Freeport-McMoRan operations are required to assess the risk of exposure to occupational health hazards and implement adequate controls for all workforce members at risk. Our Field Guide for Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene, updated in 2011, defines occupational exposure limits, standards and practices that apply globally. Exposures of interest can be chemical, biological or physical agents and include such health hazards as acid, metals, dust, noise, vibration and gases. We employ a hierarchy of limits; the first level is regulatory exposure limits defined by the various jurisdictions in which the Company operates. These are considered to be our minimally acceptable standards. Where a regulatory standard is absent or determined to be inadequate, we adopt internal standards to achieve a higher level of protection of the workforce.

There were 16 occupational illness events in 2011. The increase in illness events from 2010 was partly attributable to more careful categorization of events as illness rather than injury. The Company has standardized the definitions of injury and illness based on MSHA definitions. Of the reported illnesses, 10 cases were exposures to chemical agents (one event exposed five individuals to low levels of sulfur dioxide gas, a transient event with no significant or long-term consequences), four resulted from heat exposure, one from early-stage silicosis and one was related to repetitive trauma. All of these cases were transient and were handled as first-aid events with minimal medical treatment required. Each incident was subjected to a Job Safety Analysis by safety and health specialists to further define and promote recognition of hazards and implement controls to prevent reoccurrence where applicable.

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