Workplace health and safety remains an ongoing concern within the mining industry, with hazards spanning from gas exposure, to rock falls, and the risks that come with heavy machinery operations.
These dangers go beyond the immediate physical danger, and play well into the worker’s mental wellbeing.
The Mates-In-Mining suicide prevention group reports that in comparison to the general Australian population, suicide rates for those in the mining, construction, and energy sectors jump 80% higher.
The isolation and loneliness that can accompany FIFO work, as well as the nature of the work at hand, can often lead employees to engage in unhealthy coping strategies.
A Lifeline WA Report adds that one in five workers have claimed not to have access to on-site mental health or counselling facilities.
Consulting agency dss+ is looking to balance business performance, while improving safety within the workplace. The firm’s goal is to help organisations protect, transform, and sustain what they care for – “their people, their assets, their communities, and the competitiveness of their company for future generations”.
Speaking to Mining.com.au, dss+ Consulting Principal for Mining and Metals Bradley Van-Staden says that companies often overlook the greater issue when navigating mental health issues in particular.
“They might be doing something like mental health training or resilience training – to me, they’re almost reactive,” Van-Staden tells this news service.
“These things aim to solve problems that have already happened.”
Van-Staden mentions the importance of approaching strategies with an “integrated lens” to understand the cultural context for that specific company.
“What’s the current mindset and behaviours of leaders, right from the senior leaders right down to the frontline leaders? What are the mindsets and behaviours of our team members in terms of health and safety? Is risk something they understand?” Van-Staden explains.
“We’re looking through that mindset and culture perspective, looking at whether or not the systems that they’ve got in place are actually driving us to a compliance culture or committed based culture.”
dss+ integrates mindsets, behaviours, and company culture with processes, technology, and governance for clients to limit fatalities and injuries within the space, creating sustainable workplaces.
“It starts with leadership,” Van-Staden tells Mining.com.au.
“We’re not asking their leader to be psychologists or be mental health practitioners. We want them to be able to go out with a sense of care, be vulnerable, asking questions that are not just above the waterline, but actually trying to understand people on a deeper level, so they can tell when there’s issues.
“When I go into organisations, I get a sense of straight away whether this culture is a culture that I’d like to work within, or whether I would like my children to work in that environment, because you can get a sense of whether there’s this real culture of care.”
It starts with physical care
Before the importance of mental health was globalised and advocated for as much as it is today, the mining industry remained in the spotlight for the physical dangers the sector presents. While mining features in the top five or six worst
From 2003 to 2023, there were 4,707 people killed in Australian workplaces. About 1,850 fatalities came during the past 10 years during which time more than 1.14 million serious workers’ compensation claims were made involving more than one week of working time lost – that’s about one in every 12 workers, according to Safe Work Australia.
As of 24 July this year, 66 workers have been killed in Australia, with 29 coming from the transport, postal, and warehousing sector – again the worst industry for workplace fatalities and injuries in the country. There have been two fatalities in mining at the time of writing.
In Australia, roughly 75% of work-related fatalities and 61% of serious workers’ compensation claims occur in just six industries: agriculture, forestry and fishing; public administration and safety; transport, postal and warehousing; manufacturing; health care and social assistance; and construction.
Van-Staden has plenty of experience with the lack of culture of care in the workplace, beginning his career as a fitter and turner, as well as working as a mechanical engineer in the steel, oil, and gas industries in Africa.
“It would become apparent early on because I walked into the plant and I could hardly hear. There was so much noise and people weren’t wearing ear protection – it was optional in those days,” he explains.
“Unfortunately, when I was on site, there were two tragic events. One of my colleagues actually died from an incident – one of the boilermakers got hit in the chest”
Van-Staden directs his passion for promoting workplace health and safety from his personal experiences in the resources sector, understanding the importance of looking after himself and others where possible.
“Unfortunately, when I was on site, there were two tragic events. One of my colleagues actually died from an incident – one of the boilermakers got hit in the chest,” Van-Staden tells Mining.com.au.
“Another one of my colleagues, he didn’t pass away from it, but he was covered in 98% sulfuric acid.”
Van-Staden shares that these experiences had a huge impact on himself and signified the importance of managing risks outside personal safety for the greater team.
Drive to eliminate physical risks
The resources sector is constantly evolving to incorporate new technologies that limit human exposure to dangerous elements, with even artificial intelligence (AI) finding a role to play.
Russell Mineral Equipment (RME) is one company focused on developing automated technology to improve workplace health and safety.
In October last year, the company was awarded with the Innovation Award for its Russell 7 Model R AutoMotion Mill Relining Machine, which eliminates the crew from entering the mills, as reported by Mining.com.au.
Mining.com.au awarded RME the inaugural Masters of Mining ‘Excellence in Safety Shield’ for 2024.
Companies such as BHP (ASX:BHP), Fortescue (ASX:FMG), Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO), and are majors in the mining industry, implementing automation across its fleet.
BHP holds the largest fleet, deploying 300 autonomous trucks across 10 sites returning a 90% reduction in haul accidents at its full-autonomous fleet at the Jimblebar mine in Western Australia.
Write to Maddison Elliott at Mining.com.au
Images: Unsplash, RME & dss+
