Four focus areas for Mines Safety

As we transition towards new work health and safety legislation in Western Australia, the Department’s Mines Safety Directorate continues to conduct proactive work to support our mining industry.

A key part of the Department’s role as the State’s mine safety regulator is monitoring the rates of accidents and incidents in mining, with the aim of improving safety. Based on accident and incident data in WA mining operations, the Department has identified four focus areas for Mines Safety inspectors in 2021. These areas are hazardous manual tasks, repeat hazard exposure, contractor management and mentally healthy workplaces.

While conducting activities related to these four areas, Mines Safety inspectors will continue to engage with safety and health representatives (SHReps) to identify issues and solutions.

01. Hazardous manual tasks

Is your site proactively managing hazards associated with manual tasks?

02. Repeat hazard exposure

Are hazards and risks being managed appropriately to prevent reoccurrence?

03. Contractor management

Is your site appropriately managing the health and safety of contractors?

04. Mentally healthy workplaces

Are psychosocial hazards and risk factors proactively managed?

01 Hazardous manual tasks

Manual tasks remain a key area when it comes to incidents and related injuries, with consistently proven high levels of risk. Mines Safety has identified a number of injury types related to manual tasks that contribute the greatest amount of lost time and restricted work duties when compared to overall industry figures. While Mines Safety will continue to focus on all aspects of a mining operation, they will be paying close attention to these injury types to ensure sites are identifying and controlling their risks appropriately.

The top three reported injuries relating to manual tasks account for 14% of all injuries.

02 Repeat hazard exposure

Along with hazardous manual tasks, Mines Safety is also focussing on instances where a person has been exposed to a workplace hazard repeatedly. Inspectors will be investigating whether hazards have been suitably identified and understood, and whether appropriate controls are in place.

Sites should apply the strongest hierarchy of control measure first, which involves eliminating exposure to hazards where possible. Where this is not possible, sites should minimise the risk by working through the hierarchy from most to least reliable measures. Mines Safety will be assessing whether sites have implemented suitable methods of control and taking appropriate action where necessary.

Safety performance data over several years demonstrates lack of improvement in incident rates.

03 Contractor management

With significant rises in workforce numbers over the past year and continued growth in the iron ore sector, Mines Safety has identified an increase in the contract workforce. Between July 2019 and June 2020, 63 per cent of reported work hours were attributed to contractors. Sites are encouraged to be mindful of the risks that a larger workforce and greater proportion of contractors introduces. The Department is committed to ensuring sites are upholding their duties and managing their workforce, including their contractors, appropriately.

The rate of reported injuries involving contract workers is comparable to employees.

04 Mentally healthy workplaces

The release of the Mentally healthy workplaces for fly-in fly-out workers in the resources and construction sectors – code of practice provided Western Australian workplaces with a useful tool for navigating workplace psychosocial hazards and risks. While there has been progress made in workplace mental health awareness, Mines Safety inspectors are still seeing an increase in the number of reported exposures to psychosocial hazards at sites.

The Department has developed an audit tool to support workplaces and assess how industry is progressing with meeting the requirements of the code. This audit tool is a valuable resource in identifying psychosocial hazards and risks in the workplace and encouraging site leaders to implement suitable measures to promote the health and safety of their staff.

There have been continued increases in the number of reported exposures to psychosocial hazards on sites (e.g. bullying).

Safety and health representatives

Along with these four areas, the Department is also reminding mine operators of the importance of having SHReps on their sites. SHReps are essential in communicating safety and health issues at work, acting as a liaison between workers and supervisors, and supporting inspectors in investigations.