Rio Tinto have been recognised at the Western Australian Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety Awards for Excellence ceremony in Perth last week. Rio Tinto had six finalists across three award categories that focused on safety and health, environmental excellence as well as community partnership.
Their work innovating a rail-mounted platform that eliminates risks associated with working at heights won the engineering category in the Safety and Health Resources Sector awards. Rio Tinto was also recognised for work in critical risk management as well as improving the safety and reliability of distribution power lines.
Rio Tinto was also honoured with two nominees for the 2017 Golden Gecko Award for Environmental Excellence. The development of a drilling waste removal system, which achieved environmental benefits including reduced ground disturbance, lower hydrocarbon use and improved management of drilling waste, was awarded a certificate of merit.
Their work in the Pilbara protecting northern quolls from introduced predators by developing a threatened species plan was also recognised as a finalist for the Golden Gecko award. Rio Tinto’s 20-year partnership with The Graham (Polly) Farmer Foundation for supporting Indigenous students was awarded a special commendation for the 2017 Community Partnership Resources Sector award.
Rio Tinto Iron Ore chief executive Chris Salisbury said “This award, as well as the recognition of our outstanding work in safety, the environment, and community partnership, is not only a reflection of the values that guide our work on a daily basis, but it’s also a validation of our commitment to upholding these values across everything we do.
“We are committed to safety as our highest priority, we recognise that we are responsible for environmental stewardship in the areas we work and we are focused on developing and nurturing strong, trusting and long-lasting relationships with the communities in which we operate.”
