SIMON RIDGE
STATE MINING ENGINEER
RESOURCES SAFETY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
DEPARTMENT OF MINES AND PETROLEUM
“
Perth-based explorer Mutiny Gold
(
ASX:MYG) is well on track to achieving
its vision of becoming the next big
Australia-based gold mining company,
with the recent Bankable Feasibility
Study highlighting the robust, low cost
nature of its flagship Deflector project.”
Tel:
+61 8 9368 2722
Fax:
+61 8 9474 3011
Email:
mgl@mutinygold.com.au
Mutiny Gold Ltd
29
Charles Street, South Perth WA 6151
PO Box 284, South Perth WA 6951
www.mutinygold.com.au
It goes without saying, the safety and health
of those in Western Australia’s resources
industry is paramount. This is evidenced
through the WA Department of Mines and
Petroleum’s (DMP) strong commitment to
achieving ‘zero harm’. The department set
up a mine safety levy to enable cost recovery
for ongoing and future safety programs in the
minerals sector.
In addition, DMP is in its third year
of a five-year Reform and Development
at Resources Safety (RADARS) strategy
which applies across the three safety
regulatory areas it administers: mining,
petroleum and dangerous goods. The strategy
allows the department’s Resources Safety
division to more effectively oversee safety
and support the necessary cultural change
within industry.
Thanks to the strategy, the department
has been able to recruit more safety
inspectors – with 63 now employed. The
department aims to appoint four additional
petroleum inspectors, along with five more
mines inspectors, later this year.
“
So it is fair to say that safety regulation
in WA’s resources industry is robust,” said
DMP State Mining Engineer Simon Ridge.
“
But that doesn’t stop us from continually
looking at ways to improve upon these
high standards.”
To this aim, Western Australia is
participating in the National Mine Safety
Framework (NMSF) Non-Core process. The
process is in the final stages of drafting
instructions for new model regulations for
mining occupational safety and health, which
will apply to the three major mining states
of Western Australia, New South Wales
and Queensland.
To date, general occupational health and
safety model regulations have been finalised
for all workplaces, while all jurisdictions
have agreed to core model regulations.
WorkSafe WA is currently embarking on a
regulatory impact statement (RIS) that seeks
input from industry stakeholders across WA.
“
It is very important for mining
sector stakeholders to take part in this
process,” said Mr Ridge. “In the interests of
harmonisation across all WA workplaces, the
regulations developed by the RIS process will
be mirrored within the mining regulations,
to address mine site activities.”
Mr Ridge added it was important
to remember that the mining-specific
requirements within Chapter 10 of the new
regulations would be subject to a separate
RIS process.
“
This process will be managed by DMP,
following the completion of the WorkSafe
WA process,” he said. “The idea is that the
mining sector stakeholders will receive the
proposed general regulations, so they can
evaluate the impact of the whole regulation
package on their activities.
“
However it should be made absolutely
clear that it is unlikely that any significant
changes will be allowed for the general
regulations, which will form Chapters 1 to 9
of the package. This is because they will have
been finalised during the WorkSafe WA RIS
process,” Mr Ridge concluded.
At this stage, the National Mine Safety
Framework (NMSF) is expected to be
finalised in 2013.