PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Diversified miner Rio Tinto and the Western Australian government have joined forces to vaccinate communities in the Pilbara and the fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) workforce.

Rio on Thursday announced that vaccination hubs would be established in the Pilbara and at a trial clinic at Perth Airport to make vaccinations more accessible.

Starting with Tom Price, planning is underway for hubs at several locations in the Pilbara, with vaccines available to members of the local community, Indigenous communities, Rio employees, contractors and their families.

Rio is working with the Department of Health and the Shire of Ashburton and is close to finalising a location for the proposed Tom Price hub. The facility could potentially offer vaccines to the entire adult population of Tom Price and surrounding communities.

Rio Tinto’s Covid-19 screening facilities at Perth Airport will also be modified to include ‘pop-up’ vaccination hubs to target workers returning to Perth. The hubs will initially be available to Rio’s FIFO workforce, who regularly travel to and from the Pilbara, with the option to expand the vaccination service to the wider FIFO community.

The initial vaccination blitz is expected to start in September, subject to availability of vaccines. Rio will work with the state government to finalise details in the coming weeks.

Rio Tinto iron-ore CEO Simon Trott said the company stood ready to support the Western Australian government’s vaccination rollout in any way it could.

“We are pleased to work in partnership with the Western Australian government on this industry-first vaccination blitz, which we expect will help boost vaccination rates in the Pilbara.

“This is an important development in our state’s effort to combat Covid-19. We know vaccinations are our best way out of this pandemic and we are very happy to convert our existing screening facilities, which have helped keep Covid-19 out of our operations and vulnerable communities for almost 18 months, to include vaccination hubs.

“Given Rio’s large operational footprint in the Pilbara, we are well positioned to support the Western Australian government’s vaccination rollout in the region, ensuring the vaccine is more accessible to remote and vulnerable communities.

“Plans are being developed to establish additional hubs in places like Paraburdoo, Pannawonica and Dampier, following the Tom Price vaccine blitz.

“While the initial vaccine blitz at Perth Airport will target Rio Tinto’s FIFO workforce, we will work with the Western Australian government to make our facilities available to others in the industry and community.

“Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the resources sector has worked hard to continue to operate in a Covid-safe way. The next step in is to play our part in making the vaccine accessible to as many Western Australians as possible.”

Western Australian Health Minister Roger Cook said on Thursday that the state’s resources sector leaders were "extremely keen" to do the right thing and ensure the substantial labour force gets vaccinated as soon as possible.

“Our resources sector is the driver of the economy - it is vital that we keep workers safe and sites operating through this pandemic. Having a pop-up vaccination clinic at Perth Airport where Rio's FIFO workers transit to and from their sites simply makes sense,” the Minister said.

“I am extremely pleased with this new expansion in the effort to get as many Western Australians vaccinated against Covid-19 as possible. Keeping our resources sector workers safe, so they, in turn, can keep their workmates, families and communities safe, is a very positive move.

“Having the clinics located where the workers naturally travel as part of their working lives is a convenient proposition for them and will make accessing the vaccine easier.”

Cook said that should these trials prove successful, they could be expanded in the future.