Health and safety

The health and safety of employees remains a priority for Petra. In addition to appropriate risk management processes, Petra has various strategies and systems, as well as training, in place to ensure that working places are safe, that employees are equipped to work safely and to raise health and safety awareness at all levels.

Managing health and safety

Petra encourages the active participation of employees and their representatives in health and safety issues.

Health and safety committees, comprising both management and employee representatives, as well as health and safety agreements are in place at all operations in line with the Mine Health and Safety Act (MHSA) (29 of 1996) in South Africa. These committees, as well as the health and safety representatives, meet on a regular basis. Given that more than 75% of Petra’s South African workforce is unionised, the Company is confident that at least this percentage of employees are involved in health and safety matters. At Williamson in Tanzania, this figure is of the order of 55%.

There is a Group health and safety policy and this is tailored to fit and implemented at each of Petra’s operations and, where necessary, it has been translated into local languages to ensure proper understanding. The policies and agreements typically include:

• a commitment to compliance with legislation and company standards;
• a commitment that no employee will be required to work under circumstances which may endanger themselves or others;
• an acknowledgment that management, unions and employees have a mutual interest and responsibility in respect of health and safety matters;
• that protective equipment will be provided by the Company as necessary, and that employees are required to make use of this equipment; and
• all accidents and incidents will be investigated.

Safety performance

Petra has maintained an excellent health and safety record for the 2009 financial year, demonstrating the particular importance we place upon the promotion of a zero harm culture in our workplaces. There were no fatal accidents in the Group. The Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) for the 2009 financial year was 0.76 per million hours worked (2008:0.71).

Lost time injury frequency rate (LTIFR) per two hundred thousand hours worked

Operation	2009	2008
Cullinan	0.13	n/a
Koffiefontein	0.76	0.05
Kimberley Underground	n/a	n/a
Helam	0.4	1.39
Sedibeng	2.96	4.64
Star	0.20	0.008
Williamson	0.13	n/a
Total	0.76	0.71

Shifts lost as a result of occupational injuries

Operation	Shifts lost in 2009
Cullinan	89
Koffiefontein	230
Kimberley Underground	18
Helam	154
Sedibeng	274
Star	14
Williamson	35
Total	814

Petra’s operations engage with the health and safety authorities on a regular basis and in a constructive manner. There were no significant health or safety related stoppages during the year.

Health performance

All employees across the Company’s mining operations are subject to annual medical examinations in line with occupational health legislation. These medical examinations are undertaken annually, on engagement, at transfer or when exiting the Group. In total, 3,305 medical examinations were carried out in 2009.

Medical examinations

Operation	2009	2008
Cullinan	1,200	n/a
Koffiefontein	251	406
Kimberley Underground	371	281
Helam	358	358
Sedibeng	542	554
Star	155	274
Williamson	428	392
Total	3,305	2,265

The major occupational health risks vary between the Company’s operations depending on their location and the nature of the orebody and mining methods. The primary health threats are noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) and occupational lung disease (OLD). In South Africa, pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) places a significant burden on employee healthcare and, where associated with dust environments, is considered a compensable OLD.

Noise induced hearing loss (NIHL):

As exposure to high noise levels can lead to loss of hearing, the Group aims to reduce the noise level emitted by all noisy equipment to below 110dbA. This level of noise may be attenuated – through the use of hearing protection devices (HPDs) - to below the targeted level of 85dBA

Petra is working towards a noise reduction target for 2013 (in line with the South African Mine Health and Safety Council targets) through:

• the silencing of noisy equipment; and
• adhering to the Company's HPD policies and procedures such as the issuing of HPDs to the workforce at all operations.

By the end of 2009 all underground fans at Cullinan had been attenuated to below 110dBA and HPDs had been issued to all employees who are exposed to noise. At Kimberley Underground, 78 employees working in noisy areas were tested and fitted with noise clipper HPDs in 2009. In addition, a programme to remove noisy winches from the underground working areas at Kimberley Underground commenced.

TB and OLD

Respiratory diseases such as tuberculosis (TB) and occupational lung disease (OLD) resulting from dust exposure are not a major risk at the Company's operations, except at the Star and Helam mines.

Regular dust monitoring is undertaken at all operations. At Star and Helam, where dry drilling in fissures is undertaken, exposed personnel are issued with respirators, and measures such as atomisers and ventilation are also in place.

While TB is not a significant occupational illness, it is highly prevalent in South Africa as a whole. Petra has awareness, educational and treatment programmes in place for the effective management of TB.

The Directly Observed Treatment Short (DOTS) course is an internationally recommended strategy for TB control that has been recognised as a highly efficient and cost-effective strategy which is aligned to the World Health Organization.

New cases of NIHL and TB as at 30 June 2009

Operation	2009		2008
	NIHL	TB	NIHL	TB
Cullinan	-	2	n./a	n/a
Koffiefontein	-	1	2	1
Kimberley Underground	1	-	-	-
Helam	-	-	-	-
Sedibeng	6	1	4	1
Star	-	-	-	-
Williamson	-	1	-	1
Total	7	5	6	3

Health and safety training and awareness

Health and safety training and awareness programmes are undertaken regularly at all operations. For example:

• A management and union zero harm culture campaign is ongoing at Cullinan to ensure a safe, healthy and productive work environment for all employees.
• At Kimberley Underground, 208 employees underwent formal in-house awareness training through the Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) programme.
• Training for safety awareness was carried out at Williamson on various safety topics. A five-day first aid training course was conducted by OSHA trainers. The health and safety policy was also restated and the HSE procedures are being reviewed. Workplace safety inspection procedures, the accountability hierarchy and the corrective actions cycle at the mine have been improved.
• There are various ongoing safety campaigns at all operations in line with the zero harm target such as the Safety Awareness Month carried out at Star.

In this section:

1. Health and safety
2. HIV/AIDS and malaria
3. Employment and human rights
4. Community
5. Case studies