Issue Date:  -  Friday, 27 October 2006

Health surveillance system guide for WA mines

A new guide to the health surveillance system for Western Australian mines has been released by the Resources Safety Division of the Department of Consumer and Employment Protection (DOCEP).

The health surveillance system, administered by Resources Safety, promotes the regular assessment of the health status of employees and analysing data to detect adverse health effects at the earliest opportunity.

This enables appropriate and timely corrective action to be taken in order to safeguard the health and wellbeing of mining industry employees.

The latest edition of MineSafe magazine gives an overview of the guide which provides health assessment requirements under the Mines Safety and Inspection Regulations 1995.

The free quarterly magazine features a series of articles that address queries regularly received by the Mines Safety Branch, including questions about classified plant and its registration and the standards that apply for personal protective equipment.

There is also an article and double page pictorial spread on the 2006 Australian Student Mineral Venture which highlights to students, as prospective employees and employers, the importance of occupational safety and health and the role of the mines safety regulator.

The latest MineSafe also reports on safety innovations and awards and a number of safety alerts released by other organisations but relevant to the Western Australian scene.

State Mining Engineer Martin Knee reflects on his personal experiences of mining disasters and forty years after the Aberfan tragedy, we remember the Welsh village that lost 116 school children and the lessons learnt.

It is a harrowing story that tells how ignorance of the potential consequences of failing to act on a problem can have a devastating and long-term effect on a whole community.

Produced by Resources Safety, 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