Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

At Fortescue, the health and safety of our workforce, their families and the communities in which we operate is our highest priority. During this unprecedented global health and economic crisis, we have implemented and expanded a range of measures to protect the Fortescue family and contribute to efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Keeping our work mates safe 

As always, our primary focus remains on providing and maintaining a safe and healthy work environment for the entire Fortescue family.

During 2020, we introduced a range of measures to help protect our team members, their families and our communities, including:

• Strict hygiene and physical distancing measures
• Implementation of screening programs, including PCR testing for all fly-in, fly-out team members and mandatory temperature testing   
• Flexibility for office-based team members to work from home
• Regular updates to ensure team members are aware of the latest travel guidelines and restrictions relating to Western Australia
• Providing team members who choose to live outside Western Australia with the option to relocate, including a relocation allowance for those who chose to move permanently

We remain committed to providing our team, contractors, suppliers and key stakeholders with the latest information as the COVID-19 outbreak continues.  

In addition to regular Incident Management Team meetings, we have:  

• Established a dedicated COVID-19 intranet page for employees and extranet page for contractors 
• Introduced Executive and Leader calls, including with contractors  
• Updated the Fortescue family via company-wide Weekly Meetings, which are streamed live to all sites, recorded and distributed to team members 
• Sent direct text messages to employees and contractors relating to immediate changes as required.  

A number of videos have also been produced as an effective means of communication: 

• Chairman and Founder, Andrew Forrest AO, on how Fortescue will get through this crisis as a team. You can view the video here. 
• Elizabeth Gaines, CEO about our commitment to supporting mining in WA. You can view the video here.

Our focus on the health and safety of our workforce extends to their mental health and wellbeing. All Fortescue team members have access to the Fortescue Chaplains and Employee Assistance Program 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  

For the latest information on the global outbreak, please find a range of available resources below: 

• World Health Organisation 
• Australian Government Department of Health 
• Government of WA Department of Health 
• Smartraveller 

We encourage our team members to download the Australian Government’s COVIDSafe App, available via the Apple App Store or Google Play.  

Our COVID-19 case management process

We have a robust COVID-19 case management process in place to manage a positive case at one of our sites or offices. 

This process is in accordance with the WA Department of Health guidelines and is reviewed on a daily basis. 

COVID-19 case management process summary: 

1. Complete assessment for the team member who is unwell or thinks they may have had contact with a positive COVID-19 case
2. If the team member is a suspected case, they are isolated with daily welfare checks 
3. If the team member meets testing criteria outlined by the Department of Health, testing is arranged 
4. Work mates who have been in contact with the team member who is a suspected case are identified 
5. Work area is thoroughly cleaned and team members briefed on the situation 
6. If it is a positive test result, work mates who were identified as having close contact are isolated and monitored and are tested if they meet testing criteria 
7. As per standard protocol, any team members who require specialised medical services are evacuated off site based on medical severity

Supporting our communities

Since the outset, it has been Fortescue’s vision to ensure that the communities in which we operate benefit from our growth and development. We understand the ongoing impact of COVID-19 has been be challenging for many in our community, especially small businesses, and we have implemented practical solutions to support them during and after this global health and economic crisis.

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