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Aluminium for future generations – health & safety
- 1. 5/26/2016 Aluminium for Future Generations – Health & Safety
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Managing health and safety risks is paramount at
all steps in the aluminium production process.”
Dr James Wesdock
Corporate Manager Occupational Health
Alcoa
Links
Aluminium Industry Health & Safety Statistics
IAIICMM Health & Safety Performance Indicator
Definitions
Human Health Risk Assessment for Aluminium
Aluminium & Health Fact Sheets
Community Health & Bauxite Mining
Some aluminium industry processes have
health & safety issues common to many
manufacturing sectors while other processes
have very specific hazards that need to be
addressed.
In managing the risk to people from these industryrelated processes, it is
necessary to identify systematically all potential hazards, have standards of
good practice, committed management and systems for a structured follow
up. Measurement of health and safety performance at the facility, company
and sector level is key to managing risks.
Lagging indicators, also sometimes called trailing, downstream or ‘afterthe
fact’ indicators, provide historical information about health and safety
performance. With lagging indicators, nothing can be changed to alter the
measure of health and safety performance, as it is history. Any changes
made may influence future performance but cannot alter the past
performance. Classic injury statistics such as injury frequency rate and lost
workday rate are examples of lagging indicators and for safety performance
these have been collected by the International Aluminium Institute (IAI)
and published since the mid 1990s.
Leading indicators, also sometimes called ‘upstream’ indicators, are used as
predictors of health and safety performance. The advantage of using
leading indicators of performance is that actions can be taken to alter the
ENGLISH
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leading indicators of performance is that actions can be taken to alter the
course of health and safety performance. If an indicator predicts poor
performance, it is not necessary to wait to see if the prediction is correct.
Changes can be implemented to increase the probability of improved
performance. Thus, leading indicators can provide guidance whereby there
is greater assurance of achieving good health and safety performance.
Leading indicators as a measure of health performance have been collected
and published by the Institute since the early 2000s.
Safety
Coordinated safety initiatives on particular hazardous activities, where the
consequences of not following good practices can be fatal, have been the
focus of a number of industry best practice guidelines. Examples of such
activities include the operation of mobile equipment, lifting devices,
combustion, and high voltage equipment, as well as the handling of bath
and molten metal. Control of these hazards is the key to reducing the risk of
injury and fatality.
Since 1997 the IAI has collected comprehensive benchmarking data on
safety performance in the global aluminium industry and shared the results
within the industry. Such information is a driving force for continual
improvement. In addition to benchmarking performance, another important
activity is to share information on accidents. The aluminium industry, in
common with many other manufacturing sectors, has consistently improved
injury rates over the past 15 years, with many facilities achieving zero lost
time or even recordable injuries per annum:
Besides investments in technical improvements, it is primarily practice
oriented training and qualification measures, aimed at identifying hazards,
assessing and controlling risks, that have contributed to this positive
development. This is consistent with the experience that most accidents at
work are behaviour and organisation related.
Occupational Health
Minimising health risks is essential for the long term sustainability of
operations, which rely on safe and productive workforces. With long lag
times for many occupational diseases between exposure and onset, the use
of lagging indicators is limited in its ability to affect positive change. In this
case, leading indicators are an effective route to measuring industry
performance and ensuring that workforces are protected.
In recent surveys of its membership, the International Aluminium Institute
found that 99% had employee exposure assessment and medical
surveillance programmes in place, as defined in IAIICMM published
guidelines. In addition more than 95% of operating locations had EHS
Per million hours worked
Total recordable injury rate
Lost time injury rate
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
0
5
10
15
20
25
- 3. 5/26/2016 Aluminium for Future Generations – Health & Safety
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guidelines. In addition more than 95% of operating locations had EHS
management systems in place; 94% having achieved ISO 14000
certification, 46% with OHSAS 18000 certification.
Traditionally, the focus for the primary aluminium industry has been on
minimising worker exposure to physical and chemical hazards (either over
the long term or in short term peak exposures). This means managing
chemical, heat, noise, dust and magnetic field/radiation exposure through
engineering controls, changed work practices or the use of personal
protective equipment. However, in recent years other hazards have been
identified and are the subject of exploration by the industry – namely
psychological health, wellness (with a focus on maximising health rather
than minimising harm) and the interplay between occupational health,
safety, community health and worklife balance.
Community Health & Safety
A healthy community means healthy families, which means a safer and
more motivated workforce; thus there is an important link between the
community, which provides the workforce, and operational efficiency and
productivity. In turn, the values of occupational health and safety at the
heart of aluminium manufacturing operations are taken out by the workforce
in to their homes and communities, fostering a culture of safety that, for
instance, sees people wearing seatbelts in vehicles where their use is not
mandated.
Based on a needs assessment, companies may implement community
based health programmes, examples of which are found below:
Vectorborne disease control
Drugs & alcohol programmes
Sanitation infrastructure & programmes
While many of the traditional health & safety hazards in the aluminium
industry are common across the mining and manufacturing sector,
community health issues and opportunities are quite specific to the location.
Actions to mitigate identified issues or take advantage of the opportunities
also need to be handled with sensitivity to the cultural context. Therefore,
operators work very closely with communities in defining health needs and
appropriate actions, regularly measure performance and revisit objectives in
consultation with stakeholders.
As well as developing specific community health programmes, operators
may invest in the building of healthcare infrastructure in areas where often
there is little or no formal capacity for meeting the healthcare needs of
workers, their families and the communities at large, during the life of a
mine or refinery and even after closure. Infrastructure support can include
hospitals, clinics, health education resources, emergency response
personnel and equipment, doctors, nurses and hygienists.
More than 50% of IAIsurveyed operating locations indicate that they have
two or more community health initiatives implemented and ongoing.
Public Health
Aluminium is the most abundant metallic element on Earth. Aluminium metal
is used as a structural material in the construction, automotive, and aircraft
industries, in the production of metal alloys, in the electrical industry, in
cooking utensils, and in food packaging. Aluminium compounds are used as
coagulants in water treatment, as antacids, antiperspirants and food
additives.
A number of different organisations have suggested dietary intake limits for
aluminium. In 2011 the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food
Additives (JECFA) established a provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI)
of 2 mg aluminium/kg body weight. The PTWI applies to all aluminium
compounds in food, including food additives. It is present in the human diet
at moderate levels, generally less than 15 mg being ingested daily by
