Issue Date:  -  Wednesday, 12 October 2005

Essential reading In Minesafe magazine

The current issue of the free quarterly magazine includes a substantial feature on the proposed new regulations to control ammonium nitrate.  The feature discusses details of the proposed changes, information on explosives technology and transport and security requirements for ammonium nitrate.

The use of ammonium nitrate by terrorists to manufacture bombs has led to a national push to restrict access to the chemical, along with an upgrading of security for explosives in general.

Short features include a reminder on the need for Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) in workplaces, and a preview of Safe Work Australia Week, which includes the Perth Mines Safety Roadshow.

The magazine also poses the question of whether Pareto’s principle (otherwise known as the 80/20 rule) can help miners prevent incidents and injuries.

The Pareto principle originally referred to Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto’s observation that about 20 per cent of the population in Italy owned around 80 per cent of the property.  The 80/20 principle has now come to apply to any situation in which 20 per cent of causes are responsible for 80 per cent of the consequences.

When applied to mining, it refers to the fact that around 20 per cent of the causes of incidents and injuries are responsible for around 80 per cent of actual incidents and injuries.  The article reveals the causes that need to be looked at more closely.

Safety cases are also examined in this issue of MineSafe.  The recent Ritter Report led to a recommendation from the Mines Safety Improvement Group that a safety case regime be introduced to the minerals industry in WA to more effectively manage occupational safety and health in the industry.

A safety case regime involves implementing legislation that sets broad safety objectives, then requiring the mine operator to develop the most appropriate methods to achieve these safety objectives.

The thinking behind the regime is that safety and health is best managed through positive measures on an individual basis rather than via a common prescriptive approach that may not be appropriate for every worksite.

The article discusses the thinking behind the regime, the history of safety cases, how the legislation currently stands, the pertinent issues and the proposal for a new authority.

A very useful inclusion in the new issue of MineSafe is a complete list of all Safety Bulletins and Significant Incident Reports, and a list of recently released publications.

In this issue’s regular section for safety and health representatives, District Inspector of Mines Peter Caporn discusses his golden rules for safety and health representatives and suggests some means for developing a questioning mind.

Produced by the Resources Safety Division of the Department of Consumer and Employment Protection, MineSafe magazine can be downloaded as a PDF from www.docep.wa.gov.au/ResourcesSafety, or join the free mailing list by e-mailing your address to ResourcesSafety@docep.wa.gov.au.