PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Queensland’s mining industry continued to rank among the safest in the world, Employment, Skills and Mining Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said on Tuesday, announcing the latest health and safety statistics.

Work-related injuries in the mining industry continued to improve across a number of key performance indicators during 2010/11.

“Injuries to workers resulting in lost time fell from 307 in 2009/10 to 273 injuries, while disabling injuries rose from 428 the previous year to 505. Importantly, lost time injury frequency rates fell again from 3.8 injuries per million hours worked to 2.9 injuries.”

However, during 2010/11, the Queensland mining industry reported three fatalities, two of which were vehicle-related accidents at surface coal mines, while the third resulted from an earth collapse at a small opal claim.

Hinchliffe noted that days lost to injuries were down from 14 325 days to 11 027 days while the duration rate of injuries fell from 34.4 days to 27.4 days per injury.

“Overall, the severity rate for lost time injuries and disabling injuries also fell from 311 days in 2009/10 to 230 days lost per million hours worked.”

Hinchliffe said the Queensland government was partnering with industry across a number of initiatives to further improve safety and health practices; including whole body vibration (WBV) in mining and proximity detection systems of vehicle fleets to reduce the risk of vehicle-related accidents.

“Based on input from both industry and unions, the WBV pilot project provided a format for toolbox talks and worker education that will be used as a model for further health hazard communication.”

The Mines Inspectorate has also been reviewing the use of polymeric chemicals in Queensland coal mines and has conducted a review of personal exposure to diesel particularate matter in Queensland underground coal mines.

The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) said on Tuesday that the continued improvement in mine safety reflects industry commitment.

“The mining industry's determination to reach its goal of zero harm is reflected in the latest safety performance statistics released by the Queensland government,” said QRC CE Michael Roche.

“QRC is actively involved in development of proximity detection systems to reduce the risk of vehicle-related accidents.

“The huge attendance at our Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conferences run annually in Townsville by the industry, government and unions is evidence of our joint commitment to the safety of our employees,” said Roche.

“Queensland's mining industry continues to rank among the safest in the world, and this is in no small part to the work being undertaken to continuously improve health and safety regulation in Queensland.”
 

To subscribe to Mining Weekly's print magazine email subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za or buy now.