Wednesday, November 28 2007, Kuching: The Sarawak Aluminium Company (SALCO) smelter will be working towards zero.

To achieve world class health, safety, environment and community performance, all employees at the proposed RM7 billion SALCO smelter, to be located 60 km from Bintulu in Similajau, will focus on continuous improvement, working towards a zero goal.

Cahya Mata Sarawak (CMS) and global aluminium producer, Rio Tinto Alcan (RTA) signed a Heads of Agreement to commence feasibility studies for the development of a world class aluminium smelter, SALCO. The signing, held in Kuching in August 2007, was witnessed by the Chief Minister of Sarawak.

Rio Tinto Alcan General Manager Smelter Project Development, Matt Liddy said that in 2008, Rio Tinto Alcan will introduce an externally certified and integrated Health, Safety, Environment and Quality (HSEQ) management system, as an additional tool to assist the move towards achieving ‘zero goal’. The HSEQ management system, he added, would also be implemented for the SALCO smelter, and help to drive HSEQ improvements across the organization.

Mr Liddy, who is based in Kuching, was speaking at the Fourth International Conference on Natural Resources and Environmental Management (NREM) and Environmental Safety and Health (ESH) 2007 organized by University Malaysia Sarawak (UniMas) today.

He had presented a paper on ‘The Goal is Zero – HSEC (Health, Safety, Environment and Community) Management at Rio Tinto Alcan’ at the conference themed ‘Green and Safe Environment’.

For Rio Tinto Alcan to make the ‘zero goal’ a reality, and achieve sustained improvements in Health, Safety, Environment and Community performance requires not only the commitment of all employees from every level of the organisation, and contractors, but also requires policies, strategies and standards, leadership accountability, appropriate management systems, regular monitoring and reporting, and annual targets.

Mr Liddy said, “To create sustained value from our resources and relationships, Rio Tinto Alcan is committed to producing bauxite, alumina and aluminium in a way that is safe, healthy, environmentally responsible and respectful of local laws and customs. Our vision is to be the world’s preferred aluminium supplier from mine to market and this vision will be an integral part of the SALCO smelter.”