minetomarketISSUE 88 : AUGUST 2008

QRC Mines Rescue competition

QMEA Engineering Camp

Cloncurry hosts Rockhana festivalTownsville Port Operations: Gateway to the global market

2 : mine to market

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WELCOMEFrom August onwards it is vital that we take every opportunity to conserve fresh water both in our operations and also on the home front. We ask everyone to support the water saving initiatives being promoted across our Mount Isa operations which are targeting a 30% reduction from 33 megalitres per day down to 23 megalitres per day achieved during the last drought period in 2003. On a broader front, water saving initiatives across our total North Queensland operations should remain a focus for all of our workforce.

During the next few months we look forward to hosting Community Information Sessions in Mount Isa and Bowen to keep our local communities informed about our operations. As naming rights sponsor and Gold partner of the 50th Xstrata Mount Isa Mines Rotary Rodeo, we encourage you to get behind this iconic event to be held at Buchanan Park from 8 to 10 August (a full program of events is available on page 26) and show your support.

Congratulations are extended to Xstrata Copper’s Ernest Henry Mining Emergency Response Team and the Mount Isa Mines Rescue Team for their outstanding efforts at the recent QRC Mines Rescue Challenge. These teams play a fundamental role in ensuring the safety of all of our workers and we thank them for their commitment and dedication to such an important aspect of our operations. For a full overview of the challenge please refer to page four.

Finally, we are proud to announce that the Xstrata Zinc Australia office located in Brisbane was officially launched in July. This was a landmark event in Xstrata Zinc’s corporate history and the Australian zinc operations look forward to an exciting future.

STEVE DE KRUIJFF KEVIN HENDRY CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER EXECUTIVE GENERAL MANAGER Xstrata Copper North Queensland Xstrata Zinc Mount Isa

Steve de Kruijff

Kevin Hendry

ISSUE 88 : 3

Xstrata Zinc Australia office launch

Executive Director of Xstrata plc and Chief Executive of Xstrata Zinc, Santiago Zaldumbide officiated at the launch of Xstrata Zinc Australia’s office on 3 July 2008 in Brisbane, delivering an exciting vision for the organisation’s future growth.

Over 100 industry leaders within the mining sector from around the nation attended the function at the prestigious Tattersall’s Club to celebrate this landmark event in Xstrata Zinc’s history.

Guest speakers included Federal Minister for Resources and Energy, The Honourable Martin Ferguson MP and Queensland’s State Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations, The Honourable John Mickel MP representing the Premier.

Xstrata Zinc Australia Chief Operating Officer, Brian Hearne also addressed the gathering, highlighting Xstrata Zinc’s values and Australia’s key role in Xstrata’s global business strategy and international portfolio.

“We will continue to invest in leading mining and smelting technologies and the most modern and efficient operations while maintaining our position as a leader in mining excellence and innovation,” Brian said.

The special guests included members of the Mount Isa Mines team, including Executive General Manager, Kevin Hendry

Members of the Xstrata Zinc Australia team celebrate at the recent launch of the newly formed Xstrata Zinc Australia office.

4 : mine to market

QRC Mines Rescue Challenge

Xstrata congratulates the Mines Rescue teams for their outstanding efforts in the 2008 Queensland Resources Council’s Mines Rescue Challenge.

Teams from both Mount Isa Mines and Ernest Henry Mining competed in the challenge which was held at Dairy Farmers Stadium in Townsville from 20 to 22 June.

The Mines Rescue Challenge is an annual competition which attracts competitors from mining and quarry companies from all over Queensland. The seven teams in this year’s competition were Xstrata Mount Isa Mines, Xstrata Copper Ernest Henry Mining, BHP Cannington Mine, Zinifex Century Mine, BMA Gregory Crinum, and Lihir Gold from PNG.

The teams are presented with various emergency scenarios and each team is judged on its proficiency at dealing with the situation. Events are designed to provide realistic scenarios that could happen on or around a mine site and included drills involving hazardous materials, road accident rescue, multi-casualty and integrated teams, mine and search and rescue, vertical rescue, tunnel, and technical.

Xstrata Copper North Queensland’s first female captain, Nicole King, led the EHM team to victory in first place for Confined Space and Fitness, second place in both Road Accident Response and the Vertical drill, and third place overall in the Mines Rescue Challenge.

Mine geologist, Danny Huisman, has been on EHM’s Emergency Response Team (ERT) for almost a year and he says that the Mines Rescue Challenge was a great learning experience. “It was like a big training exercise, with the advantage that we were being marked and the adjudicators gave really useful feedback,” said Danny.

“It was good to see how other rescue teams respond in similar situations and we were able to pick up some new ideas,” he said.

Meanwhile the Mount Isa Mines team captained by Tyrone Campbell, gained a credible first place in the fire drill and third place in the fitness event. The team members

representing Mount Isa Mines at this year’s competition were selected from the winning team of the internal Mines Rescue Competition held in November 2007.

“The competition is a reward for the Mines Rescue squad and all of the hard work and training that they do throughout the year. It was great to attempt a wide range of challenges, giving all team members a broader experience in a competition scenario. To be able to improve on last year’s performance and win the fire fighting event was an added bonus for us,” said team member, Andrew Flynn.

Tyrone said he was really proud of how the team worked together. “It was an extremely tough challenge both mentally and physically and we did very well, especially considering we hadn’t trained as a team before.”

Matt Wendtman, team medic said the competition was a valuable experience and was a good chance to build on the regular on-site training drills. “The competition was a great experience. It was my first external competition, and as the medic for the team, it was an opportunity for me to be able to expand on the skills that I have learnt here with Mount Isa Mines Rescue and learn from the other teams and adjudicators who are professionals in their field.”

Ron Pickering, Mine Rescue Supervisor, said the teams performed extremely well this year. “It was good for some of the newer squad members who were here for the first time, to gain experience in a competition scenario and compete against some of Queensland’s top rescue teams.”

Like the Mount Isa Mines team, the EHM squad had not trained together before the competition. “It was especially satisfying to place third in the challenge because our team was made up of people from a few different crews and we hadn’t trained together much before,” said Danny.

Xstrata’s Mines Rescue Teams are critical to the safety of all employees on the mine and are on-call 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Congratulations to all of those involved in this year’s competition

ISSUE 88 : 5

6 : mine to market

Twenty aspiring engineers representing schools from across Queensland successfully completed the 2008 Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) Engineering Camp.

The QMEA is a joint initiative between Queensland Resources Council (QRC) and Education Queensland which is focused on attracting young people into the minerals and energy industry. Xstrata is one of five Platinum Foundation Sponsors of the QMEA.

Following on from the success of last year’s inaugural camp, 20 students and four teachers travelled to Mount Isa for an intensive ten days of hands-on engineering work experience on the Xstrata Mount Isa Mines site.

Students once again travelled from as far away as Bundamba State High School in Ipswich, Church of England Grammar School in Brisbane, Wavell High School in Brisbane, and Kirwan State High in Townsville. Local schools, Spinifex State College in Mount Isa, and Cloncurry State High School, were also represented.

The students were selected for the camp based on their academic grades and a demonstrated interest in the engineering industry. Their task was to work on identified issues occurring in the mining industry and come up with solutions for these problems.

A welcome dinner outback-style was served at the Terrace Gardens on Sunday 29 June where students were able to meet with their project leaders, fellow students, and Xstrata representatives to learn more about the challenges of the week ahead.

During the week long camp, students were housed at the local Spinifex College residential campus. To ensure they were treated like any Xstrata Mount Isa Mines employee, students attended a full day Krause Health and Safety induction and undertook the necessary medical tests as would any new employee to Xstrata North Queensland’s operations.

The students were split into two groups to work on either a waste rock dump design at the Handlebar Hill Open Cut (HHOC) Mine or a solution to increase the recycling of process water from the Tailings Dams.

The HHOC project, led by Jeff Moncrieff, Mine Manager HHOC and Anu Datta, Senior Environmental Advisor, incorporated work done from last year’s camp on the drainage design system to implement a solution for the issue of acid water generation from the waste rock excavated from the pit. They proposed how a model could be developed to predict where acid generating rocks may be found in the pit and then designed a waste rock dump to deal with this acid forming rock. This project also involved developing a proposal of rehabilitation criteria for the dump to ensure its long term stability as well as a monitoring program to ensure environmental discharge criteria are met for the site over the short, medium, and long term.

“The talent of this year’s students, which was demonstrated in their ability to engineer solutions to real-life problems as a team, was exceptional. After the first few hours I walked away wondering what to do with the group for the next few days as they managed to crack the problem in the first few hours,” said Jeff.

“The mining industry can only benefit if these students decide to become a part of it,” he said.

