BHP has recorded its third consecutive year without a fatality across its operations, according to the company’s December quarterly report.
The major miner introduced its Fatality Elimination Program in September 2020 to bolster the organisation’s sustained ambition for a zero-fatality workplace.
Through the program, BHP engaged relevant experts and mining, equipment, technology and services (METS) organisations to provide control solutions to its top-10 safety risks.
In September, the company also reported a 3.7 total reportable injury frequency rate (TRIFR) for the 2021 financial year, down from 4.2 the year before.
BHP chief executive officer Mike Henry said the company’s continuing focus on people and operational reliability enabled it to achieve near record production in iron ore, and reduce the impacts of adverse weather and COVID-19 related labour constraints in its operations.
“BHP was fatality-free at our operated assets for the third consecutive year,” he said.
“Cost control remained strong across the business, in the face of a more inflationary environment. Unit cost guidance remains intact bar a change to metallurgical coal which is a function of the lowering of production guidance as a result of significant wet weather and in anticipation of Omicron headwinds in the early part of the second half of the financial year.”
Henry said the BHP completed major planned maintenance programs in its Iron Ore, Nickel West and Olympic Dam assets.
“In Nickel West, we achieved first saleable production of nickel sulphate crystals from the Kwinana plant, an exciting new addition to our product suite that will further enhance our offering into the battery electric vehicle market,” he said.
“The ramp-up of South Flank continues to progress well. The Spence Growth project is realising lower than expected recoveries and we are studying plant design modifications in order to lift recoveries to planned levels.”
In December last year, BHP’s Olympic Dam mine in South Australia become the first Australian site to be awarded the Copper Mark, an accreditation that assesses participants in 32 critical areas including environment, community, human rights and governance issues for mining, smelting and refining operations.
The accreditation is an assurance framework specific to the copper industry, developed to ensure that companies demonstrate best practices in responsible production and contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.