Environment
Our environmental management systems are certified to the international standard ISO 14001
Right: Hunter Valley Operations received a highly commended award from the NSW Minerals Council Environment and Community Excellence Awards for its alluvial lands rehabilitation project, which will be commercially re-cropped by local grazier Peter Nichols (pictured).
Our approach
Access to future resources such as land, water and skilled employees is directly linked to how well we manage environmental issues and work with local communities at our existing operations.
In 2010 our operations, including our newly opened Clermont Mine, maintained a certified Health, Safety, Environment and Quality (HSEQ) management system which also meets the international standard ISO 14001. ISO 14001 provides a framework for identifying risks, managing the environmental impact of our activities and products, and continuously improving our environmental performance through environmental improvement plans.
The system ensures all Rio Tinto operations uniformly work within a robust management framework and meet various certifications and internal and external reporting requirements. The HSEQ management system provides a systematic approach for sound hazard and risk identification, evaluation and management, ongoing verification and review of performance.
The system helps us manage the following key environmental focus areas:
- Air quality
- Acid rock drainage prediction and control
- Greenhouse gas emissions
- Hazardous materials and contamination control
- Noise and vibration control
- Water use and quality control
- Waste (mineral and non-mineral)
- Land use stewardship (including biodiversity)
- Product stewardship
- Closure.
Timely monitoring and corrective action ensures environmental management remains a key focus of the business.
We carry out regular internal and external auditing to assess environmental management performance and systems across our operations. In addition, our environmental management systems are regularly audited for certification purposes by an independent certifier.
