State Mining Engineer Andrew Chaplyn has delivered a message highlighting the importance of safety in the mining industry during the festive season and in the year ahead.
Mr Chaplyn said the festive season is a time to reflect on the past and contemplate the future.
“Sadly for some connected to Western Australia’s mining industry, those reflections will focus on the loss of loved ones,” Mr Chaplyn said.
“Six people have been killed whilst at work in the state’s mining industry this year.
“It is unacceptable for even one person to be killed while working, let alone six. We can and should do better.
“The highest priority on mining operations should be safe systems of work and applying appropriate risk management, which help build resilient safety cultures.”
Mr Chaplyn reminded companies that safety is far more important than saving costs.
“For companies looking at the bottom line, it is vital to remember that the costs of not building safety into the way you do business are far higher than any perceived budget savings. This is not just in dollars and cents, but in lives lost and changed forever,” he said.
“With only weeks before a new year begins we must, as an industry, learn from these tragedies and commit to making safety our ultimate priority.
“This means staying focussed on safety at all times – whether at a company level or an individual level.
“It is easy to lose focus, particularly if you are performing a task you have done a hundred times before. But one momentary lapse can lead to tragedy.”
Mr Chaplyn said workers should take a minute to think about how to do a task safely, regardless of how many times the task has been done before.
“Think about the hazards and how they will be controlled so that you can do your work safely. If you see something that’s unsafe, report it,” he said.
“Do it not only to protect yourself and your workmates, but also to protect family and friends from having to confront the worst possible news – that they have lost a loved one.
“We can all make a difference and improve safety by ensuring each and every person involved in the mining industry takes their safety responsibilities seriously – whether you are an executive, a supervisor, a worker or a regulator.
“I wish everyone involved in Western Australia’s mining industry a happy, enjoyable and, most importantly, safe festive season and New Year.”
Can’t argue with the sentiment. Yes we want everyone to go home, but isn’t this just the same old message from the regulator? Telling us that everyone needs to be more responsible. That we need more systems and risk management. That we need to be more committed. So how much more? 20%? 100%? He even suggests that management systems and risk management are the pathways to build a resilient culture, which is at odds with the current thinking. I think we have extracted most of the benefits available from the traditional systems approach. Now it’s time to start looking beyond this, rather than trying to do more of the same.
I agree with Dave. Resilience is not built with more and more systems; it is built through people developing a better understanding of risk. It is built by people understanding clearly what they do, and being able to discern the risks involved, and being able to quickly recognise when situations change; i.e. being able to quickly spot when the unexpected happens. It is built by people having the skills and knowledge to manage the situation when the unexpected happens and by them having the skills to be able to quickly control and recover from that situation with the minimum of harm, damage and disruption.
More traditional systems and controls limit the capacity for people and the systems themselves to adapt when the unexpected happens, and one thing that can be guaranteed is that the unexpected will happen.
I agree with Dave. Resilience is not built with more and more systems; it is built through people developing a better understanding of risk. It is built by people understanding clearly what they do, and being able to discern the risks involved, and being able to quickly recognise when situations change; i.e. being able to quickly spot when the unexpected happens. It is built by people having the skills and knowledge to manage the situation when the unexpected happens and by them having the skills to be able to quickly control and recover from that situation with the minimum of harm, damage and disruption.
More traditional systems and controls limit the capacity for people and the systems themselves to adapt when the unexpected happens, and one thing that can be guaranteed is that the unexpected will happen.