Meanwhile over at Engineering Services, students engineered a solution to increase the recycling of process water from the tailings dams and the existing pumping system. This team was led by Mount Isa Mines’ Water Conservation Project Manager, Matt O’Neill. Following a detailed induction into the tailings dams area and an overview of the process water and recycling system on site, students were asked to check the calculations on capacity of the existing system. Students also had to investigate alternative methods to recover water from tailings dams and design an upgrade or new system depending on the results of their investigation.

Upon completion of their assigned projects, the students were required to present their findings and recommendations to Xstrata’s senior management at a presentation and award evening held at the Red Earth Hotel.

To ensure students got a taste of living and working in a mining town such as Mount Isa, the students attended an underground tour at Outback at Isa, an award wining tourist centre, as well as a surface tour of the Mount Isa Mines lease and a visit to the copper smelter. The students were also lucky enough to visit the old Uranium Mine at Mary Kathleen, near Cloncurry.

“The camp was very successful. It was really beneficial for the students to gain exposure to the mining industry and the hands-on aspect gave students a taste of life as an engineer, providing them with the knowledge needed to be able to make informed decisions when considering a career in the mining industry,” said Matt.

The students also believed that the real life experience was a great experience and introduction to the mining industry.

“It was a great experience to see what it’s actually like to be an engineer. It was really good to meet people from Xstrata and schools from around Queensland. The project posed a tough problem but we managed to crack it,” said Ben Trott from Kirwan State High School.

“The camp gave us the opportunity to live and breathe the life of an engineer. It was priceless. Now we know what to expect if we enter the mining industry,” said Amanda Nottingham, also from Kirwan State High School.

“The camp has opened my eyes to the mining industry and I would jump at the chance to do work experience up here again,” said Amanda Hooper from Bundama State High School.

Roger Atkins, Director QMEA, said that the program wouldn’t have been possible without the generous support and commitment from Xstrata.

“Xstrata has set a benchmark in its commitment and engagement to local communities. It is great to see what happens when mining companies work together with our younger generations,” said Roger.

“This program is definitely the flagship of our organisation and we will take this program and model it to other parts of Queensland,” he said

QMEA Engineering Camp

ISSUE 88 : 7

The water recycling team participate in an induction of the tailings dam area.

Students examine a map of the mine lease before commencing their project.

Matt O’Neill explains the on-site water recycling processes to the team.

8 : mine to market

Handlebar Hill Open Cut mine employees came together on 27 June to celebrate the one year anniversary since HHOC received its approval from the EXCO board. While Government approval was not granted until 6 September, the first year of the open cut mine was an outstanding success, with in excess of 33 million tonnes of rock being moved by the operation’s mining contractor Huddy’s Plant Hire.

Jeff Moncrieff, Mine Manager for the Handlebar Hill Open Cut was pleased to announce that the first zinc ore was mined on 20 May, and thanked everyone for their impressive safety record.

Mine management hosted a traditional barbecue with a first birthday cake presented by Anthony Kocken – General Manager Mining, Xstrata Zinc Mount Isa, and Ignacio Seebold – Xstrata Zinc’s Manager Mining Operations, who was visiting from Xstrata Zinc’s Madrid office.

Anthony Kocken thanked the employees for their professionalism over the first 12 months of operation.

“The fact that the operation has carried out its work and not recorded a single LTI or RWI is a record you should all be very proud of,” said Anthony.

Mine Manager, Jeff Moncrieff promised that all employees would receive a 1 year anniversary CD of images of HHOC.

“The work carried out to date has been nothing short of spectacular and I’ve enjoyed working with every one of you,” said Jeff

Handlebar Hill celebrates its first year of operation

The HHOC team celebrating their first birthday. With birthday cake (left to right): Anthony Kocken,

Jeff Moncrieff, and Ignacio Seebold.

The Handlebar Hill Open Cut mine team celebrates a successful first year of operations.

ISSUE 88 : 9

SPEED CAMERAS REDuCE LEVELS OF RAISED DuSTA number of speed cameras have been installed on roads on the Mount Isa Mines lease. This is because slow moving vehicles help to reduce raising dust on roads as well as ensure the safety of our drivers. The digital screen identifies

the speed the vehicle is travelling and warns the driver to slow down, or advises the driver the speed is within the accepted limit. This builds on existing controls including a heavy duty road sweeper that is operating on sealed roads full time.

VACuuM TRuCK uSED ON SITEMount Isa Mines is continuously focussing on plant hygiene and has invested in high pressure water jet units and a vacuum truck. These are extremely effective for cleaning mining structures and equipment before and after use, allowing the mine to set a very high standard

in plant hygiene. The vacuum truck is able to vacuum out drains and sumps and relocate the fluid to a designated area. During the wet season, the vacuum truck can be used to ensure storm water run-off is kept on site. The vacuum truck has a holding capacity of 10,000 litres of wet waste. The material collected is disposed of on-site in Mount Isa Mine’s licensed landfill facility.

Initiatives for minimising exposure to lead

AuTOMATIC OVERSHOE DISPENSER IN MINE OFFICESA number of automatic overshoe dispensers have been installed in numerous locations around Mount Isa Mines, continuously improving the mine’s health, safety and hygiene standards. The automatic dispenser prevents employees’ hands from

coming into contact with their work boots. The electronic intelligence mode machine enables employees and visitors to place their work boot into the dispenser and within five seconds have it covered by an overshoe cover.

NEW uNIFORMS ON SITEA new style of clothing has been introduced at the Lead Smelter with the possibility of this being rolled out over other parts of Mount Isa Mines. The uniform has been introduced to improve visibility. A fluorescent yellow and navy colour with reflective striping and clearly marked ‘Lead Smelter’ will assist the site to manage

both pedestrian visibility and to ensure work wear does not leave the site. All uniforms are laundered on site, and returned to our workers’ lockers prior to the next shift. Shirts and overalls are presently being used in the Lead Smelter which has a strict clean in/clean out procedure, with strong compliance by employees and contractors.

DuST SuPPRESSION ON ROADSMinimising dust is an important practice to ensure the mines’ operations have minimal environmental impact on the Mount Isa community. A commonly used method to reduce dust generation is the deployment of water carts that spray water over the surfaces of unsealed roads to reduce both vehicle

movement generated and wind blown dust. Water carts are a familiar site around Mount Isa Mines. Addition of a dust suppressant agent provides further significant reductions to both the level of dust generated and the amount of water used to control dust generation – such agents are used in both surface and underground mine operations at Mount Isa Mines.

WASH DOWN bAySMount Isa Mines ensures that all vehicles leaving the site are washed down either manually with high pressure hoses, or automatically by a drive-through car wash. Any dust or mine sediment must be removed if the vehicle is to be driven off the lease. Security personnel are stationed at the entrance and exit to

Gardenia Street, Mount Isa Mines and George Fisher Mine, to ensure strict compliance with the carwashing guidelines takes place.

10 : mine to market

Xstrata Mount Isa Mines has initiated three PhD studies of three year duration commencing in July 2008 through the University of Queensland’s Centre of Mined Land Rehabilitation (CMLR). Xstrata Zinc is also a major sponsor for a further study being conducted through CMLA which includes another PhD study.

In June, the Xstrata Mount Isa Mines Environment Department hosted a workshop between the University of Queensland, Xstrata Environment Department, and Environmental Protection Agency representatives to look at the scopes of the PhD studies, and ensure that everyone was familiar with the site context and the desired outcomes of the projects.

Amongst the representatives from the University were several Professors and Doctors, including Associate Professor Barry Noller, a world renown toxicologist. A wide range of specialist skills were represented including mine rehabilitation, hydrology, environmental geochemistry, plant rehabilitations, botany, and plant uptake, soil geochemistry, and environmental chemistry and toxicology.

The workshop included site visits at both Xstrata Mount Isa Mines and Xstrata Copper’s Ernest Henry Mine, as well a full day of presentations relevant to the PhD studies.

THE STuDIES:Environmental Risk of Tailings Seepage – Significance in Naturally Mineralised Areas This study will investigate the potential long term risk of tailings seepage impacting on the environment at both Mount Isa Mines and Ernest Henry Mining. To do this, the study will include a detailed examination of the chemistry of the tailings dams, and the natural geochemistry of the surrounding area. This information will enable Xstrata Mount Isa Mines to develop suitable closure criteria for the tailings dams, including identification of what long term management may be required of tailings seepage at these operations.

An Examination of Options and Strategies for Tailing Revegetation at Mount Isa Mines and Ernest Henry MiningThe overall aim of this project is to develop knowledge that will allow Xstrata to make an informed decision about strategies for the revegetation of the tailings storage facilities that will maximise stability and minimise risk to the external environmental. The study will contribute to developing a long term sustainable approach to revegetation of our sites. If revegetation by direct seeding is successful, this will result in considerable savings in

the rehabilitation of the tailings dams due to a reduced requirement for cover material. This study will include the design and implementation of major field trials at both sites.

