Our goal is Zero Harm.
At BlueScope, there is nothing more important than safety. This is true regardless of where we operate in the world.
While we maintained our safety performance with LTIFR below 1.0 for every million hours worked last year, with safety, there can be no compromises and we are not complacent. In particular, we are focused on construction safety as we continue to grow our building solutions capability.
Across our Company we continue to invest in safety improvements to do everything we can to ensure all our employees and contractors are able to return home without injury after every shift.
Improving our environmental footprint
Steel is an ideal building material in a sustainable world. Steel can be infinitely recycled, while maintaining its strength and durability. At BlueScope, we work continuously to improve our environmental footprint and help others to do the same through our products and solutions.
BlueScope has a record of environmental improvement stretching back decades.
The 2012 year was one of transformation for BlueScope. We successfully completed a major restructure of our Australian business; we announced the joint venture of our Building Products businesses in ASEAN and North America with Nippon Steel Sumitomo Metals Corporation, we are expanding our iron sands exports, investing in our COLORBOND® technology and rapidly expanding our Global Building Solutions business into new markets.
The decision to restructure the Australian manufacturing business and close the No. 6 Blast Furnace at the Port Kembla Steelworks, reduced production by half to 2.6 million tonnes per annum.
A consequence of this decision has been lower absolute levels of emissions and energy and water consumption, although intensity-based metrics have increased. BlueScope will continue to develop initiatives directed at reducing these metrics.
All BlueScope people work hard to reduce the environmental impact of our operations. We have an excellent record, for which we are recognised by Governments, regulators, and communities across the regions where we operate.
The Company has invested more than $600 million since 1995 in environmental projects that improve air quality, energy and greenhouse efficiency, waste management and reduce water consumption.
Sustainable Steel
Sustainability is about more than energy use or carbon dioxide emissions. How a product is created is important but it is equally important to consider how that product is used over its life, and how it is disposed of at the end of that life.
BlueScope believes in the life cycle approach to sustainability. This means assessing the impact of a product over its entire life, from cradle-to-grave, including raw material extraction; product manufacture; product use; disposal or recovery at end-of-life; and transport.
BlueScope is undertaking a Life Cycle Assessment of several products to continue to reduce their environmental impact.
Community
Our communities are our homes. BlueScope contributes to the local communities where we operate around the world through collaborative partnerships with a focus on shelter, safety, arts and culture, education and disaster relief.
We hope you find this year’s Community, Safety and Environment Report informative.
Paul O’Malley
Paul O’Malley
