25th April 2013…Former Hockeyroos star and risk management expert Megan Rivers says mountains of safety-related red tape for miners are a necessary evil as the WA mining industry aims for another fatality-free year.
The dual Olympian was in Kalgoorlie-Boulder last week as part of her new role with Ausdrill’s risk and audit team, touring the Super Pit where the mining services company has about 20 drill rigs on site. She spent most of her visit at Remet Engineers which, among other things, supplies drill rods to the mining industry.
Department of Mines and Petroleum figures show WA had its first fatality-free year in more than a century at WA mine sites last year.
But a lot of mining industry insiders, many of whom are experienced underground operators and are all pro-safety, believe some safety measures are going too far and are having a major impact on lost productivity.
“There is a perception than it can be a bit more paperwork than what it’s worth but our aim is to send our workers home in the same condition they get to work,” she said.
“You have got to weigh up the reward for that kind of outcome.”