Anglo American today brought together leaders from more than 60 of its contracting companies to jointly plan how to improve the health and welfare of contract workers at its operations.  Today’s Contractor CEO Health and Welfare Summit held in Johannesburg, builds upon the Contractor Safety Summit Anglo American held in 2009.

Anglo American has industry-leading safety and occupational health standards, and provides best practice health and welfare programmes to all its employees, which include HIV and tuberculosis testing and treatment. The Group’s comprehensive programme of prevention, care, support and treatment for HIV and AIDS for its workforce dates back to 2002. The company seeks to work together with its contracting companies to provide the same standard of health care and welfare to its contract labour workforce.

Anglo American estimates that its health and safety initiatives alone benefit more than 300,000 people directly and indirectly in South Africa. Addressing attendees at the summit, Anglo American Chief Executive, Cynthia Carroll, urged attendees to consider the positive impact business can make on the lives of its employees, their families and communities.

"As leaders, we set the tone for our industry and believe that the health and wellbeing of our people and our host communities is the greatest challenge for 21st century mining.  Our industry is facing particularly tough times, but we do not have the option to ignore the unrest in our society and allow it to destabilise our communities and businesses. We must tackle the challenge by working together to create stronger communities, stronger businesses and a stronger South Africa. The recent events have shown, our approach as an industry has not been at a consistent standard in terms of pay, working conditions, safety, health and overall well being for its people."

Anglo American has a long history of investing in the health and welfare of South Africans.  In the 1950s the company established the Anglo American Chairman’s Fund which, for more than 60 years, has invested in the health, education and development of communities throughout South Africa.

Executive Director of Anglo American South Africa Khanyisile Kweyama said: "The health, safety and welfare of our workforce is the number one business and operating priority for Anglo American.  Every person who works at our operations – whether they are an employee or a contractor – has the right to return home safely and in good health at the end of each working day. This is a position upon which we will never compromise."

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For further information, please contact:

South Africa
Hulisani Rasivhaga, Media Relations
Tel: +27 (0)11 638 4401

Notes to editors:

About Anglo American:

Anglo American is one of the world’s largest mining companies, is headquartered in the UK and listed on the London and Johannesburg stock exchanges. Anglo American’s portfolio of mining businesses spans bulk commodities – iron ore and manganese, metallurgical coal and thermal coal; base metals – copper and nickel; and precious metals and minerals – in which it is a global leader in both platinum and diamonds. Anglo American is committed to the highest standards of safety and responsibility across all its businesses and geographies and to making a sustainable difference in the development of the communities around its operations. The company’s mining operations, extensive pipeline of growth projects and exploration activities span southern Africa, South America, Australia, North America, Asia and Europe.

Anglo American was the first major employer to begin offering free antiretroviral treatment to all its employees in 2002 and, in December 2008, Anglo American extended this benefit to employees’ direct dependants.  Our world-leading HIV/AIDS response, providing the largest free HIV and AIDS workplace and voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) programme, has been held up as best practice by the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

www.angloamerican.com