PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Major Rio Tinto has introduced additional measures to contain the spread of Covid-19 to its Western Australian operations, starting rapid screening trials at the Perth Airport and at its nearby Operations Center.
The new screening will form part of an enhanced five-layer screening process designed to keep the community and the company’s workforce safe, the miner said.
These measures include a health questionnaire, a face-to-face assessment, thermal screening and rapid screening, and only those cleared will receive an access band allowing them to board a flight.
“Our number one priority through this period is to protect the health of our employees and communities where we operate. We believe the introduction of rapid screening adds another layer of control to help prevent the transmission of the virus in Western Australia,” said Rio Tinto iron-ore CEO Chris Salisbury.
“We are very confident in the veracity of our screening process which we strongly believe is an important tool to reduce risk for our communities and our people. This not only allows us to continue operating safely, which is important for the more than 12 000 people we employ, but it also enables us to continue making a strong contribution to the state’s economy.”
Alongside screening controls at airports, including questionnaires and temperature screening, a range of other controls have already been introduced across Rio’s operations in the Pilbara region to help minimise transmission risk.
This includes social distancing on planes, buses, camps and in light-vehicles, reduced people on site via a roster change and stronger controls on access to sites.