NSW mining industry leaders gather for safety summit

The NSW minerals industry will never waver in its resolve to achieve ‘zero harm’ in the workplace, NSW Minerals Council CEO Dr Nikki Williams said at the CEO OHS Culture Summit Review, hosted in Sydney by the NSW Mine Safety Advisory Council (MSAC), which comprises industry, unions and government regulators.

“The work that we are doing to improve our safety performance and culture through MSAC is world leading and the envy of the other states,” Dr Williams said. “It’s important that our industry’s leaders have come together to review our safety vision and to show our commitment to our workforce.

“Everyone is responsible for health and safety and I commend the efforts of industry leaders, mine workers and OHS experts in lifting our safety performance in NSW. But safety is a journey and it is clear we must never take our eye off the ball.

“The recent events in New Zealand highlight the hazards we confront and are a sombre reminder of why the NSW mining industry must never deviate from its goal of ‘zero harm’. Mine safety and rescue experts from NSW have been deeply involved in the efforts to save the 29 men, including two Australians, trapped in the Pike River mine. We must learn from this tragedy and we must never forget it.”

Dr Williams said the new website, www.nswminesafety.com.au, launched by Minister for Primary Industries Steve Whan, was another example of the outstanding work that has come from the combined efforts of industry leaders.

“This online portal will promote the work of MSAC and make information about its resources and world-leading projects more accessible to OHS and mine safety professionals,” Dr Williams said. “It will also take users to a huge range of resources already available from the NSW Minerals Council, government, unions and OHS bodies.

“We are all striving for a world-leading OHS culture. The industry will continue to support MSAC and work closely with our workforce, their union representatives and regulators to continue on that path.”

The latest data for 2009-10 shows:

• Zero fatalities across the entire NSW minerals industry;
• Lost time injury frequency rates down for the third year running (13.2 in 06-07 to 6.92 in 09-10); and
• Serious injuries continued a decade-long downward trend (55 in 99-00 to 40 in 09-10).