## Occupational Health, Safety, Welfare and the Environment 

Promoting and maintaining high standards of safe work practice and a safe and healthy workplace are integral to our business. 

## Commitment 

The Company is committed to the concept of sustainable development which requires economic growth to be balanced by good stewardship and the protection of human health and the environment in which we live and work. 

Maintenance of a system of safe work practices, a pro-active approach to control and management of hazards, and the development and improvement of management performance standards are integral to this approach. 

## Injury Frequency 

This year Meekatharra Gold Operations reported 5 Lost Time Injuries (LTI) for the year to 30th June 2004. The Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) for the operation was 19.4 (rolling twelve month average), compared with the industry average of 5. 

This represents a reduced performance compared to the previous year. 

Incident investigations showed that 3 of the 5 Lost Time incidents related to work conducted in contract drilling and contract demobilization tasks. These investigations highlighted the requirement for changes to the systems of work in these areas, which have been implemented. 

## Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare 

Programs over the year focussed on the continuous improvement in participation of all employees in occupational health and safety issues management and decision making. This was supported by training in the areas of Hazard Identi fi  cation and Emergency Response Planning, together with Site OH&S Representative training, in particular targeting improved communications at all levels. 

The workforce commitment to safety performance will continue to focus on improvement of safety systems and awareness which will target the reduction of the LTIFR to or below the industry average. 

## Environmental Management 

The Company recognises that gold mining operations should be developed and managed on the basis of sustainable criteria. 

Environmental Programs conducted during the year included: 

• Continued focus on site waste management, in particular management and disposal of hydrocarbon products. 

• In addition to statutory monitoring requirements, regular self-audits were conducted throughout the year to monitor progress and to identify areas which required further management focus. 

• Progressive rehabilitation earthworks were completed on most recently mined areas, with further work conducted on historical mining areas. 

## Rehabilitation 

Mine site rehabilitation objectives are directed towards ensuring that the physical structures that remain after mine closure do not impose a long term hazard to public safety or the environment and that the mined area achieves the nominated post mining land use. 

During the past year continued signi fi  cant progress was made toward ful fi  lling these rehabilitation objectives. Work was undertaken across a range of sites which included rehabilitation earthworks programs at the three Paddys Flat low grade stockpile sites, making safe historic mine workings, waste dump slope pro fi  ling, capping with topsoil/oxide material and workings in particular at the South Junction site. 

