News

THE BEST OF 2021: BHP

Published

on

Mt Arthur Coal Women in Mining Program is a key diversity initiative

Mt Arthur Coal

In 2021, Mt Arthur Coal have continued to be at the forefront for promoting diversity and inclusion in our industry. Over 18.5% of the total workforce are now female thanks to their strong focus on increasing female participation and gender balance in the workplace.

Every month, Mt Arthur Coal focus on an issue targeted at inclusion, diversity and giving back to the workforce and community. From raising awareness of mental health, to addressing sexual harassment, to supporting causes like Movember, each month a different department takes the lead to address and promote these important issues and causes.

On International Women’s Day in March, it was all about having those important conversations. Over the course of the week the BHP team heard from a variety of females and males on what they #choosetochallenge including those at BHP’s own Mt Arthur Coal Lunch & Learn event.

In August, they were proud supporters of national Wear It Purple Day where their site-based Inclusion and Diversity team sold specially designed purple hard hats and held presentations at pre-starts, all aimed at making Mt Arthur Coal a more welcoming and inclusive workplace for all.

Mt Arthur Coal were proud supporters of national Wear It Purple Day

2021 also saw Mt Arthur Coal launch a brand new Women in Mining Program in partnership with Chandler Macleod. This new program is one of the Mt Arthur Coal Production team’s key diversity initiatives and is already proving to be an exciting way to bring new recruits into BHP and the industry.

The work Mt Arthur Coal are doing in diversity and inclusion was highlighted just this month, with Phoebe Thomas taking home the win for the Exceptional Young Woman in Australian Resources at the BHP 2021 Women in Resources National Awards. Phoebe has had a lead role in workforce gender diversity as well as female leadership representation on site and this win is in recognition of that.

Mt Arthur Coal’s community support remained strong in 2021, with their Local Buying Program continuing to make a big difference in the local community. In 2021, $8.2 million was spent with local businesses and suppliers through the BHP Local Buying Program and since its exception more than $43.2 million has been spent. On procurement in general, their annual target to spend in 2021 locally is $120 million. These are just some of the many ways that they are supporting the community.

2021 also saw Mt Arthur Coal focus heavily on their Covid response. From Rapid Antigen testing, on-site vaccinations hubs, and supporting pop up clinics in Muswellbrook, their efforts have been acknowledged by the Resources Regulator as industry leading in the Hunter Valley and have contributed to helping our community stay safe throughout 2021.

Exit mobile version