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| OVERVIEW |
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At MSC Group, we are firm believers in the triple bottom line
– People, Planet, Profit. It is our belief that the successful
sustainability of a business is dependent in its ability to include
public interest into the corporate-decision making of a business.
As such, we strive to integrate Corporate Social Responsibility into
our business model. We closely monitor the impact of our activities
on the environment, consumers, employees, communities,
stakeholders and all other members of the public sphere and try
to proactively promote public interest by encouraging community
growth and development, and voluntarily eliminating practices
that harm the public sphere.
To attain the above objectives, we practise an Integrated
Management System with the adoption of quality management
standards covering all areas of responsibility including social,
environmental, occupational health and safety aspects. Standard
operating procedures, training programmes and regular audit
schedules are being practised with the aim of achieving continual
improvement in all areas of activities.
Our key CSR initiatives are focussed in four main areas, namely:
HUMAN RESOURCE
At the heart of any company lies its employees. Socially responsible
employees make for a socially responsible company. Therefore
we instil and foster a culture of corporate social responsibility
that pervades the Group’s operations at every level, from simple
notions of implementing green practices to assist in environmental
waste reduction such as encouraging recycling of paper, cans and
bottles to collecting foods for the needy and engaging employees
in the Group’s effort to help the community at large. Basically, we
encourage our staff to be at the forefront of ethical and socially
responsible behaviour. We foster a corporate culture that respects and stimulates
diversity and create an environment where individual employees
can realise their full potentials. The welfare of our employees is one of
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our key priorities. Significant resources are spent every year
on the education and training of our employees. We continue to
offer tools and resources to help employees succeed at work and
in life in a number of leadership and professional development
programmes at both management and employee levels.
LOCAL COMMUNITY
Fully cognisant of the fact that the way we operate affects the
community in which we operate and that we do not do business
in isolation, we ensure that we have meaningful engagements
with various sectors of
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the community where our operations
are located vide a variety of means such as:
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company-community relationship through various social,
welfare, religious and cultural programmes. |
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socio-economic activities that have impact on the
well-being of the local community through spin-off
opportunities with emphasis on sustainability of these
activities over the long-term. |
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infrastructure and other physical development that
enhance the quality of life and mobility of local
community. |
In view of the large areas of operation of the Group and
variations in demography in terms of age group, culture,vocation and economic conditions in each community, the
adoption of community development programmes need to
suit the particular local community needs. The main focus
for our community development projects is that they ought to
have long term far-reaching beneficial impact to the particular
community.
Some of the community development programmes undertaken
by the Group for the year 2009 were as follows:
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youth training programmes in various areas of vocation
including business/administration, engineering, workshop
practice, aquaculture, farming; |
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assistance with construction of community halls, sports
facilities and religious buildings; |
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building of infrastructure to assist with the mobility and
accessibility of the local community; |
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cooperation with the local government, community,
employees and their families for sustainable economic
development to improve quality of life especially in areas
relating to agriculture and plantation in areas no longer
required for mining; |
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assistance in arts and cultural and sporting activities in
order to enhance accomplishment of the local community
in these activities; |
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greater commitment toward continual improvements in
safety, health and environmental performance that have
direct positive impact on the local community. |
A noteworthy effort that we are especially proud of is the
sponsorship of an outing for selected art students and
their teachers from Sekolah Menengah Pendidikan Khas
Persekutuan, the Penang school for students with speech and
hearing impairment, to visit the company’s smelting facility
in Butterworth and mining operation in Rahman Hydraulic
Tin Sdn. Bhd. Paintings drawn of the various aspects of the
Company’s operations by these students formed the artwork
for our corporate calendar for 2010 with the theme “Towards a
caring and sharing society”.
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SAFETY AND HEALTH
Occupational health and safety not only contributes to corporate
goals but also plays a part in the social and ethical role of
the organisation. We inculcate the culture of safety, health
and environmental consciousness in all areas of operations
within the Group and provide and maintain safe systems of
work, make arrangements for ensuring the safe use, handling,
storage and transport of equipment and substances as well
as provide necessary information, instruction, training and
supervision to all employees.
Our Groupwide occupational health and safety programme
comprises:
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Training and education |
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Work design, workplace design and standard work
methods |
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Changes to work methods and practice, including those
associated with technological changes |
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Safety rules, including penalties |
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Emergency procedures and drills |
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Provision of Occupational Health & Safety equipment,
services and facilities |
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Workplace inspections and evaluations |
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Reporting and recording of incidents, accidents, injuries
and illnesses |
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Provision of information to employees |
At the mine site or in the compound of the smelter, the Group
ensures that it has comprehensive safety and health facilities
including clinic with in-house medical doctor and assistants,
fire-fighting team together with relevant equipment which are
always in the state of readiness for response. Dissemination
of information concerning safety and health at workplace is an
ongoing exercise at the Group.
Continuous improvement of the occupational health and
safety programmes is carried out by way hazard identification
systems, rigorous monitoring and effecting improvements.
ENVIRONMENT
Operating in the resource industry, the MSC Group is mindful of
safeguarding the environment, now and for future generations. We
are only too aware that mining operations leave significant impact
on natural environment, more so than in any other industry – yet
without mining, the modern world as we know today, would cease
to exist. We seek to achieve a delicate balance by responsible
environmental management at all our mining and smelting
operation sites.
The land reclamation and rehabilitation programmes by the Group
provides for long term environmental stability and economic post
mining land-use. At the Company’s subsidiary, PT Koba Tin, an average of
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600 hectares per year is cultivated with mixed plantings
of plantation and local forest species. As part of the mine closure
programme, the subsidiary pursues programmed relinquishment
of land no longer required for mining operation and rehabilitation
of disused mining pools for fresh water supply and aquaculture
and other related activities. Similarly at RHTSB, the subsidiary
works very closely with the Department of Environment on matters
concerning treatment of effluent discharge from mining operations
and rehabilitation of ex-mining areas. The ultimate goal is to assist
in creating a self sustaining and healthy community when the
mines have ceased operations.
The Company, as a co-founder and Board member, continues to
support ITRI Ltd., an international tin
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organization that, amongst
other things, rigorously pursues R&D particularly in the area
where tin can be used to replace toxic substances contained in
many of today’s industrial applications. Tin has been touted as a
“green metal” and its contribution to the environment through the
replacement of toxic substances is immeasurable.
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