NSW mining industry to build OHS champions for safer and healthier mines

Minister for Mineral and Forest Resources, the Hon Ian Macdonald, recently announced a pilot program for developing OHS culture, to be overseen by the NSW Mine Safety Advisory Council (MSAC).

NSW Minerals Council CEO Dr Nikki Williams welcomed the plans, saying that building culture is an essential part of the industry’s safety and health journey: “There’s nothing more important than the health and safety of our workforce. Coming home from work the way we left is essential.

“The NSW mining industry has a very good record on health and safety but we’re committed to innovation and improving our performance. It’s a continuous process, requiring the support and involvement of workers at the coalface, to local contractors, right up to the CEO, because safety is everyone’s responsibility.

“Like so many things in life, people perform better when they are empowered to use their skills to solve a problem. We want to empower our champions to help build the capacity for a mature approach to health and safety in our workplaces.

“The NSW minerals industry has a shared vision with its MSAC partners for world-leading OHS culture. This is the next step to sustainable best practice through a more proactive approach and our champions are a big part of those plans.

“The Mine Safety Advisory Council is a highly constructive mechanism for dealing with the big safety issues and we’re looking forward to working more with unions and regulators for a minerals industry free of fatalities, injuries and diseases.”

The new pilot program is part of a world-leading OHS Culture Action Plan that includes:

• Building an OHS culture capacity throughout the industry;
• Enabling sites to benchmark themselves;
• Fostering the connection of systems; and
• Marketing what a world-leading OHS culture may look like.