Lifestyle
Mining heavies cash in to fight flab
30th April 2007, 8:45 WST
When a shift finishes at the Mt Whaleback iron ore mine, it is a fair bet that many of the workers will be heading to the pub to sink a few wellearned coldies.
But these days, there is just as good a chance that some will be on their way to a yoga class or perhaps an intense “butts and guts” workout — and you won’t hear too many sniggers from their drinking mates.
The Newman operation is the biggest of BHP Billiton’s WA sites taking part in the Biggest Winner program, an intense four-month get fit regime broadly inspired by The Biggest Loser reality television show.
Since March, workers have been taking part in a dizzying array of exercise classes based around their 12-hour shifts, from boot camp to running clubs, in a bid to shed the most body fat and claim a $2500 main prize.
To aid the effort, the on-site mess has been transformed from the traditional miners’ buffet groaning with fatty bacon, sausages and meat pies to a more low-cal affair based around a range of salads and lean meats — although some fatty options remain, to avert a strike.
BHP and program operator Onsite Health Solutions have encouraged workers to get their families involved in a bid to keep them motivated. In Port Hedland and Newman, even residents who have no connection to the mines are encouraged to join up. The program is free.
While it is an exercise in corporate goodwill that BHP can easily afford, the mining giant is also looking towards long-term economic benefits. With more than half of Australians overweight or obese, an Access Economics analysis recently found that the cost of the obesity epidemic in productivity losses far outweighed the cost to the health system. Considering that some mine workers spend their entire shift at the wheel of a Haulpak, their risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and other lifestyle-related health problems is significantly higher than many other workers.
The $1.04 million investment by BHP and its contractors HWE Mining and MacMahon is small change compared with the estimated $1.7 billion cost of obesity-related productivity losses nationally in 2005 alone.
BHP vice-president health safety and environment Steve McFadden said that while health initiatives had been part of the mining industry for several years, he believed the program was the most comprehensive of its kind. About 1100 people had signed up to take part across 11 sites in the North-West and Perth. Mr McFadden said, given the program’s popularity, the company was committed to running it again once the current contest finished in June.
Onsite Health managing director Fleta Solomon and BHP events coordinator Karyn Bluck agreed that the strength of the program was its community focus. Ms Bluck, who is based in Newman, said there had been a noticeable increase in the number of people running and walking around the town in groups after work.
“Newman is a very familyoriented town,” she said. “Nearly all the workers who have partners have got them involved and a lot of parents bring their kids to the classes.”
Janine Fisher, whose husband Andrew works as a project manager at Whaleback, has tried all the new classes and sometimes does two a day if she is feeling particularly energetic.
She has lost 6kg and 5 per cent of her body fat, netting her a $500 prize for the biggest weight loss at Whaleback in the first month of the contest.
Laboratory analyst Sean Conroy said he had lost several centimetres off his waistline since entering the competition through a combination of boot camp and weights training. He was also trying to include more vegetables in his diet.
30th April 2007, 8:45 WST
When a shift finishes at the Mt Whaleback iron ore mine, it is a fair bet that many of the workers will be heading to the pub to sink a few wellearned coldies.
But these days, there is just as good a chance that some will be on their way to a yoga class or perhaps an intense “butts and guts” workout — and you won’t hear too many sniggers from their drinking mates.
The Newman operation is the biggest of BHP Billiton’s WA sites taking part in the Biggest Winner program, an intense four-month get fit regime broadly inspired by The Biggest Loser reality television show.
Since March, workers have been taking part in a dizzying array of exercise classes based around their 12-hour shifts, from boot camp to running clubs, in a bid to shed the most body fat and claim a $2500 main prize.
To aid the effort, the on-site mess has been transformed from the traditional miners’ buffet groaning with fatty bacon, sausages and meat pies to a more low-cal affair based around a range of salads and lean meats — although some fatty options remain, to avert a strike.
BHP and program operator Onsite Health Solutions have encouraged workers to get their families involved in a bid to keep them motivated. In Port Hedland and Newman, even residents who have no connection to the mines are encouraged to join up. The program is free.
While it is an exercise in corporate goodwill that BHP can easily afford, the mining giant is also looking towards long-term economic benefits. With more than half of Australians overweight or obese, an Access Economics analysis recently found that the cost of the obesity epidemic in productivity losses far outweighed the cost to the health system. Considering that some mine workers spend their entire shift at the wheel of a Haulpak, their risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and other lifestyle-related health problems is significantly higher than many other workers.
The $1.04 million investment by BHP and its contractors HWE Mining and MacMahon is small change compared with the estimated $1.7 billion cost of obesity-related productivity losses nationally in 2005 alone.
BHP vice-president health safety and environment Steve McFadden said that while health initiatives had been part of the mining industry for several years, he believed the program was the most comprehensive of its kind. About 1100 people had signed up to take part across 11 sites in the North-West and Perth. Mr McFadden said, given the program’s popularity, the company was committed to running it again once the current contest finished in June.
Onsite Health managing director Fleta Solomon and BHP events coordinator Karyn Bluck agreed that the strength of the program was its community focus. Ms Bluck, who is based in Newman, said there had been a noticeable increase in the number of people running and walking around the town in groups after work.
“Newman is a very familyoriented town,” she said. “Nearly all the workers who have partners have got them involved and a lot of parents bring their kids to the classes.”
Janine Fisher, whose husband Andrew works as a project manager at Whaleback, has tried all the new classes and sometimes does two a day if she is feeling particularly energetic.
She has lost 6kg and 5 per cent of her body fat, netting her a $500 prize for the biggest weight loss at Whaleback in the first month of the contest.
Laboratory analyst Sean Conroy said he had lost several centimetres off his waistline since entering the competition through a combination of boot camp and weights training. He was also trying to include more vegetables in his diet.
DAWN GIBSON
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