Industry leaders to meet at Townsville safety conference

Townsville will be flooded with safety and mining experts from Sunday, as the annual 2015 Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference kicks off.

Queensland Resources Council Chief Executive Michael Roche, who will be attending the conference from August 16-18, will address a Townsville Bulletin Business Breakfast on the implications for North Queensland of legal loopholes being exploited by anti-industry activists to disrupt and delay new resources projects.

“With more than 1100 Townsville businesses supplying goods and services to the resources sector, what’s being played out in the courts in relation to the future development of the Galilee Basin is of major concern,” said Mr Roche.

Mr Roche said that industry leaders would use the annual symposium to reaffirm their paramount commitment to workplace health and safety.

“The clear message is there’s no room for complacency when it comes to safety, regardless of operating circumstances,” he said.

“When it comes to improving the industry’s safety culture and leadership, better management of vehicle and mobile equipment safety and addressing fitness for work challenges (such as impacts from drugs and alcohol), a collaborative rather than competitive approach is what is needed.”

Conference chairman and Deputy Director-General, Mine Safety and Health, Department of Natural Resources and Mines Paul Harrison said that this year’s conference would focus on the importance of sharing information across all the sectors of the industry.

“Keeping our people safe and healthy is fundamental to the viability of our industry, and never more so than during the difficult times we are all experiencing,” Mr Harrison said.

“We should be sharing information openly and safety should not be used as a competitive advantage and can never be deprioritised, or compromised.

“We all know what is happening in our industry; we know about the mine closures and the downsizing, and hence, it’s difficult at times to look forward and keep the focus on what is most important which is our people and their wellbeing.”

The 2015 Innovation Awards winners will be announced at the annual conference dinner on Tuesday night.

Nominations have been narrowed down to finalists whose solutions in the interests of better safety on mine sites will be judged by a panel of industry experts.