The CMOC-Northparkes Mines Heart at Work program won the Health Excellence award at the NSW Mining Health, Safety, Environment and Community Conference on Monday. Northparkes Managing Director Stefanie Loader said: “I am thrilled our commitment to health and wellbeing at Northparkes has been recognised. In the mining industry, our health reflects that of the general health of the population.”
“We recognised that many people, including employees and community members, were at risk of developing cardiovascular disease which kills thousands of Australians per year,” she said. The Heart at Work program was launched in 2015 focusing on the modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as poor diet and increased cholesterol levels, reduced physical activity, obesity, excessive alcohol consumption, smoking and increased stress.
Northparkes Manager People, Safety and Environment Angus Wyllie said: “The Heart at Work program would not have been successful without the enthusiastic participation of our employees. They embraced every challenge, from cooking up a storm in crib rooms to committing to improve their personal health and fitness.”
The 12-month program saw some amazing individual and team results. One employee, Dan Rawsthorne, lost 17.7kg in the weight loss challenge by starting to change a few small things in his life. He exercised more and watched how much and what he ate each day. “My biggest challenge was breaking old habits; I found I was able to sustain my new habits because of the support provided by the program,” he said.
According to Angus, the Heart at Work program is part of the mine’s Zero Harm approach to all operations. “We care for our people, our environment and the community in which we live and work.” Northparkes was also recognised as a finalist in the Environmental Excellence award category for its innovative crop trials on the mines’ tailings storage facilities.