A Study of the Pathways of Metals from Air to Land and WaterThis project is part of the Whole of Emissions Study which has now evolved into the Lead Pathways Study. The aim of this study is to investigate lead pathways via air to the community. It will involve the identification of a ‘signature’ for lead contained in mine products and wastes, and for lead contained in dust collected within the community so that it can be compared to enable lead identified in the community to be matched to potential available sources.

The Role of Vegetation on Moisture Store and Release Cover SystemsXstrata, along with a number of other companies, is a major

sponsor for this project, providing both funding for the project as well as covering costs for the construction of field trials on the Black Star Open Cut waste rock dump. The trials will be monitored over a number of years to assess what impact the establishment of vegetation has on the integrity of the cover system. The aim of the moisture store and release cover system is to prevent movement of water into the waste rock dump, hence minimising acid mine drainage. Theoretically, vegetation establishment can have both positive and negative impacts on the effectiveness of the cover system, and this study will help understand these interactions better, so that Xstrata can better plan for rehabilitation of waste rock dumps.

Thank you Anne Williams for your contribution

Environmental PhD Projects Workshop

Tailings dam seepage pond.

The workshop was attended by Xstrata, EPA and University of Queensland personnel.

ISSUE 88 : 11

Xstrata Mount Isa Mines proudly sponsored the 2008 National Aboriginal and Islanders Day of Commemoration (NAIDOC) week celebrations held from 6 to 13 July 2008.

NAIDOC Week is a nationally recognised week long celebration of Australian Indigenous peoples and their culture; to pay respect and to recognise their ancestors and their historical struggles; to acknowledge and pay tribute to Indigenous achievements; and to share their cultures with non-indigenous Australians for the advancement of reconciliation in Australia.

This year’s national theme was Advance Australia Fair? Over the past six years Xstrata (and previously MIM Holdings Ltd) has sponsored various events during the NAIDOC Week Celebrations. This year, Xstrata Mount Isa Mines sponsored the annual Elders Luncheon held at the Island Bowls Club on 9 July.

Elders from the Mount Isa and surrounding communities including Camooweal, Cloncurry, and Dajarra were joined by members of Xstrata’s senior management, and the Indigenous Affairs Advisor and Indigenous Employment Officer. Around 170 people from Mount Isa, Camooweal, Cloncurry, and Dajarra partook in the delicious buffet style lunch and shared memories of the trials and successes of the past fifty years. Following the lunch, the crowd was entertained by traditional dancing and DJ George Wilde’s musical mixes.

“The luncheon is an essential component of the NAIDOC Week Celebration as it allows our communities to pay tribute to, acknowledge, and recognise our Indigenous Elders and to give thanks for our Elders’ contributions to our community,” said Vicki Chong from the NAIDOC Committee.

“The lunch promotes the reconciliation process by encouraging non-Indigenous people to join us and celebrate our special week,” said Marlene Speechley, NAIDOC Organiser.

Zane Hughes, Indigenous Affairs Advisor, said that “It is important to recognise the significant role that elders play within the Indigenous community and the contribution that they provide to the wider Mount Isa community. We look forward to continuing our association with elders in our region.”

NAIDOC celebrations continued throughout the week. There was something for everyone at the Family Fun Day held at George McCoy Park on Friday 11 July which included stalls, food, and entertainment including performances by Megan Samardin and Barry Lea from Mob FM. Among the stalls was an Xstrata information stand.

More than 150 people walked proudly together in the annual NAIDOC week march from Kalkadoon Tribal Council to George McCoy Park on Friday 11 July. A flag lowering ceremony at the Civic Centre brought the 2008 NAIDOC week celebrations to a close

Mount Isa celebrates NAIDOC week

The Aboriginal flag is proudly carried at the NAIDOC week march.

Gilbert Daniels weaves a traditional Torres Strait Islander skirt at the Elders Luncheon.

12 : mine to market

Xstrata operates the Berth 7 facility in the Port of Townsville. The wharf and area containing the concentrates storage sheds and tippler are leased from The Townsville Port Authority. This facility is a bulk materials facility that receives, stores and loads metal concentrates. The concentrates are delivered from Xstrata’s copper and zinc mines at Mount Isa, Ernest Henry Mining and a number of mines in the Cloncurry, Charters Towers and Greenvale districts. The facility also loads around 900,000 tonnes of fertiliser from the Phosphate Hill manufacturing plant.

Berth 7 has had a diverse history. It was designed in 1911 and construction was completed in 1913. It was the first concrete berth constructed in the port, originally designed as a general cargo wharf and identified as Pier No. 1.

Products loaded in the early years included meat, hides, tallow, wool and copper blister from mines in the Cloncurry district. Shiploading rates were around 10 to 20 tonnes per hour compared to the current maximum design rate of 1000 tonnes per hour.

The first concentrates were received from Mount Isa in February 1936 and loaded across Berth 7. In this era, a typical ship visiting Townsville ranged from a few hundred tonnes up to maximum 15,000 tonnes. Today ships visiting Berth 7 range from 20,000 to 55,000 tonnes. Over the years a number of improvements have been made to the materials handling equipment and storage facilities but the original concrete structure remains as it was constructed in 1913.

In 1963, Berth 7 was extended and an independent structure was constructed to support the current shiploader. In this exercise the original structure was not altered.

Over its many years of service, Berth 7 has supported the loading of many millions of tonnes of products and is Xstrata’s and other mining companies’ gateway to the global market for mineral concentrates

Gateway to the global market

Berth 7 Townsville Port.

My colleagues don’t know this, but I love rock ‘n’ roll music.

My favourite food is fish and chips.

I drive a Holden Commodore (HSV Clubsport).

The person I most admire is my wife.

In my spare time I do jobs around the yard.

My pet hate is waking up early.

I can’t live without my TV or my car.

My colleagues don’t know this, but I have given more than 180 donations of blood and plasma to the Red Cross, of which I am very proud.

My favourite food is anything Italian.

I drive a recently repaired ute (that ran over me) and a Magna.

The person I most admire is my wife Pat, and Richard Branson.

In my spare time I am involved with the Freemasons and undertake community work.

My pet hate is bigotry.

I can’t live without my health and red wine.

Erick Hegh

IT Officer, Townsville Refinery

Ian ‘Smiley’ Shepherd

Stores Officer, EHM

Tim breen

Technical Officer, Pump and Lubrication, Zinc-Lead Concentrator

Andy McGrath

Mining Engineer, Mount Isa Copper Mine

My colleagues don’t know this, but for the entire duration of my apprenticeship my nickname was ‘Toolman’.

My favourite food is roast lamb.

I drive a Ford Fairmont Ghia.

The person I most admire is my sister who is widowed and raising twin 5 year old girls on her own and running a business.

In my spare time I enjoy watching movies.

My pet hate is people with no manners.

I can’t live without the internet.

My colleagues don’t know this, but my favourite drink is chocolate milk and sometimes I sip it with a spoon or suck it through a straw to make it last longer.

My favourite food is anything with chilli and rice.

I drive a Toyota Landcruiser ute.

The people I most admire are my family and girlfriend for putting up with my annoying habits.

In my spare time I play footy and dream about our next holiday destination.

My pet hate is when Phil Gould commentates a State of Origin match.

I can’t live without a beer with the boys and a cuddle from my girlfriend (not in order of priority).

My colleagues don’t know this, but...

ISSUE 88 : 13

Diminishing Fresh Water Supply

Save power, save water WIN!

North Queensland employees have the chance to win a monthly prize simply by submitting their water-saving initiatives.

For more information and to register your initiative, please refer to the intranet http://mountisa.copper.xstratanet

Winner of July’s water saving initiative competition, Cassandra Bird.

Congratulations to Cassandra Bird, Safety, Health, and Compliance Administrator, for winning the award for July’s Water Saving Initiative.

Cassandra’s initiative “save power, save water” involves installing timers to electrical systems to turn off power when not required. For example, installing timers on lights to turn them off during daylight hours and connecting timers to lights in offices to turn them off when not in use.

Turning off pumps, compressors, and computers also helps to save power, therefore reducing the water needed to generate this power.

Cassandra wins the fantastic 2 dial tap timer for her innovation entry on the Xstrata web page link.

Failure of the last wet season has created a serious fresh water shortage for Mount Isa and the surrounding areas. Most of us take the supply of fresh water for granted but we must now start seriously minimising our usage.

It is impossible for Xstrata businesses to sustain efficient operations in Mount Isa without a reliable fresh water supply. However, it is imperative that we reduce the use of fresh water to as low as possible so that the water currently available lasts as long as possible.

