| SUSTAINABILITY REPORT CONTINUED |
| |
| HEALTH, SAFETY AND
ENVIRONMENT |
A health, safety and environment (HSE) framework has
been implemented throughout the Group. The framework
contains policies and standards to support the
management of HSE matters and has introduced higher
levels of monitoring and reporting of all HSE issues. A
strategic focus on HSE key performance indicators (KPI's)
ensures that value is derived from the HSE framework.
This risk-based approach will be expanded to enhance
the opportunities inherent in good HSE management.
All South African companies comply with the requirements
of the Occupational Health & Safety Act and, where
necessary, the Mines Health & Safety Act. Health & safety
audits are conducted regularly and 26% of the operating
companies are currently OHSAS 18001 certified.
Environmental policies and standards are in place at each
operation and 30% of operating companies have
ISO 14001 certification. Where ISO 14001 certification
has not yet been attained work is in progress to achieve
this. The Group is committed to exceeding the minimum
requirements of new and existing environmental legislation. Work is currently underway to ensure that
operating companies meet the requirements of the
National Framework for Air Quality Management.
The Stop.Think campaign has been launched in all South
African operations to improve safety awareness and strive
for zero disabling incident in the workplace. This
campaign will be extended to health and environmental
awareness in the new financial year.
Group reporting of HSE performance is divided into
sectors of the business which are comparable in nature
and risk. These are: |
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| • |
Mining (below ground and high risk) |
| • |
Construction (above ground and medium risk) |
| • |
Fixed facility sites (low risk) |
|
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| Fatal Accidents |
| Regrettably, the Group recorded eleven fatal accidents, all
on its South African sites, during the year (2006: ten).
Serious accident prevention strategies are being
strengthened throughout the group in an effort to
eliminate all incidents that might lead to disablement
or death. |
| |
View operating environments in which the fatal accidents occurred chart  |
| |
| SAFETY |
The Group's consolidated lost time injury frequency rate
(LTIFR) decreased by 35% to 3,01 during the year, in line
with the short term target of less than 3. This target was
bettered in two quarters during the year. There has been
a significant increase in the number of employees under the care of Murray & Roberts management and this is
reflected in the decreased fatal injury frequency rate. In
line with its commitment to zero harm, the Group will
continue to strive for the elimination of all fatal and
disabling accidents.
The Group's construction operations outperformed the
short term safety targets during all four quarters of the year
and were only marginally above the long term target of 1.
Additional work is necessary in the mining and fixed facility
environments to meet target commitments. Strategies
have been implemented to address underperforming operating environments, including increased management
focus, benchmarking, establishing of lead indicators
and an executive leadership pipeline featuring HSE
performance criteria.
All project companies conduct pre-employment and exit
medical examinations. Manufacturing businesses carry out
annual baseline medical examinations. These assessments
cover a full range of occupational exposures, including
activity specific issues that could adversely affect the short
term and long term health of employees.
All high risk activities are defined within each operating
company and specific management action plans are in
place to reduce or eliminate identified major hazards.
The major health risks identified for each operating
environment are: |
| |
| • |
Lung function disorders from dust exposure - primarily
construction |
| • |
Fatigue and heat stress - primarily mining |
| • |
Repetitive strain and ergonomic injuries - primarily fixed
facility sites |
|
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| View consolidated LTIFR performance for the Group chart |
| |
| OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH |
In support of our commitment to zero harm, several
manufacturing and project sites have established onsite
clinics where full time or part time medical treatments and
evaluations are conducted. Other operations offer staff
access to nursing or medical assistance on a regular basis.
Preventative and corrective mitigation measures aimed
at removing the underlying causes and hazards of all
health risks are being evaluated. Training and the use of
personal protective equipment (PPE) contribute to a
reduction of the impact of health risks.
Noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) continues to pose the
greatest risk in all our operations. Plans have been
introduced in the operating companies to reduce the
incidence of NIHL. These include more frequent
audiometric testing, training in the correct use of PPE and
early identification of noise zones on project sites. Further
work will be undertaken through education and training to
reduce the impact of noise on our employees. |
| |
| HIV/AIDS |
A group HIV/Aids policy has been established and sets
the framework for detailed policies at each operating
company. These are governed by a risk-based approach
and minimum standards.
Group and workplace policies instil an environment of
non-discrimination, empathy and awareness in order to
proactively manage the cause and effects of HIV/Aids.
Voluntary testing is promoted in all operations. The
families of employees in many operations participate
in wellness and awareness programs which include
industrial theatre performances, some of which are
organised in cooperation with the Department of Health.
Employees are provided with relevant information and
empowered to seek medical treatment if necessary which
is offered by local and community medical centres. |
| |
| ENVIRONMENT |
| The major risks identified for each operating environment
are: |
| |
| • |
Dust – Primarily construction |
| • |
Hydrocarbon spillage – Primarily mining |
| • |
Air and effluent emissions – Primarily fixed facility sites |
|
| |
At operations where hazardous materials are used,
appropriate policies and procedures are in place. The
Group works with local municipalities and appoints third
party service providers and consultants to ensure safe
disposal of any hazardous waste materials.
In preparation for the national framework for air quality
management, work is being done to ensure that
operations fulfil and exceed requirements imposed by the
new legislation. This includes setting up regional business
forums to discuss the relevant issues and any mitigation
measures that may be required.
Project operations comply with all stipulations of the
records of decision imposed by environmental impact
assessment (EIA) processes. In many instances, Murray
& Roberts assists clients with this process and makes
use of clients' EIAs to develop its own environmental
management plans for individual projects. The group
environmental policy requires that operating companies
adopt the standards imposed by client management
plans, local and national legislation or the Group.
During the year, the environmental performance of Murray
& Roberts was deemed acceptable. No major incidents
attracting fines or penalties were recorded. There were,
however, two incidents that required remediation. Both
events were dealt with timeously and facilitated by
professional consultants to ensure that the spillages were
remediated correctly. Numerous minor spillages were
recorded, all of which were handled effectively on site
before the situation escalated or any damage to the
environment could occur.
There were several other claims in respect of environmental
dust and noise pollution. These occurrences are largely restricted to our fixed facility operations but are treated as
serious. Capital expenditure plans have been approved to
reduce all emissions to acceptable levels. Ongoing
communication with the public and affected stakeholders
is clear and consistent.
In order to evaluate the impact its activities might contribute
to climate change, Murray & Roberts has undertaken to
establish the extent of its carbon footprint. As a signatory
to the Kyoto protocol, South Africa has committed to
investigate and assess alternatives to fossil based energy
and the use of products that are more environmentally
friendly. This places significant responsibility on organisa -
tions to implement solutions that reduce the consequences
of their undertakings on released carbon. The methodology
and framework is in development and will comply with the
World Business Council for Sustainable Development
(WBCSD) Greenhouse Gas Protocol. This monitoring and
reporting guideline will assist in the measurement of
the Group's carbon footprint and the establishment of
reasonable and meaningful targets, followed by the
introduction of reduction mechanisms with defined
objectives to decrease the carbon footprint.
Murray & Roberts occupies an estimated 532 hectares of
land other than project sites, the greater portion of which
is used for industrial purposes (manufacturing operations),
and the balance for office buildings. |
