OREANDA-NEWS. May 12, 2012. OJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel (hereinafter – MMC Norilsk Nickel or the Company) announces results of industrial health and safety works in 2011. The Company’s activities performed in accordance with the principles prioritizing health and safety of its employees. The Company performed a large number of activities aiming to improve the working conditions and reduce the effect of adverse factors on the health of its employees, reported the press-centre of Norilsk Nickel.    

During the reporting year, expenses corresponding to implementation of activities aiming to improve Group-wide working and health and safety conditions totaled RUB 4.3 bil., including RUB 2.7 bil. for MMC Norilsk Nickel (for 2010, the expenses totaled RUB 3.1 bil. and RUB 1.6 bil. respectively). 

Over 23.8 thousand of the Group’s employees have completed pre-certification training, training and certification for industrial health and safety (approximately 30% of the average number of the Group’s employees in 2011), including over 14 thousand managers and specialists.

Group’s expenses corresponding to improvement of working conditions totalled over RUB 2.1 bil., out of which 1.6 bil. was allocated to MMC Norilsk Nickel.
 
Those employees of MMC Norilsk Nickel, who are exposed to hazardous working conditions, receive therapeutic and preventative meals. Company’s expenses related to providing workers with therapeutic and preventative meals and milk totaled RUB 515 mil. in 2011.

Additionally, regular employee medical examinations are conducted in order to prevent occupational diseases, corresponding expenses in 2011 totaled RUB 162 mil. for the Group and RUB 54 mil. for MMC Norilsk Nickel.
 
To reduce noise, vibration and amount of ambient dust in the air at the mines of the Polar Division in 2011, 30 operational machines and mechanisms were replaced with more advanced pieces of equipment at the total cost of RUB 800 mil.

Between 2007 and 2011, the injury rates at Russian subsidiaries of Norilsk Nickel Group were reduced by 23% and the total injury frequency rate coefficient has gone down by 34% to 1.40.