Restrictions were already recently introduced by the Mount Isa Water Board and to avoid further restrictions we all need to focus on immediately reducing our personal, household and business water use.

In 2003 we found ourselves in a similar situation with a period of local drought. At this time we were able to reduce our consumption to 23 megalitres (ML) per day. Metal production levels have increased since then which has placed greater demands on our water requirements. However, Xstrata believe that this is still an achievable level and has adopted 23ML per day as our new water consumption target.

In order to achieve this target, Xstrata has started implementing fresh water reduction strategies across all of our North Queensland’s sites. To help meet

our target, all employees are encouraged to become ‘water wise’. Our success is partly dependent on you taking the time and making the effort to reduce water usage wherever possible.

Mount Isa normally uses fresh water pumped from Lake Moondarra, 16 kilometres from town. However, Lake Moondarra has dropped below 25% capacity and Rifle Creek Dam has dropped so low that Xstrata Mount Isa Mines is no longer taking water out of this dam. During the second half of 2007, water was pumped from Lake Julius to conserve the water in Lake Moondarra, however due to the failed wet season, full time pumping recommenced from Lake Julius in March this year.

Water from Lake Julius is pumped approximately 86 kilometres. Not only is this expensive but there is a limit to the pumping capacity and our fresh water consumption must at least be reduced to below this pumping capacity.

Xstrata Mount Isa Mines’ average daily consumption of fresh water for the month of June was 33ML which is the equivalent of over 10 Olympic size swimming pools of fresh water use per day.

Matt O’Neill, Manager Engineering, has been appointed to the role of dedicated Project Manager responsible for ensuring water saving initiatives are being implemented at our operations.

“Water in North West Queensland is a critical asset, and the way in which we use this precious asset has to be sustainable to ensure a long term future for Xstrata’s mining operations and our local communities,” said Matt.

“The initial response to water saving by people has been very positive. Our fresh water consumption has already dropped by 10%, however we still have a long way to go to reach our target of 23ML per day,” he said.

The initiatives being implemented across site include additives to water used for dust suppression and modifications within the plants to utilise recycled water in lieu of fresh water. Furthermore, investigations are currently underway to upgrade the site water recycling system to increase the amount of recycled water available to the plants.

Additionally, we all have a role to play outside of work in reducing our water consumption and becoming water wise. This is an issue affecting everyone. With your help we can ensure its impact on both our business and our homes is minimised. Visit the intranet for more information and weekly updates on our progress

14 : mine to market

Xstrata Mount Isa Mines’ Raiseboring team has just completed drilling an exhaust shaft at George Fisher Mine (GFM) that extends underground to the depth of almost two times the height of the tallest chimney stack at Mount Isa Mines.

The 487 metre-deep return air/fill raise project has taken four months to complete using a Robbins 84R Raiseboring machine. It broke through to the surface on 11 June at 11.15 am. The 2.4 metre reaming of the 487 metres was completed in only 39 days without any safety incidents.

Drilling the exhaust shaft commenced following the announcement of a ten million dollar underground decline project to provide a third access between the north and south mining operations of GFM.

The project began in February this year and at the start of the hole the 84R Raisebore machine had to pull a total weight of 150 tonnes of rods and reamer head through the solid rock.

Before drilling could commence, a four metre deep concrete slab had to be constructed on site and all works were supervised by Graham Davis, Backfill Superintendent.

The 2.4 metre diameter return air/fill raise extends to 8 Level underground and will be used to independently ventilate and return air from underground.

The raiseboring project was overseen by Trevor Brebner – Mount Isa Copper Operations (MICO) Raiseboring and Diamond Drilling Superintendent and his team of Jeff Lawrenson – Project Co-ordinator Operators, Darryl Beck, Paul Ward, Mick Sexton, Joe Cross, Mark Deberg, Drago Arsenic, Greg Oliffe, Andrew Gladstone, along with Sandvik’s Damien Finter and Supervisors Grant Skewes, Des Albert, Jon Chalmers, Rob Jackson, Bernie Maye and Brett Mallet.

Trevor said his team put in a tremendous effort to complete the 487 metre shaft within four months and he was very proud of everyone’s contribution to the project.

The removal of the 3,749 cubic metres of cuttings produced underground was controlled by both Bill Lloyd, Contract Operations Superintendent, and Jason Sargent, George Fisher North Operations Superintendent.

“The process of drilling through the first 70 metres of soft ground was quite difficult and had to be carefully managed by the operators, but once we hit solid rock the raiseboring machine was able to manage the rest,” said Trevor.

The raiseborer machine and shaft site had not been left unattended, so members of the raiseboring team spent some cold nights and hot days at the site, which is located two kilometres north-west of the GFM Administration building.

Many employees met at the site to view the head of the raiseborer crack through to the surface of the ground on Wednesday 11 June, marking the successful completion of the project.

Once the ground surface was cracked, a perfect shaft measuring 2.4 metres in diameter and 487 metres deep remained. This was quickly covered with an exhaust fan and instantly put to use.

“A project this size can only be safely completed by a number of different departments working together with a common goal in mind,” said Trevor.

The 84R will now have some minor maintenance completed before being transported to Ernest Henry Mine where it will drill the first 3.5 metre ventilation shaft for the new underground operations.

Kevin Hendry, Executive General Manager Mount Isa Zinc Lead operations, extended his congratulations to the raiseboring team. “The way the raiseboring has succeeded is a testament to the dedication and professionalism of the entire team involved,” said Kevin

Raiseboring triumph at George Fisher Mine

Mount Isa Mines’ Raiseboring Team complete the drilling of an exhaust shaft at George Fisher Mine.

ISSUE 88 : 15

The majority of people will cringe at the thought of removing asbestos-containing materials from plant which was installed up to 40 years ago, especially now most of us have a good knowledge of the hazards associated with asbestos. However earlier this year the Xstrata Copper Refinery Projects and Engineering Department in Townsville executed a project with the primary focus of removing redundant plant and equipment, in particular, redundant plant that contained asbestos.

The removal of redundant services commenced in February this year inside the casting house and was completed in May. Over 3,000 man hours were required to complete the scope which imposed no disruptions to operations and had a total recordable injury frequency rate (TRIFR) of 0. The project included the removal of two 30 Tonne Cleaver Brooke boilers, other asbestos lagged steam vessels, pumps, motors, and a maze of lagged pipe work, duct work and electrical cabling. Most of this work was in tight, intricate locations, some at an elevation more than 17 metres above the casting floor.

Wulguru Steel Fabricators were the primary contractors and have done a commendable job completing the scope and replacing the voids with floor and hand rails to ensure that the area was left in a safe condition. Casting House employees have commented on the improvement to the area’s housekeeping and safety and reminisced how “the boilers were once the control centre of the refinery until made redundant 10 years ago”.

This stage of the project has been particularly important from an asbestos management perspective, with almost 150 cubic metres of asbestos containing waste being removed from site and disposed of in accordance to Environmental Protection Agency and Workplace Health and Safety regulations. Further refurbishment tasks are scheduled for the future and include the removal of asbestos lagged oil and steam pipe, process equipment and the removal of obsolete naphtha tanks.

Thank you Chris Costa for your contribution

Rest in pieces, redundant services

Boilers and surrounding services prior to removal. Boilers and surrounding services post removal.

Michael Holmes, General Manager MICO, presents Nick Slade with a farewell present.

Farewell NickLast month we said farewell to Nick Slade, Manager MICO Coordination. Nick has been a tremendous asset to Mount Isa Mines and Xstrata for almost eight years. Nick commenced work at Mount Isa Mines in 2000 as a Rock Mechanic and worked his way up through a number of senior roles to become MICO Coordination Manger in January 2006. Nick will be sorely missed by all and we wish him all the best with his new ventures back home in the UK.

16 : mine to market

Over the following months we will bring you an overview of the mining and metallurgical processes at our North Queensland operations. This month will focus on the copper and zinc-lead concentrating processes. This article follows on from a previous series of articles by Matt Magee describing the copper concentrating process.

The ore that comes up from the copper underground mines contains about 6% of the copper-bearing mineral, chalcopyrite. The zinc underground and open cut ores contain approximately 10% of the valuable zinc and lead bearing minerals; sphalerite and galena. To separate these minerals from the unwanted minerals and rock, and to produce a product suitable for smelting, we need to use a series of processes involving grinding, flotation, and thickening/filtration.

The ore is brought up from the various mines using a combination of shafts and conveyor belts. In the Copper Concentrator, the ore is directly fed into SAG Mills, which grind the ore. SAG stands for Semi-Autogenous Grinding. Inside SAG Mills which are large rotating ‘drums’, large rocks and steel balls (105 millimetres in diameter) are used to break the ore. The rocks and balls are lifted and thrown by bars that are bolted to the inside of the mill. As the rocks and balls impact the ore at the bottom of the mill, rocks are progressively broken into smaller particles to ‘liberate’ the valuable minerals. The SAG Mills at the Copper Concentrator have a diameter of 9.75 metres.

