Health Programs

Inco’s commitment to maintaining a healthy workplace focuses on three key areas: occupational medicine; community outreach; and, our extensive health program at PT Inco in Indonesia.

Occupational Medicine — a progressive approach

We have made substantial investments over the years in Inco’s occupational medicine network. This network helps us focus on all aspects of an employee’s health and take a holistic approach to their care. The objective is to help prevent injuries or – if an employee sustains an injury either on or off the job – to provide early diagnosis and treatment in order to safely and quickly return the employee back to work.

The occupational medicine programs are the responsibility of Inco's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Robert Francis. He and his team of medical officers and occupational nurses who are in place at most Inco sites have three primary areas of focus: wellness, rehabilitation and medical surveillance. For information on Inco's occupational health and industrial hygiene performance see the Environmental, Health and Safety Report.

In the areas of wellness and rehabilitation, Inco offers a number of programs and services, including;

• wellness health assessments/fairs
• early intervention and rehabilitation programs
• physiotherapy
• rehabilitation fitness memberships
• home exercise programs
• weight loss
• smoking cessation
• cardiac rehabilitation
• hearing conservation
• psychosocial support
• medical surveillance programs

Employees in remote locations have access to a 24-hour call service which is there to support employees who sustain an injury. And, the occupational medicine team is moving into the area of telehealth/telecare, providing access to medical kiosks in remote – and not so remote – locations. These kiosks offer videoconferencing with medical professionals, Internet access, and simple diagnostic tools such as blood pressure cuffs and measurement of oxygen levels in lungs/blood.

According to Dr. Francis, Inco’s progressive approach to its occupational medicine program makes good business sense. “Investing in the health of our employees pays off in the long run, with less time off the job and more time focused on everyone’s business priorities. In addition, there is a real and tangible commitment to wellness and health within the company and that helps boost employee morale.”

Inco’s progressive approach to occupational medicine led Inco to become one of the first Canadian companies to establish a ‘modified work’ program. In the 1980s, we began encouraging injured employees to return to work in modified work situations, often on a graduated modified work basis. This form of rehabilitation soon gained support from the medical community and today, it is the industry norm.

The extensive network we've built within Inco has also enabled us to be responsive to emerging health issues. For example, the recent global outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) meant we had to act quickly to protect employees at our Jinco operation in China. Our medical team was able to quickly introduce protocols and the concept of “clean teams” to protect employees and reduce any exposures to this infectious virus. The protocols were then put in place at all of Inco's operations that were affected worldwide.

Community Outreach

Our commitment to health issues doesn’t stop with our employees and their families. We are also active in reaching out to the communities where our employees work and play – contributing to better community health, particularly in areas where there are systemic community health issues and unique health challenges.

In remote locations that don’t have adequate medical facilities, we will often try to provide that support. If the community is struggling with, for example, alcohol and drug abuse problems, we believe it is important to get involved and make a contribution. Part of this outreach is helping to identify physicians, and related health care workers in the area who are knowledgeable about the community to assist in our activities.

At PT Inco in Indonesia, we have made an extensive social commitment to the community that surrounds our operation. While we provide health care to all of our employees and their families, we have also built the only hospital in the district. Today, this hospital provides medical services to a population of 45,000. For a more detailed overview of the PT Inco Hospital and other health programs, see Community Development, Indonesia.