Safety & ESG / 005

The standard is set on the site, not in the statement.

Every natural resources operator publishes an ESG framework. Westech's is measured on the site. The standards on this page are not aspirations; they are the conditions the team has worked under, the controls implemented, and the results recorded.

The record
0 major incidents · 20+ years of operations

Westech has operated in environments where the standard is unforgiving: 1,200m underground, 65°C face temperatures, complex multi-commodity processing, and remote, high-risk infrastructure. Across that record:

VATUKOULA · FIJI

Zero lost-time injuries at depth

Two years of underground production at 1,200m depth and 65°C face temperature. Zero LTI recorded across the operating crew.

OTSO · FINLAND

Renewable power, real-time monitoring

The Otso operation ran on renewable power, with real-time environmental sampling and continuous reporting to the host government from day one of operations.

MINERAL HILL · NSW

First fully contained cyanide management

First fully contained cyanide mixing and management system installed within the CIL bund at the Mineral Hill operation.

The record is the result of an operating standard that does not change with jurisdiction, commodity or counterparty.

How we operate

Six principles, defined by how the work is done.

Westech operates to a standard recognised by lenders and institutional investors. The same six principles apply on every site.

01

Engineered controls before procedural ones

MOST EFFECTIVE Elimination Substitution Engineering controls VENTILATION · CONTAINMENT · GROUND SUPPORT · PROCESS Administrative PPE LEAST EFFECTIVE

Risk is mitigated at the design stage. Ventilation, refrigeration, containment, ground support and process selection carry the load. Procedures address only what engineering cannot.

02

Best-available technology over lowest cost

SELECTION CRITERIA, IN ORDER 01 Environmental performance 02 Operational reliability 03 Closure performance 04 Capital cost PERFORMANCE WEIGHTED ABOVE CAPITAL COST

Process technology is selected for environmental and operational performance, not capital cost.

03

Knowledge transfer

AT ACQUISITION · ~2,200 PEOPLE Mostly expatriate ~20% Fijian AFTER REBUILD · 700 PEOPLE 100% Fijian FIRST CERTIFIED FIJIAN MINING MANAGERS IN SIXTY YEARS

Westech builds local operating capability on every project rather than relying on expatriate operations. At Vatukoula, the underground workforce was rebuilt from 2,200 mostly-expatriate to 700 fully Fijian, including the first certified Fijian mining managers in sixty years. At Woulfe, experienced Fijian crews trained Korean teams in deep-mine practice. Capability built on one site travels to the next.

04

Continuous improvement

Audit Review Design & training Operations MONTHLY HSE FROM DAY ONE

Safety audits, incident reviews and environmental reporting feed back into design, training and procedure across every operation. Monthly HSE reporting is established from mobilisation, not introduced at handover.

05

Embedded in the community

MOBILISATION BUILD OPERATIONS CLOSURE Stakeholder engagement Grievance mechanisms Local hiring Host-gov reporting Capability retained CONTINUOUS, FROM MOBILISATION THROUGH CLOSURE

A social licence to operate is maintained continuously, not granted once. Stakeholder engagement, formal grievance mechanisms and host-government reporting are established from mobilisation. Local hiring is the default. Operating capability is built into the host workforce so value remains after Westech exits.

06

No trace

MOST PREFERRED Avoid Minimise Rehabilitate Offset LAST RESORT CLOSURE DESIGNED AT FEASIBILITY, NOT END OF LIFE

Closure is designed at feasibility stage, not retrofitted at end of life. Westech applies the mitigation hierarchy: avoid, minimise, rehabilitate, offset. Operations run to a no-net-loss standard for biodiversity and land use, with progressive rehabilitation alongside extraction. Process selection reflects closure performance, not capital cost, including fully contained systems such as cyanide mixing at Mineral Hill.

Standards

The frameworks the work is built and audited against.

Westech operates to the institutional standards that lenders, institutional investors and host-country regulators recognise. The same frameworks apply on every project, from feasibility through operations. Permitting and government relations sit inside the engagement: at Otso, Westech secured the mining licence and completed the environmental impact study required to resume production.

Environmental & social

IFC Performance Standards (2012)
World Bank Group General EHS Guidelines (2007)

Labour & human rights

ILO Core Labour Standards
UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (2011)
IFC/EBRD Workers' Accommodation Standards (2009)

Security & human rights

Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights

Management systems

ISO 9001, Quality
ISO 14001, Environmental
ISO 45001, Occupational H&S

GET IN TOUCH

Let's discuss the next phase of your project.

Westech International Pty Ltd

Level 17, Chifley Tower

2 Chifley Square

Sydney NSW 2000

+61 (02) 9375 2375

info@westech.com.au

All enquiries are handled confidentially and directed to the senior technical and commercial team.

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