Some of the ore at the Zinc-Lead Concentrator is also processed through a SAG Mill, however a pre-concentrating stage called the Heavy Medium Plant (HMP) is employed for most of the ore. The HMP utilises the large differences in densities between the valuable zinc-lead minerals (generally heavy material) and the waste minerals (typically lighter silica material) for separation. Ore is fed into Dense Medium Cyclones (DMC) that operate at a set density. This density is achieved by adding certain quantities of ferrosilicon to the cyclone. The material lighter than the target density will exit through the top of the cyclone and into the reject pile whilst the heavier material will report to the underflow of the cyclone and feed the Zinc-Lead Concentrator. The ore that is processed through the HMP is subsequently fed to Rod Mills for the first stage of grinding. Rod Mills are smaller than SAG Mills and are filled with steel rods instead of balls.

To separate the valuable minerals from the waste, it is necessary to grind the rocks to 0.15 millimetres in diameter in the copper stream and 0.075 millimetres in diameter in the zinc-lead stream. The SAG and Rod Mills cannot grind to this size in one pass, so further grinding using Ball Mills is required. Ball Mills are large rotating cylinders which are longer than, but not as tall as, SAG Mills. This is because a ball mill works by rolling balls over each other rather than by picking them up and throwing them across the mill. Water is used in both SAG Milling and Ball Milling to make a slurry (mixture of rocks and water) for downstream processing.

To ensure that rocks are not ground up too fine, the Ball Mills are operated with “classifiers”. A classifier literally separates (classifies) different particles according to size and removes fine particles from the circuit and sends them for downstream processing while sending large particles back to the mill for further grinding. The classifiers which are used are called Hydrocyclones and get their name because the slurry is forced to spin (like a cyclone) inside the equipment. Large particles in the slurry are thrown to the outside of the Hydrocyclone as the slurry spins and exits through the bottom (underflow), while fine particles get dragged into the middle and exit through the top of the Hydrocyclone (overflow). In this way, coarse and fine particles are separated.

Although the valuable minerals are separated from the waste, even at these sizes the sphalerite (zinc) and galena (lead) minerals are not separated from each other, and so cannot be sent to a smelter. To separate them further, the Zinc-Lead Concentrator needs to grind down the ore to 0.008mm in diameter. This is done by using the IsaMill™ Technology. These mills do not contain steel media and turn like the SAG, Ball and Rod mills but instead use sand to help the grinding process and contain a rapidly rotating internal stirrer. IsaMills™ are used in both the lead and zinc circuits.

Once the copper particles and zinc-lead particles are ground down to the desired size they are sent to the next part of the concentrating circuit which separates the valuable minerals from waste (“gangue”) minerals through a process called flotation. Flotation occurs by continuously adding the slurry produced in the grinding circuit to a series of agitated (stirred) tanks. These tanks are known as flotation cells.

Focus on: Mount Isa’s concentrating processes

Sag Mills at the Copper Concentrator.Ball Mills inside the

Zinc-Lead Concentrator.

2006/2007 Vacation Student Daniel Hitchcock takes density measurements at the Copper Concentrator.

ISSUE 88 : 17

The Zinc-Lead Concentrator utilises an additional pre-float stage which removes the naturally floating carbon and iron material that is classed as an impurity. Without this pre-float stage the carbonaceous material would float in the lead circuit (the first flotation stage), and consequently dilute the concentrate grades and reduce recovery rates.

The flotation process works by exploiting differences in the surface chemistry of different minerals. To separate the valuable minerals from the gangue minerals such as silica or iron sulphides, a reagent called a collector is added to the slurry. The collector is typically SIBX (Sodium iso-Butyl Xanthate) in the copper concentrator and SEX (Sodium Ethyl Xanthate) or SIPX (Sodium iso-Propyl Xanthate) in the Zinc-Lead Concentrator. They are called collectors because they help to collect the wanted minerals and separate them from other particles.

Reagents work by reacting on the surface of the valuable minerals allowing them to attach to the air bubbles. The air bubbles are made by blowing air into the cell through the agitator shaft. As the air rises through the slurry the valuable minerals attach to the bubbles leaving the gangue minerals unattached and this is how the separation between the wanted and unwanted minerals occurs. These bubbles float to the surface where they overflow the lip of the cell and are collected in launders.

The flocculant acts like the tentacles of an octopus, grabbing particles and tying them together. In the Zinc-Lead Concentrator, both a Lead Concentrate and a Zinc Concentrate are produced. The lead is separated first and the same flotation principles are used in the zinc circuit to separate the zinc from the slurry to form a separate zinc concentrate.

At this point the valuable minerals are in the launders and the waste particles are still in the cell. The valuable minerals are now collectively referred to as a ‘concentrate’ while the waste minerals are called ‘tailings’. Both streams are still a slurry of rock particles and water.

In order to process the concentrate in the smelters, the slurry must first be dried. Drying is done in two stages with the majority of water being removed in a process called ‘thickening’ and the remainder removed by ‘filtration’. The concentrate is pumped into a thickener tank which removes approximately two thirds of the water from the slurry. A chemical called a ‘flocculant’ is added to speed this process up. The flocculant acts like the tentacles of an octopus, grabbing particles and tying them together. Once the particles are tied together they settle out much faster. This water is then recycled and reused in the concentrating process.

The thickened copper and lead concentrates are pumped to their respective copper and lead smelters where they are filtered to remove the remainder of the water prior to smelting. The thickened zinc concentrate is filtered at the Zinc Filter Plant at Mount Isa Mines and then the dried zinc concentrate is transported to Townsville before being shipped to Spain and overseas smelters for smelting into zinc metal. The thickened lead-concentrate is pumped to the lead smelter which filters, dries and smelts the concentrate to make lead metal.

The tailings from the flotation process are used to produce backfill for the underground mines. Backfill is used to fill the holes underground after the ore has been removed. To produce backfill the tailings are processed through two plants called the Wetfill and Paste Fill plants. These plants also use Hydrocyclones to separate the coarse particles from the fine particles in the tailings. Only the coarse particles are used for backfill which are mixed with cement and sent underground. The fine particles are pumped to the tailings thickeners which work in the same way as the concentrate thickeners

In summary, the concentrating stage upgrades the ore to an acceptable feed for the smelters and is a very important part in the mining process as it would not be possible to smelt the ore without it. The copper and zinc-lead streams in Mount Isa involve the same grinding, flotation, and thickening/filtration principles, however the circuits are very different. The Zinc-Lead Concentrator requires two separate flotation circuits and many fine grinding stages to separate the valuable minerals, while the Copper Concentrator process is much simpler. The Copper Concentrator recovers approximately 90% of the valuable minerals, while the Zinc-Lead Concentrator recovers approximately 70-75% of each valuable mineral.

Thank you Matt Magee for your contribution

Concentrate from a zinc flotation cell.

Thickener tanks at the Zinc-Lead Concentrator.

18 : mine to market

Vendors came from as far away as Toowoomba and South Australia for this year’s Rockhana Gem and Mineral Festival in Cloncurry.

The fourth annual event was held at the Mary Kathleen Memorial Park and Museum over 5 to 6 July and attracted a steady stream of tourists and local visitors during the weekend.

There were 15 stalls selling opals and colourful gems and minerals from all over the region and beyond.

Lapidiary supplies were also available, as was jewellery and local arts and crafts.

While the serious rock collectors were eager to add to their collections, the children seemed more excited about the pink fairly floss you could buy from the local Girl Guides.

Ernest Henry Mining supports the event every year and this time around, it set up an information display.

Geologists from the mine answered plenty of questions about the rock samples they’d brought in from the pit and about the mining process in general

During June, 16 electrical personnel from across the Mount Isa Mines lease travelled to Brisbane to attend the 19th Mining Electrical Safety Conference.

Over 270 delegates from within the industry attended the Xstrata sponsored conference which was held on June 12 and 13. A number of papers which covered a range of topics including arc flash, touch potential, control systems design, and preventing electrical fires were presented at the conference. Safety related topics such as change management, safety management systems, and personnel detection were also discussed.

Electrical and Instrument Superintendent, Florido Bizzozero, who also represents the metalliferous mining sector on the Mining Electrical Safety Committee, presented a paper entitled ‘Controlling Touch Potential with Equipotential Bonding’.

The Committee, who provides a consultative service to the mining industry with a view of improving safety and productivity, organised the annual conference. A trade display of electrical supplies was run in conjunction with the conference

Rockhana Festival – a rockhound’s paradise

Electrical personnel attend MESC Conference

Jorge Bugueno, Acting Senior Geotechnical Engineer (right), shows some samples from the EHM pit to visitors at this year’s Rockhana Festival in Cloncurry.

