Ecological Risk Assessment

As part of a company`s customized HIA program, examples of potential health determinants that may be monitored and assessed include:

• Environmental discharges
• Communication exchange with local community
• Labour and procurement strategies
• Interaction with local health facilities and social services
• Educational and technical training opportunities
• Alcohol / drug  / social policies and enforcement programs
• Housing / camp facilities and policies
• Project site security
• Other potential health determinants

The results of the HIA process will provide companies with a better picture of how their current practices align with public health and safety goals and standards, and will identify areas that could benefit from improvements to existing protocols.  In addition, best management practices could be identified over the operating life of projects by the regular application of the review process. Best practices identified for specific operations could be shared as appropriate with other companies that could benefit in terms of policy and standards improvement in specific areas.

Benefits for the Company

• HIA process demonstrates a company`s commitment to maximizing benefits and minimizing impacts to the local public, reinforcing its role as a responsible member of the community.
• Demonstrates a company`s leadership in social responsibility - a feature that has recently been recognized as being critically important for large resource development projects throughout the world.
• Allows for future public health and safety concerns to be identified and avoided before they have developed into serious problems.

Benefits for the Local Community

• Community benefits from tangible health and safety improvements; and
• Community recognizes that their well-being is a priority to the company and that any relevant threats to their health or safety are being properly addressed.