprehensive medical process, for all employees and contractors.
Initially developed for use on the Griffin Venture, a floating production storage and offloading vessel, the process has now been applied across the entire Petroleum Customer Sector Group.
The project incorporates industry and BHP Billiton requirements and specifically assesses the capacity of potential employees to perform the required work; identifies relevant physical limitations due to past illness or injury; reduces occupational injury rates; improves stability of workforce; identifies and helps manage people with potentially life threatening health issues such as diabetes and heart disease; and establishes a system for effective monitoring and trending of health information.
Horatio Reeves (team representative)
Fatigue and Sleep Control Project
Base Metals, Antamina, Chile
With fatigue being one of the major causes of accidents at Antamina, particularly with heavy vehicles, Horatio and the members of the Fatigue and Sleep Control project team set about determining the sleep and fatigue profile of workers in the mine operations and then identifying and implementing control measures.
The team designed a fatigue test to collect the required data on fatigue levels and sampled 190 workers over ten days.
As a result of the study, workers are able to report fatigue as a reason for stopping their vehicles for a short rest, and they do this via the electronic panel of the truck that informs dispatch. This also allows the monitoring of the incidence of fatigue and to intervene where necessary to get professional assistance. Workers’ bedrooms have also been improved to be more conducive to sleep and timetables adjusted to allow sleep to occur at times of greatest fatigue.
Iona Williamson (team representative)
Nickel Hygiene Baseline Study
Stainless Steel Materials, Kwinana Nickel Refinery, Australia
As part of a comprehensive biological monitoring program in Nickel West's operations, Iona and the study team members at Kwinana Nickel Refinery (KNR) undertook a study in 2005 to determine baseline levels of ingested nickel in employees and contractors. The study is the first of its kind to be conducted in the international nickel industry.
There are no standards setting safe levels of ingested nickel in Australia, or elsewhere in the world. Using the best available knowledge, a conservative protocol was developed for both the general workforce and pregnant workers, following research which suggested the possibility of high levels of ingested nickel leading to problems in female reproduction.
Samples were taken from a large number of employees and contractors over a 14-week period. Results revealed levels of nickel similar to that of non-occupationally exposed people, providing a level of assurance that ingested nickel exposures at KNR are not likely to cause reproductive harm. The study also led to a common level of knowledge of the potential issues, as well as an understanding of the control methods for reducing ingestion of nickel.