Florido Bizzozero presents a paper at the MESC Conference.

ISSUE 88 : 19

A group of students from St Kieran’s Primary School recently visited the new Xstrata Power Station at Mount Isa Mines.

The students, who had been learning about power as part of the Gifted and Talented Program at the school, had a one-hour tour of the power station, including a look inside one of the engine enclosures and a visit to the control room.

Adam Purkis, Manager Major Projects, hosted the tour and explained to the students how power was generated by the gas-fired engines and where it was distributed to.

St Kieran’s teacher, Tammi Webber, said seeing the power station in action was a great way for the students to understand what they’d been learning during the term

St Kierans’ kids power up!

Kelly Malone

Environmental Advisor,

Townsville Operations

“I have my grey water hooked up so that it waters a section of my lawn and garden instead of going down the drain.”

Lynn Donaldson

Site Training and Compliance Advisor, EHM

“We got rid of our teenagers (so no more long showers!). We’ve also installed water-wise shower heads and gone for dual-flush toilets.”

Alex Farrar

Mine Geologist, George Fisher Mine

“I don’t use sprinklers on the garden or grass. Instead I hand-water the plants.”

Dave Thomas

Senior Safety and Training Advisor, Xstrata Copper

I have just purchased a front loader washing machine which uses one third of the amount of water that our previous machine used. We also have a shower timer and a dual flush system for the toilet.

What are you doing at home to save water?

Adam Purkis, Manager Major Projects, gives St Kieran’s School students a tour of the Xstrata Power Station.

20 : mine to market

Josh Russell has recently completed his training courses and was promoted to an Electrician UM2T for Xstrata Zinc.

Peter Poulsonhas moved from Supervisor Underground Crushing and Conveying Mount Isa to Supervisor Refinery Tankhouse in Townsville.

Dean Ashley has been promoted to Principal Business Analyst, Xstrata Copper North Queensland.

Deirdrie bushett is the new Superintendant for Human Resources and Administration at EHM.

On the move

With the Border Run fast approaching, the competition is heating up amongst Mount Isa Mines team’s competitors.

Team Safety is taking Steve Carson’s (aka Mr Unpredictable) wonderful idea of riding a bike 200 kilometres to the Northern Territory border, very seriously. Under the strict guidance of the Copper City Cycling Club’s nutritional expert, Frank Long, Team Safety have arranged a BBQ breakfast for 4.00am on the morning of the ride so they can have their fill of steak and chips which, according to Frank, will provide them with the necessary energy to complete the ride.

“To satisfy Team Safety’s appetite and supply the necessary nutrition along the way we have been fortunate enough to have secured two of the best chefs as our support team; Doc and Avanka, who are believed to have come straight from Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares – what more could you ask for?” says Team Safety member, Arthur McHugh.

Team Safety members Jason and Sam are taking nutrition to the extreme and having steak and chips every morning in the lead-up to the race. Anthony Kyle on the other hand is strictly a fruit and vegetable man and as for the Flying Scotsman, Arthur McHugh, well he’ll eat and drink anything, particularly if it’s free!

Good luck to Team Safety and all other teams competing in the Border Run to be held on 16 August

Competition heats up for the border Run

Team Safety (from left to right): Arthur McHugh, Safety Advisor, Copper Concentrator, Anthony Kyle, Senior Safety Advisor MICO, Paul Marston (Doc), Safety and Training Advisor Copper Mine Engineering, Avanka Vandenberg, Safety Advisor Copper Mine Production, and (lying down), Jason Ahearn (aka Lance Armstrong), Safety and Training advisor MICO Coordination.

ISSUE 88 : 21

Xstrata Regional Training Camp

Andy tours North America with Outback Queensland barbarians

Nine budding young tennis players from Mount Isa were selected to take part in the recent Xstrata Regional Training Camp as part of the Xstrata Community Partnership Program Queensland (XCPP Qld) with Tennis Queensland.

The two day training camp held from 18 to 19 June at the Copper City Tennis Club is an extension of the Regional Development Program’s weekly training schedule. The nine children who ranged from 8 to 12 years of age were selected for the program based on their performance and demonstrated potential.

Tennis Queensland’s Athlete Development Manager, Troy Ayres, travelled to Mount Isa to run the coaching workshop which provided structured training to improve and enhance the techniques and skills of Mount Isa’s up and coming tennis players.

Copper City Tennis Club Secretary, Theresa Braithwaite, said that it is great to see the kids getting so much out of the training sessions and that there had been marked improvements in all of the participants’ games.

Tennis Queensland’s Athlete Development Manager, Troy Ayres, hosts the Xstrata Regional Training Camp in Mount Isa.

“It is great for someone like Troy to come up and be able to spend some one-on-one time with us to help develop our tennis skills,” said 12 year old Tim Braithwaite.

Troy said that the partnership with Xstrata is extremely valuable and critical in developing the next generation of tennis players and bringing them up through the ranks.

“The program enables children in remote areas such as Mount Isa the opportunity to receive the same sort of training that is available to children living in cities,” he said

Earlier this year, Xstrata Copper’s Andy McGrath was invited to represent Mount Isa in the Outback Queensland Barbarians Rugby Union tour of Canada and the USA.

The team was made up of players from Western Darling Downs (St George, Toowoomba, Condamine, and Goondiwindi), Longreach, Rockhampton, Central Highlands (Emerald and Capella) and Mount Isa. Andy Homuk (Mount Isa) was also selected for the tour.

The team landed in Vancouver and travelled to Seattle, Spokane (Washington State) and Big Sky Country before competing in a four day rugby tournament in Montana. The team travelled to the bright lights of Las Vegas and through California, with the tour eventually ending in Los Angeles on 16 May.

Throughout the trip, the team carried out a number of fundraising initiatives. This culminated in Las Vegas where the Outback Queensland Barbarians side took to the field in pink jerseys to raise awareness for breast cancer research. Jerseys were auctioned off after the game.

“We were fortunate to win six out of seven games played. For all team members, the rugby tour presented an excellent opportunity to meet new people, experience different cultures and promote the spirit of rugby,” said Andy

22 : mine to market

Each year the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at The Townsville Hospital cares for over 650 sick babies from across North Queensland and the Torres Strait.

This year one of those babies was tiny Luke Bartolo from Mount Isa, son of Xstrata Zinc employee Dave Bartolo and his wife Julie. Luke arrived just over 12 weeks early at 27 weeks gestation.

Luke experienced a few complications, common in babies born so prematurely. Under-developed lungs are one of the most common problems and Luke required breathing assistance while in hospital.

Dave said, “We were told from the start to expect many ups and downs along the way and Julie and I certainly had many days sitting beside our little son willing him along. He is such a little fighter and fought hard to overcome everything that came his way.”

“The staff of the NICU provided us with exceptional support,” said Dave. “Everyone from the neonatologists, doctors, nursing and support staff were always willing to offer advice and support at any time. Being so far from home for many months, their friendliness and compassion was very comforting. They are all so professional and their knowledge and love for the babies is truly amazing,” he said.

Now six months old, Luke has regular health checks, all with positive results and is giving his parents and his adoring big brother Kyle lots of smiles.

Through both the Queensland and North Queensland Community Partnership Programs, Xstrata has contributed funding to provide much needed equipment for the Neo-Natal Unit.

In 2007, Xstrata teamed with The Townsville Hospital Foundation and an anonymous donor to provide a Retcam II Digitial Imaging Machine for the Unit. Premature infants are frequently exposed to high levels of oxygen in order to survive. The more premature and the sicker a baby, the greater the possibility of change at the back of the eye which can lead to blindness know as Retinopathy of Prematurity. With this vital piece of equipment, the eyes of all babies at risk are routinely examined and early treatment is usually effective. The Retcam also allows images to be stored for both diagnosis and prognosis.

And this year through a partnership with the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation and the University of Queensland, Tiny Tom – a mobile and wireless telemedicine system – was provided to the unit. This telepaediatric machine allows specialist care for infants from the Mackay region who have transferred to Townsville Hospital. Tiny Tom joins specialists on their rounds enabling a direct video-conference consultation with doctors and nursing staff based in Mackay. A similar “robot” Elisa was provided to Mount Isa Hospital through this partnership two years ago.

Dave and Julie would like to acknowledge the contribution that Xstrata has made to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. They were able to see first hand how new technologies can assist the doctors with treatment for these tiny babies. After seeing Tiny Tom in action at The Townsville Hospital, without a doubt they believe it to be a great resource for communication to remote hospitals

Luke’s story

Baby Luke Bartolo with big brother Kyle.

