Two Caterpillar 797B haul trucks at Dawson mine have been given a makeover with brightly coloured pink and blue trays to raise breast and prostate cancer awareness and promote early cancer detection.
This week the upgraded trucks returned to the haul route at Dawson mine and two lucky operators, Katrina Boardman and Wayne Makawe, were drawn out of a hat to be the first to drive the rear dumps. Both employees received a gift pack from Hastings Deering who fitted the new trays after Rockhampton supplier SMW completed the repairs and new paint job.
Dawson mobile planner for trucks and engineering, Adam Warren, said he had commissioned a project late last year to repair the 797 trays, which had sustained wear and tear damage onsite.
"Included in the scope of work was a full respray of the tray at completion and I thought – why not spray them with another colour and use this as a way to raise awareness for cancer prevention at no extra cost," Adam said.
"After an indirect family member was diagnosed with cancer and I had a bit of a scare earlier this year which led to a trip to the doctors, blood test and hospital visit, it really got me thinking. It turned out alright for me, but it brought to light how important it is to get checked.
"I hope by having these trays onsite, they will provide a good visual aid to prompt people to carry out self-checks, have their partner do checks and also go to a doctor if anything doesn't look right," Adam said.
"I also hope the trays lead to discussions about the diseases, the need for early detection and causes with partners, friends, family members and colleagues. A lot of these diseases can be beaten with early detection.
"Men especially are hard to convince to complete checks, so hopefully seeing a bright blue tray with prostate cancer down the side will prompt them stay on top of their health.
"I strongly believe if we all make an effort, create discussions in the workplace and talk to one another about our health, we can increase the number of early detection cases and reduce serious illness.
"I'm sure most of us know someone directly or indirectly who has a serious illness or disease so this is an important issue that touches us all," Adam said.
This week Dawson mine held a raffle to raise funds for the Cancer Council.
For further information, please contact:
Metallurgical Coal Corporate Affairs:
Jacqui Strambi: +61 439 774 526
Notes to editors:
Anglo American is one of the world’s largest mining companies, is headquartered in the UK and listed on the London and Johannesburg stock exchanges. Our portfolio of mining businesses meets our customers’ changing needs and spans bulk commodities – iron ore and manganese, metallurgical coal and thermal coal; base metals and minerals – copper, nickel, niobium and phosphates; and precious metals and minerals – in which we are a global leader in both platinum and diamonds. At Anglo American, we are committed to working together with our stakeholders – our investors, our partners and our employees – to create sustainable value that makes a real difference, while upholding the highest standards of safety and responsibility across all our businesses and geographies. The company’s mining operations, pipeline of growth projects and exploration activities span southern Africa, South America, Australia, North America, Asia and Europe.
www.angloamerican.com.au