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News How does HSEC reporting structure affect T recruitment and retention within the mining sector? he reporting structure of an HSEC [Health, Safety, Environment and Community] team can seriously impact its ability to recruit and retain senior and management-level environment and community professionals. In today's mining sector employment market, where such individuals are in short supply and an ineffectual HSEC team can cause serious problems across an organisation, it is important for organisations to make sure they are structuring their team effectively. A common complaint among environment professionals working within a combined HSEC structure is that they find it difficult to gain buy-in for strategic environmental initiatives from managers with predominantly safety backgrounds. Many see this as the result of both a technical knowledge gap, and the fundamental differences in the way environment and safety people think. "It's largely due to the fundamental differences in which environment and safety are measured," explains Bert Huys, Environmental Operations Manager for BHP Billiton WA Iron Ore. "With the latter being more 'here and now' risk based whereas environment is often measured over a much longer term." "Environment is there before, during and long after operations have ceased," notes the GM Environment from one of Australia's major coal produces. "Whereas safety is only a factor during the exploration and mining phases when people are involved in the process." In recent times many Australian mining and energy companies have revised their approach to HSEC reporting to reflect their inherent differences, placing health and safety into a separate reporting structure to environment and community. In such cases, both sit on an equal footing within the organisation, reporting directly into an Operations Manager at site or less commonly through to the regional technical lead. Where an environmental technical reporting line is in place, it is important to ensure that a functional reporting line into operations also exists, so that the environment and community team is seen as a part of the wider operation. "This is very important," says Carl Grant, Anglo Coal's Regional Environment Manager. "It can have a huge effect on engagement and acceptance of environmental initiatives and processes at a site level." From a recruitment and retention perspective, there are a number of compelling reasons for mining companies to consider maintaining separate reporting lines for safety and environment. The first reason is that, particularly where the environmental team is well embedded and supported in the operation, many environmental professionals prefer to report directly to operations, bypassing the additional layer of management that the HSEC manager represents. A second reason for considering separate reporting structures is that a direct reporting structure through to operations provides a more attractive long-term career option for environmental professionals seeking to move up through the environmental team structure. This translates into longer retention periods and reduces costly turnover, as employees are not tempted to change employers or sites to avoid a "glass ceiling" in their career. This reduction of turnover is of particular interest to companies with complex or long- standing environmental and community issues, where an appreciation for the history and nuances of long-term relationships with regulators and the community can make or break planned expansions. Of course, separating the reporting structures of an HSEC team does not by itself guarantee an end to turnover problems. As with any team, success or failure is ultimately determined by its leadership. For environmental professionals in the mining sector, management needs to value the role that environment and community plays within a wider operation, and engage with it accordingly. "Reporting structures are never a black-and-white issue," Belinda Bastow from AngloGold Ashanti explains. "It comes down to whether management is engaged." Recruitment Consultant EnviroSearchGlobal Clint Harrison is a Senior Consultant with EnviroSearchGlobal, a specialist search and recruitment business with a focus on environment, sustainability, energy and engineering. Clint is the mining and water lead for the Environment, Community and Sustainability division of EnviroSearchGlobal and for the past six years has successfully delivered challenging assignments for Australia's leading mining and consulting companies; from Advisor through to General Manager level. 8 The Australasian Mine Safety Journal Summer 2011/12 Clint Harrison