ISSUE 88 : 23

The Resin Bolt Timer is a tool to ensure consistent and safe operation of resin bolt installation at Xstrata Zinc’s George Fisher Mine (GFM). This very simple idea came from the identification through route cause incident investigation during which it was recognised, taking into consideration all the distractions in an underground operating environment, that operator judgement is variable in estimating cycle times.

A resin bolt is a solid 2.4 metre long x 20 millimetre diameter threaded bolt. The resin cartridge is a two part epoxy mixture that forms a bonded layer between the resin bolt and the rock surface. The combination of bolt and resin cartridge is inserted in a drilled hole of a set length and diameter. The bolt is spun as it is inserted thereby mixing the resin. When the resin is set, the bolt is tensioned against the rock surface supporting the ground.

Resin bolts require a fixed process for their installation that is time critical. There are two time critical aspects of the installation: Spin time and Hold (set) time. Spin time refers to the time required to spin and insert the bolt and resin cartridge in the drilled hole to mix the two chemicals that form the resin. The Hold time refers to how long the bolt must be held for the resin to set before the bolt can be tensioned.

Failure to comply with the manufacturer’s instructions may result in inadequate mixing of the resin, over mixing of the resin, or inadequate set time. Any of these variables can result in poor ground support quality due to:

a) inadequate mixing of the catalyst and resin, causing a weaker than designed bond strength;

b) over mixing, causing the bonds formed by the chemical reaction to break, resulting in a weaker than designed bond strength; or

c) bolt being tensioned earlier than the designed set time, pulling the bolt through the resin and causing weaker than designed bond strength and shorter bolt installation length

The idea of a Resin Bolt Timer was developed within the GFM Operations Team and was designed and constructed by the Xstrata Zinc Electrical Engineering Team.

The Resin Bolt Timer is not much larger than a mobile phone and consists of a button which, when pressed, illuminates three light emitting diodes (LEDs) in sequence. The first timed LED provides the correct time for the “Spin” or installation phase of the cycle. The second “Hold” cycle allows for the resin to “Set” and the third or “Next” confirms when the operator can tension the bolt and thereby complete the installation and move onto the next task.

The resin bolt timers have been fitted in all Jumbo operating cabins within the mine and they are sighted in the operator’s field of vision when bolting. The operator simply pushes the button once when he is ready to begin the “Spin” cycle and then follows the LED prompts. Should the cycle not commence after pushing the button, the Operator simply pushes the button again to reset the sequence.

Since the introduction of the Resin Bolt Timer at GFM, Xstrata believes resin bolt installation has improved at the mine due to a reduction in variables through removing a “Human Factor” and thereby improving resin bolt installation.

Supporting this is the audited visual evidence of the correct length of bolt protruding from hole collars at the end of installation and that no resin bolts have failed the scheduled monthly pull-tests regime.

The device does not negate the need for correct training or supervision however it assists the operator by eliminating judgement from the task.

The device can be used in all mines using resin bolts and can be manufactured and installed at minimal cost.

The Resin Bolt Timer can be adjusted internally to allow for varying OEM specifications and resin requirements to be complied with.

The device can also be used in other applications where timing is critical.

Xstrata Zinc will present its resin bolt timer innovation to the Queensland Mining Industry Safety Conference in Townsville this month.

Thank you Geoff Hender for your contribution

Resin bolt Timer innovation

1. The operator simply pushes the button once.

2. Resin timer in spin cycle, installing the bolt.

3. Resin timer in hold cycle, resin is setting.

4. Resin is set, operator tensions the bolt.

24 : mine to market

Last month Xstrata presented career opportunities to a group of keen young Indigenous participants from the Mount Isa Youth Pathways Program. Participants consisted of year 10 students from Spinifex Junior College.

The half-day exercise included a surface tour of Mount Isa Mines before visiting the Xstrata Skills Centre to meet with apprentices, teachers and staff.

The participants listened to Xstrata’s Skill Centre Superintendent, Dave Watson, talk about the School-based

Apprenticeship opportunities, while Dick Kostowski, Senior Advisor Training and Development, spoke about the Bursary Program.

The day concluded with a guided tour of the Xstrata Skills Centre workshop giving the students an opportunity to view the training facilities for electrical and mechanical trades.

The Mount Isa Youth Pathways Program and Spinifex Junior Campus thanked the Xstrata Skills Centre and Xstrata Zinc’s Indigenous Employment

Officer, Roxann Parker, for coordinating the educational exercise.

Ms Parker said the students showed a keen interest to enter the mining industry, with a special interest in apprenticeships.

“Xstrata Mount Isa Mines is committed to the recruitment of Indigenous people within our operations. We believe it is important to expose and highlight opportunities to our future employees, the youth of today,“ said Roxann

There might not have been any cattle at this year’s 29th annual Cloncurry Show, but the event was still a big success.

Show President, Chris Chaplain, says around 4,000 people passed through the gates for the show, which was held from 13 to 15 June.

The Cloncurry Show is known for its ‘Ringers Rally’ and the event drew a huge crowd this year, as did the fireworks on the Saturday night.

Ernest Henry Mining contributed $5,000 towards the event as gold sponsor and General Manager, Mike Westerman, donned some bright-coloured silks to compete in the Celebrity Camel Race.

He didn’t make it through to the final though, so perhaps better luck next year?

Xstrata presents career opportunities for young Indigenous students

‘Curry’ Show a hit

Mount Isa Youth Pathways students at Xstrata’s Skills Centre.

Mike Westerman, EHM’s General Manager, saddles up for the Celebrity Camel Race at this year’s Cloncurry Show.

This photo was taken by Mount Isa’s Tara Bailey who is six and a half years old.

ISSUE 88 : 25

birthplace: Ballarat, Victoria.

years with Xstrata: Only 5 months.

My role at Xstrata involves: Mapping, Voids Department and Grade Control Department.

Strengths: I am easy to get along with!

Weaknesses: Chocolate.

Family: Parents, brother and most importantly my boyfriend Chris.

Favourite TV show/movie: South Park – I’m addicted.

Holiday destination of my dreams: Egypt.

Five celebrities I would like to invite to dinner: Bruce Willis, Kevin Costner, Vin Diesel, Johnny Depp and Jamie Pressly.

If I could change something it would be: To have more time to go back home to Victoria.

Wish for the future: To be happy and successful.

Sarah WhitingGeologist, Handlebar Hill Open Cut mine

Fiona Robinson Graduate Environment Advisor, EHM

Ann SelwoodCommercial Officer, Copper Refinery

Robyn WrightAssayer, Mount Isa Mines

birthplace: Wollongong.

years with Xstrata: 6 months.

My role at Xstrata involves: Monitoring the environment and promoting environmental awareness on site.

Strengths: Optimistic.

Weaknesses: Gossip magazines.

Family: They’re all in Wollongong.

Favourite TV show/movie: Australia’s Next Top Model.

Holiday destination of my dreams: Backpacking through South East Asia.

Five celebrities I would like to invite to dinner: Dr Phil, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Oprah, and Perez Hilton.

If I could change something it would be: My flatmate’s habit of not doing the washing up!

Wish for the future: Enjoyment and satisfaction in my life and career.

birthplace: Townsville.

years with Xstrata: 18 months.

My role at Xstrata involves: Commercial invoicing and related duties.

Strengths: Wicked sense of humour.

Weaknesses: Chocolate.

Family: Son and daughter.

Favourite TV show/movie: News.

Holiday destination of my dreams: Maldives and the moon.

Five celebrities I would like to invite to dinner: Kevin Rudd, Nelson Mandela, Inspector Rex, Joe Hockey and Miss Piggy.

If I could change something it would be: My pay packet.

Wish for the future: A peaceful world.

birthplace: Perth, WA.

years with Xstrata: 30.

My role at Xstrata involves: Analysing the copper, zinc and lead shipments that are sold throughout the world.

Strengths: Honesty and reliability.

Weaknesses: Red Rock chips.

Family: Husband Donald, 2 married daughters Naomi and Gillian, a son Andrew and a beautiful granddaughter Jemima.

Favourite TV show/movie: Insiders/Offsiders.

Holiday destination of your dreams: Lake Louise, Canada.

Five celebrities I would like to invite to dinner: Andrew Johns, Robbie Williams, Sean Connery, Patrick Rafter and George Clooney (of course).

If I could change something, it would be: Four wheel drives to only be driven off-road.

Wish for the future: The Knights to win this year’s Premiership.

Employee profiles

EHM donates to PCyCCloncurry PCYC Branch Manager, Mick Hughes, presents EHM’s General Manager, Mike Westerman, with a certificate of appreciation.

EHM recently donated some redundant furniture to the PCYC for them to auction. They raised more than $8,500 at the auction.

