Code 1996

SYSTEM AND PROCESSES

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The systems and processes relevant to each Principle are:

Sustainable Development

Managing activities in a manner consistent with the principles of sustainable development such that economic, environmental and social considerations are integrated into decision making and management.

1. Support activities to improve knowledge of the short- and long-term availability and use of mineral resources.
2. Promote reuse and recycling of mineral products and by-products to maximise their utility to current and future generations.
3. Pursue cleaner production through research, technological innovation, operational efficiencies and waste minimisation.
4. Recognise the maintenance of ecological and cultural heritage values as an important consideration in sustainable development.

Environmentally Responsible Culture

Developing an environmentally responsible culture by demonstrating management commitment, implementing management systems, and providing the time and resources to educate and train employees and contractors.

1. Develop, implement and communicate an environmental policy consistent with the Code.
2. Demonstrate management commitment through application of environmental management practices consistent with the Code.
3. Implement effective environmental education and training programs for all employees and contractors.
4. Ensure that employees and contractors are provided with necessary company policies, goals, procedures, guidelines and practices for environmental and heritage protection.
5. Require employees and site contractors to comply with company practices and procedures.
6. Facilitate community education about the minerals industry and its environmental management.

Community Partnership

Consulting the community on its concerns, aspirations and values regarding development and operational aspects of mineral projects, recognising that there are links between environmental, economic, social and cultural issues.

1. Identify directly and indirectly affected stakeholders, and their concerns.
2. Foster openness and dialogue with employees and the community, promote cross-cultural awareness, and specifically address concerns about environmental and social impacts.
3. Provide to the community technical information about potential effects of operations, products, waste and rehabilitation practices.
4. Establish community consultation relevant to each stage of operations.
   

Risk Management

Applying risk management techniques on a site-specific basis to achieve desirable environmental outcomes.

1. Utilise environmental baseline studies as the basis for risk management.
2. Evaluate the risks of alternative project concepts, weighing the positive and negative consequences of the outcomes and provide opportunities for stakeholder participation.
3. Implement management strategies to mitigate environmental impacts of the preferred development option.
4. Adopt a proactive and cautious approach to reasonably foreseeable environmental risks.
5. Develop and implement contingency plans to address incidents and abnormal operating and environmental conditions.
   

Integrated Environmental Management

Recognising environmental management as a corporate priority and integrating environmental management into all operations from exploration, through design and construction to mining, minerals processing, rehabilitation and decommissioning.

1. Establish a management system which allocates management and employee responsibilities relevant to the organisation's activities and applicable legal requirements.
2. Address within an environmental management system:
• applicable legal and regulatory requirements;
• requirements under this Code and any other codes to which the company is a signatory;
• company environmental policies, objectives and targets;
• environmental management plans and procedures;
• environmental monitoring procedures;
• setting and testing of contingency and emergency response plans;
• regular auditing of the environmental management system and environmental performance;
• reporting procedures.
3. Periodically review the environmental management system to ensure that it remains effective and relevant to the company's evolving needs and changing community values and expectations.

Performance Targets

Setting environmental performance targets not necessarily limited to legislation, licence and permit requirements.

1. Identify legal and other requirements applicable to the environmental aspects of the organisation's activities, products or services.
2. Set internal performance targets and periodically assess achievements to reinforce policy commitments and to enable demonstration of continual improvement.
3. Ensure that legal requirements and internal performance targets are effectively communicated to the employees who are accountable for the relevant activities.

Continual Improvement

Implementing management strategies to meet current and anticipated performance standards and regularly reviewing objectives in the light of changing needs and expectations.

1. Regularly review and update corporate policies, programs, and environmental performance to correct any deficiencies.
2. Assess and rank environmental issues in order to concentrate efforts in priority areas and where maximum gains are achievable.
3. Undertake, participate in, or support research on priority issues and facilitate transfer of information on technical developments, scientific understanding, consumer needs and community expectations.

Rehabilitation and Decommissioning

Ensuring decommissioned sites are rehabilitated and left in a safe and stable condition, after taking into account beneficial uses of the site and surrounding land.

1. Incorporate rehabilitation and decommissioning options in the conceptual design of operations at the feasibility stage.
2. Develop clearly-defined rehabilitation plans, monitor and review rehabilitation performance and progressively refine such plans.
3. Determine and account for rehabilitation and decommissioning costs and periodically review their adequacy during the life of the operation.
4. Establish a program of progressive rehabilitation commensurate with the nature of the operation and the rate of disturbance.
5. Periodically review the rehabilitation and decommissioning strategies over the life of the operation to incorporate changing legislative requirements, public expectations and environmental and cultural heritage information.
6. Address issues and programs related to long-term responsibility for land management in the final decommissioning plan.

Reporting

Demonstrating commitment to the Code's principles by reporting the company's implementation of the Code and environmental performance to governments, the community and within the company.

1. Implement regular reporting of environmental performance to all stakeholders, including the Board of Directors, shareholders, employees, authorities and the community.
2. Provide an annual public environmental report.
3. Reports should describe the company's processes for:
• communicating environmental policy;
• communicating environmental performance;
• community consultation and responding to concerns;
• Code implementation.
4. Reports should also include, but not be limited to:
• organisation profile, environmental policies and objectives;
• environmental management processes;
• establishment of benchmarks against which continual improvement can be measured;
• opportunities/progress in improvements;
• prosecutions and associated significant environmental incidents;
• performance in relation to regulatory requirements and internal targets;
• environmental and heritage issues to be addressed and strategies to implement them.