We interviewed B.Gantulga, Clinic Interface Specialist in the Health and Safety department at Oyu Tolgoi, to ask about what Oyu Tolgoi is doing to protect the health of its employees.
Our health is our most valuable asset. What is Oyu Tolgoi doing to protect the health of employees?
Oyu Tolgoi Health, Safety and Environmental Department has a team in charge of health issues. This team, staffed by 10 personnel, including two expatriate specialists, is in charge of all issues related to the health of our employees. A very experienced, professional hygienist from Australia leads our team, which is staffed with experienced young physicians, hygienists and chemists. Our team covers two areas: Occupational Health and Occupational Hygiene. Occupational Health includes all our activities directed towards the prevention of any health risk and occupational disease, sickness and health related problems. Occupational Health activities also promote healthy lifestyle and fitness. Occupational Hygiene identifies external factors; such as health risks and physical, chemical and biological factors that can affect human health in specific work conditions. The objective is to reduce the impact of these factors and create a safe working environment. Occupational Health and Hygiene have many interrelated factors.
What are some of the significant activities Oyu Tolgoi do to protect the health of the employees?
The employees are enrolled in four types of health check-ups.
- Pre-employment medical check-up
- An annual employee medical check-up
- Periodic health check-ups
- An exit medical check-up
Prospective employees are enrolled in the pre-employment medical check-up, to determine whether they meet the health requirements of the job. All employees are enrolled in an annual employee medical check-up, in compliance with the labor laws of Mongolia. Through this medical check-up, it is possible to find out if there were any changes in the health of employees after one year on the job. However, annual employee medical check-ups are not compulsory. It is up to each individual to voluntarily participate in the annual medical check-up. Periodic medical check-ups and the exit medical check-up are new, innovative practices, not only in the company, but also in the mining sector of our country.
Are employees in the mining industry susceptible to particular diseases and illnesses? How this is monitored?
Periodic check-ups are a process to review whether employee health is affected, if there are any short and long term changes in the employees health, of if the health of an employee deteriorating. We divide the employees into groups and we are introducing the “same susceptible group” system. This is a system used by Rio Tinto and other large global mines. “Same susceptible group” means that their jobs have the same health risks and occupational hazards. For the development of these groups, serious occupational health risks and exposures are identified by qualitative risk assessment, a matrix is developed and the risk, hazard consequences are evaluated and grouped. As an example, let’s take a look at the job of Mill Operator at the concentrator. All negative health exposures and risks are listed and that job is grouped with other employees affected by the same risks and exposures. From that data we create, C3 – same susceptible group, at the concentrator. This C3 group must be enrolled in medical check-ups in the same time period. We determine physical, chemical and biological factors, such as dust, noise and weather extremes, that may affect employee health. This is all done according to Rio Tinto health standards, based on actual measurement. Our occupational hygiene team is equipped with the latest equipment and tools to conduct measurements and research according to the plan. We give regular feedback on our work to our employees.
How do you monitor the health of employees through these groups?
We monitor the employee health groups according to certain criteria. For example, employees of certain groups must be checked for respiratory or lung tests annually. X-rays will be taken every three years, hearing will be checked each year, the spine will be x-rayed once every five years and physical tests will be conducted every two years. This way we develop a list and schedule of medical checks that the group must go through. Starting last month, preliminary periodic medical check-ups of “same susceptible groups” began at the Oyu Tolgoi mine site hospital. Employees of the “same susceptible group C1” from the concentrator, went through medical check-ups in April. They will go through same medical check-ups for lungs and hearing function in April 2014. This is continuous medical monitoring of the employees’ health. The employees are informed about whether their hearing has changed or if there has been any impact on their lungs because of dust etc. Oyu Tolgoi is introducing the “continuous medical check-up system” – for the first time in Mongolia.
Why do people leaving the workforce, have a medical check-up?
People leaving the workforce must go through a medical check-up to allow a comparison of their health status from when they were first employed, to when they left the workforce. We aim to reduce health impacts on our employees and minimise occupational diseases. Employees can find out what changes have occurred in their health after being employed at Oyu Tolgoi. Continuous medical check-ups are very important, other mining companies do not usually do this kind of medical check-ups, they just do standard medical check-ups. Our company covers the cost of all these medical check-ups. It’s a substantial investment in our employees’ health.
What hospital is in charge of health related activities at the Oyu Tolgoi mine site?
An International organisation, SOS, has working with “SOS Medica Mongolia” hospital, at the Oyu Tolgoi mine site since 2004. They provide emergency and primary medical check-up services and have a lot of experience with emergency evacuation and emergency assistance. SOS have branch offices in over 70 countries around the world. Construction is underway to expand the current facility to provide a professional medical hospital. Medical check-ups will be performed in this hospital, which will also serve as professional health center. In addition to the medical check-ups, they will conduct all types of health and hygiene measurements and research and implement a health education programme. We are planning to conduct health education, occupational disease and health training for our employees in the classrooms at the hospital.
What are other activities are directed to health of the employees?
We are implementing a programme to prevent diseases caused by a lack of physical movement. We also have a programme providing a psychological service for the employees at the mine site and in the Ulaanbaatar offices. Oyu Tolgoi conducts various health-education training courses in partnership with SOS and our catering company CIS. The topics are based on events announced by the World Health Organisation. For example, on 24 March, every year is World Day against Tuberculosis; so in March we will present a training course about this disease. Our employees at site have access to our, state of the art, Cultural and Sports Center – second only to the Buyant Ukhaa sports complex in Ulaanbaatar, in terms of size, capacity and equipment. We provide first aid training to our employees and last year, automatic defibrillators, to stop an extremely rapid, irregular heartbeat and restore the normal heart rhythm, were set up in the Oyu Tolgoi offices in Ulaanbaatar and Khanbogd and Dalanzadgdad. Anybody who received the relevant instructions and training can operate these fully automatic, electronic devices.
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