Sustainability website / Sustainable Development / 6: Catastrophic Hazards

6: Catastrophic Hazards

Intent

Management implements processes and promotes the necessary culture and competencies to identify, analyse, evaluate and treat health, safety and environmental catastrophic hazards throughout the life cycle of Xstrata's projects and operations.

Requirements and Expectations

6.1

Hazards associated with facilities, structures, activities or situations are identified and assessed using systematic and rigorous processes that are implemented by suitably competent and experienced persons, including external experts if appropriate, to determine the individual hazards or  combinations of hazards that could give rise to a sudden catastrophic event.

6.2

Catastrophic hazard registers and plans are developed for each operation and in consultation with communities and other relevant external stakeholders.

6.3

Site and project catastrophic hazard registers are consolidated into a commodity business register.

6.4

Internal and external communication processes are established and used to allow those directly exposed to the hazard and others who have a legitimate interest in the hazard, to:

• Understand how the hazards were identified
• Understand why particular actions are required
• Receive communication and training as necessary.

6.5

The status of catastrophic hazard registers and plans, nominated control measures and other factors impacting on controls are routinely reviewed.

6.6

Management, in particular executive management, in each commodity business maintains and supports a catastrophic hazard management culture by:

• Endorsing the catastrophic hazard management requirements
• Maintaining knowledge and awareness of catastrophic hazards
• Monitoring the status of nominated control measures
• Reviewing and responding to recommendations and actions emanating from assurance activities
• Committing the organisation to the ongoing task of better anticipating, understanding and, where reasonably practicable, eliminating or controlling catastrophic hazards.