26 : mine to market

CalendarAugust1 Cloncurry Merry Muster Charity gold coin donation morning tea (CRL)

5 Isa Hillside Twilight Markets (Frank Aston Hill, Mount Isa)

6 New starter’s induction (Mount Isa)

7 Mailman Express (Mount Isa)

8-10 Xstrata Mount Isa 50th Rotary Rodeo

16 Border Run, charity bike ride (Camooweal)

28 Community Information Session (Mount Isa)

30 Cancer Council Relay for Life Challenge (Mount Isa)

September3 New starter’s induction (Mount Isa)

5-6 Birdsville Races (Birdsville)

6 Mayoress’ Ball (Mount Isa)

9 Bowen Community Information Session

10 Bowen Community Partnership Function

13-16 Cloncurry Art Show

19 School holidays begin (Queensland)

20 Casa Grande Ball (Mount Isa)

26-28 Mount Isa Fishing Classic (Mount Isa)

October1 New starter’s induction (Mount Isa)

10 Townsville Service Awards Dinner (Townsville)

18 Battle of the Mines (Cloncurry)

Xstrata Mount Isa Rotary Rodeo Program of EventsSaturday 26 July Quamby Rodeo (163km NE from Mount Isa) 7pm XXXX Rodeo Ball (Rodeo Forecourt)

Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 August Cloncurry Merry Muster and Rotary Rodeo (120km E from Mount Isa)

Tuesday 5 August 6.30pm Isa Hillside Twilight Markets (Frank Aston Hill)

Wednesday 6 August6.30am Zonta Bush Poets Breakfast (The Buffs Club) 7.30pm The Bull Pit “Man Against Beast”

(Kalkadoon Stadium)

Thursday 7 August TBA Cowboy and Cowgirls Golf Day (Mount Isa Golf Club)10am Mount Isa Chamber of Commerce Best Dressed

Premises Presentation (Venue TBA)7pm Mailman Express (Buchanan Park Race Club)

Friday 8 August 9am Rodeo and Time Events (Kalkadoon Stadium)7pm Mardi Gras Street Parade (George and Sutton St)7.30pm Fireworks - time subject to change

(George and Sutton St)8pm The Bull Pit “Man Against Beast”

(Kalkadoon Stadium)8pm Tommy Maxwell (Xstrata Entertainment Centre)9pm Dianna Corcoran and Kirsty Lee Akers

(Xstrata Entertainment Centre)10pm Mental as Anything (Rodeo Forecourt)

Saturday 9 August 9am Rodeo and Time Events (Kalkadoon Stadium)All day Bell and Moir Ute Muster

(Xstrata Entertainment Centre)10pm Amber Lawrence and Aleyce Simmonds

(Rodeo Forecourt)11pm Adam Brand (Rodeo Forecourt)

Sunday 10 August 8am Buffs Recovery Breakfast (The Buffs Club)9am Rodeo and Time Events (Kalkadoon Stadium)6.30pm Chic Frontier (Rodeo Forecourt)

7pm Cowboys and Cowgirls Night (Kalkadoon Stadium)

**Program of Events is subject to change without notice.

ISSUE 88 : 27

Depression will affect approximately one out of four women and one out of six men during their lifetime (ABS 2004/5). However these statistics are not 100% accurate as men are less likely to seek help for depression (Beyond Blue, 2008) and are more likely to rely on drugs and alcohol to deal with psychological illness.

Men are more likely to associate depression with being weak, therefore reducing the number of men whom seek help or treatment early on.

Approximately two thirds of depression sufferers will not seek help in the first 12 months, which may have dire consequences. Men are far more likely across all age groups to commit suicide.

Individuals who experience a psychological illness often have poorer general health and are at increased risk of co-morbidities such as cardiovascular disease and arthritis (AIHW, 2006). Depression and suicide can also have far reaching implications on the carers, family and friends of sufferers due to emotional and economic burden.

The following characteristics can be associated with depression:

A normal reaction to a tragic event (e.g. death) or an abnormal emotional response that occurs for no apparent reason;

A profound, prolonged, and intense feeling of sadness, hopelessness, worthlessness and emptiness;

Physical changes such as fatigue, sleep disturbance, weight changes, and muscle soreness;

Concentration, memory, and decision making abilities can be affected and interest in enjoyable activities may be reduced.

If you think you may have depression or a number of these symptoms, please see your doctor, it is important to act early.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Gemini Medical Services 07 4744 2242

Centacare Mount Isa 07 4743 4449 and Cloncurry 07 4742 0542

EMPLOyEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (EAP)EAP is offered by Xstrata as a voluntary and confidential counselling service for employees. EAP is accessible on a private basis or through your supervisor. Counselling and Support for Marriage and family problems, Grief and loss, Personal Conflict, Gambling, Alcohol and drug use, Stress and emotional distress as well as other areas.

Beyond Blue 1300 252 4636 or www.beyondblue.com.au Download informative fact sheets from their website.

Lifeline 13 14 11 www.lifeline.org.au

Relationships Australia 1300 364 277 www.relationships.com.au

Sane Australia 1800 18 7263 www.sane.org

Xstrata Zinc is calling for employees to draw cartoons representing safety in the workplace for use in the 2009 HSEC Calendar.

One drawing will be selected from each area within Xstrata Zinc with each winner receiving a $150 voucher from Red Earth.

Please ensure the drawings:

Are black and white as they will be used for a colouring-in competition;

Are on A4 paper, please do not fold or bend; and

Are attached to another piece of paper with your name, department and contact details completed.

The cartoon drawings are to be handed to your safety advisor.

For further information call Taryn on 4744 6645 or Ciara on 4744 6435

Depression and men

Calling for safety calendar cartoons

MEDICAL

PHOTO COMPETITIONFor saleLadies clothing sizes 10-16 (including a wedding dress, ball gowns and evening attire), 2 x portacots, 1 x pram, videos and various household items, all in good condition. Ph: 4743 1141.

Samsung 10.1 mega pixel digital camera – anti shake, face recognition and plug in charger, brand new in box $300 ono. Baby hood net bouncer $20. Baby boys clothes size 000. Ph: 4743 2741

3.65 Blue Fin Boat 6 HP motor, life jackets and trailer. Rego until February. $2,500. Ph: 4743 9473 or 0410 669 047.

Yamaha Wave-Runner and accessories $6,000 neg. Tyres and rims 100 series wagon – $200. Mitsubishi Dual Cab Truck and Crate – $35,000 neg. Bullbar and siderails for 100 series Wagon – $1,500 neg. Ph: 0428 105 058.

5.5m long aluminium pool cover roller $180 ono. Ph: 4743 7540.

2005 Holden Viva Silver, 20,000 kms. 6 mths rego. Urgent sale – $10,000. Ph: 4743 4221.

CongratulationsCongratulations to Adam Charley (Senior Safety Advisor Copper Smelter Coordination and Improvement) and his wife Nok who were married on Saturday 12 July.

Congratulations to Doug Nuttall (A Crew at the Mines Power Station) and his partner Sari Sihvola on the birth of their baby daughter, Gracy.

NoticesWant to learn to Rock n Roll? Come along and learn with the community Rock n Roll group. Every Thursday night at 7:30pm, Mount Isa RSL. Suitable for all ages – families are welcome. Dancers without their own partners are also welcome to attend.

In memoryWe wish to extend our condolences to the Peut family in the passing of Kerry Peut. Kerry spent many years with Mount Isa Mines and relocated to the Sunshine Coast in 2000. Kerry will be remembered by many as the Drill and Blast Foreman in the old lead mine and for his passion of lawn bowls.

WantedMimags! Mount Isa Mines is endeavouring to collect a full set of Mimags, the monthly journal that was produced by the company from the 1950s to the late 1980s. Over the years many editions have gone missing from our collection and we are seeking assistance from employees and other members of the wider community who have copies and may be willing to donate these, or loan them for a brief period so they can be scanned electronically. If you can assist, please contact Melissa Trim at the Community Relations Department on 4744 2965.

Second hand Child’s motorcross protective equipment; boots size 3 (or bigger), body armour (small), pants size 8, jersey size 8, gloves size small. Ph Dave on 0423 826 002.

Employees from Townsville Copper Refinery and Port Operations, Bowen Coke Works, EHM and Mount Isa Mines only are invited to list items for sale. Please contact your Community Relations Department for the classifieds form.

All submissions are due to the Editor by the 3rd business day of each month. Mine to Market will not accept any commercial advertising notices.

Classifieds

Congratulations to Bhargav Pavuluri who correctly guessed that July’s photo competition was a section of the CRL Laboratory on page 5

Can you guess this month’s photo competition? You will find the answer somewhere in this publication.

For your chance to win, email cpeters@xstratacopper.com.au before Friday 15 August.

The winner will receive a double movie voucher and have their name published in the next issue of Mine to Market