News that could not be included in International Mining‘s June safety article comes from PT Freeport Indonesia’s Safety and Industrial Health Department, which says mining companies need to be more proactive in managing risks related to occupational health and safety (OHS). In its own operations, it has seen that without implementation of OHS through a managed system, it is unable to meet its goals.

The principles that are developed through such a scheme provide benefits including:

• Measurable participation of all parties, from top leadership all the way through all employee levels, including contractors and company visitors
• Efforts to prevent accidents and occupational illness that are not reactive, but proactive. Prevention of workplace accidents can start when initial signs appear that may cause accidents or losses
• Targets and achievements of OHS programs can be measured more accurately, not just the final results but also the implementation process
• One company’s OHS performance can be compared to that of another company
• OHS management system as a part of corporate social responsibility, as a successful OHS management system can improve the standing of the company in the eyes of the government, shareholders, and surrounding community.