Anglo American Annual Report 2012

OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW STRATEGY IN ACTIONSTRATEGIC ELEMENT: Operating safely, sustainably and responsiblyTackling TB and HIVWe are recognised leaders for ourHIV/AIDS programmes in theworkplace. The continued highprevalence of HIV in southern Africais linked to a rising incidence of TB,which has become a most disturbingand pressing issue for us and ouremployees. We have an activeprogramme aimed at addressingthe escalating TB epidemic. This isevidenced in our TB incidence rate,which continues to decline and is, at958 per 100,000 employees, lowerthan both the national and industryaverages. Despite these efforts, it iswith deep regret that 59 employeesdied from TB in 2012. We do not acceptthat anyone should die from thispreventable and treatable disease.People enrolled in our HIV WellnessProgramme are also offered TBprevention therapy. Testing (throughour wellness programme) is theentry point to our comprehensiveprogramme of prevention, care, supportand treatment for HIV and AIDS and allemployees who test positive are invitedto enrol. In 2012, we tested andcounselled 95,244 employees andcontractors (2011: 110,010), whilemore than 90% of our employees insouthern Africa check their HIV statusevery year, on average. In 2012, wesaw a significant increase in the numberof employees who are estimated tobe HIV-positive enrolling on theprogramme – 70% against 61%in 2011.By year end, we had 5,332 employeeson anti-retroviral therapy (ART) (2011:4,730). A major challenge is ensuringpeople’s adherence to treatment, andextra emphasis is placed on providingsupport and counselling and ensuringdiligent care at a primary care level.We remainone of the keyprivate-sectorsupporters ofthe Global Fundto Fight AIDS,Tuberculosisand Malaria andof the GlobalAlliance forVaccines andImmunisations.Promoting healthcare in thebroader communityOur activities to promote healthcarein the broader community includeplanned investments in health systemsstrengthening in our neighbouringcommunities, as well as activitiesaimed at supporting health care indeveloping countries more broadly.We remain one of the key privatesectorsupporters of the Global Fundto Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis andMalaria and the Global Alliance forVaccines and Immunisations, apublic-private partnership that isincreasing access to immunisation inthe world’s poorest countries.We use the knowledge and experiencegained from our workplace healthprogrammes to support communityoutreach programmes and strengthencommunity health systems; that is,the people, the processes and thetechnology that make local healthservices work. In South Africa, weare working with the provincial healthdepartments in the Eastern Cape,Mpumalanga, Northern Cape andNorth West provinces, which are allassociated with our operations or arelabour-sending areas, to improvehealth services.In Brazil, we continue to work withthe highly regarded Brazilian NGO,Reprolatina, to improve access toquality health services, particularlywith regard to reproductive health forwomen and girls with a current focuson the communities surrounding theBarro Alto nickel operation.ENVIRONMENTWhile the extraction and processingof minerals and metals is fundamentalto the global economy, its associatedactivities result in the unavoidabledisturbance of land, the consumptionof resources, and the generationof waste and pollutants. Growingregulatory and social pressure,increasing demands for limited naturalresources, and the escalating costsof energy and water all highlight thebusiness imperative of responsibleenvironmental management.Within this context, the principalenvironmental risks facing ourbusiness relate to water, climatechange and energy.Please refer to our stand-aloneSustainable Development Reportfor a review of our managementapproach and performance relatingto land management, biodiversity,waste and air quality.Our strategy and managementapproachWe seek to effectively manage ourenvironmental risks by minimising ourimpacts and by taking advantage ofopportunities that deliver long termbenefits to our stakeholders. Thepotential gains to our business includeaccess to secure, affordable andsustainable supplies of water andenergy for our operations, reducedcosts, improved productivity, shorterpermitting times and an enhancedreputation. Implementation of ourstrategy is through the following threeareas of activity: driving operationalexcellence; investing in technology;and engaging and partnering withour stakeholders.The Anglo American EnvironmentWay and its mandatory performancestandards on social and environmentalimpact assessments, water, air quality,mineral and non-mineral waste,hazardous substances, biodiversity,rehabilitation and mine closure, allguide our approach to responsibleenvironmental management.28 Anglo American plc Annual Report 2012