Striking Safety Gold: How a Goldfields Audit Highlights Improvements in Health and Safety

Spring Safety Consultant Kelsey Baker stepped into a world of golden adventure at the WA Goldfields Museum this week!?

Located in the heart of Kalgoorlie, this dynamic museum attracts around 50,000 visitors each year, eager to explore the rich history and dazzling artifacts of the gold boom era. ?From riveting tales of fortune seekers to stunning displays of precious relics, the WA Goldfields Museum offers an exhilarating journey through the past.

We couldn’t help but link the gold mining to improved health and safety practices over time.

Historical health and safety practices: digging deep

As Australia continues to be a global leader in gold mining and exploration, it is crucial to reflect on how historical practices have shaped today's health and safety standards. In the early days of gold rushes, the focus was primarily on striking gold, often at the expense of worker safety.

Harsh living conditions, inadequate water supplies, extreme temperatures, mine collapse, rockfall, explosions, and infectious diseases such as typhoid fever (Shanks, G.D., 2022),?were rife!

However, modern gold mining and exploration in Australia have undergone a significant transformation.? Today, Australia's gold mining industry adheres to rigorous health and safety protocols designed to protect workers and the environment. Current practices emphasise comprehensive risk assessments, critical controls, advanced safety technologies, and stringent regulatory compliance to ensure that mining operations are as safe as possible.

This includes:

1. Enhanced Safety Equipment: Modern gold mines are equipped with advanced safety gear, such as personal protective equipment (PPE) and Respiratory Protective Equipment and sophisticated monitoring systems, which help mitigate risks associated with mining activities.
2. Risk Management: Detailed risk assessments and hazard identification are standard practices, ensuring that potential dangers are identified and managed proactively.? Bowtie risk assessment methods are a common practice now in the mining industry.
3. Training and Education: Ongoing training programs are implemented to keep workers updated on the latest safety procedures and regulations, fostering a culture of safety and awareness.? Top down and bottom up approaches are used with the support of business psychologists.
4. Environmental Protection: Modern mining practices focus on minimising environmental impact through sustainable techniques and responsible waste management, reflecting a commitment to both worker safety and ecological stewardship.? ESG reporting helps identify and mitigate risks, assisting with avoiding potential legal issues, regulatory fines and reputational damage.
5. Health Surveillance: Pre employment, regular health checks and surveillance are conducted to monitor the well-being of workers, addressing any potential health issues that may arise from their exposure to mining environments.? Although latest changes to the Workers’ Compensation and Injury Management Act 2023 and WHS Act 2020 (WA) need to be considered to ensure practices are compliant.

By integrating these contemporary practices with the lessons learned from the gold rush era, Australia's gold mining industry continues to prioritise the health and safety of its workforce while contributing to the nation's rich legacy in gold exploration. This evolution underscores a commitment to not only uncovering valuable resources but also ensuring that the journey is as safe and sustainable as possible.

One significant leap forward has been the introduction of the ICCM Health and Safety Critical Control Management guidelines, which emphasise the identification and management of pivotal controls that are essential to prevent serious incidents or to mitigate their consequences, ensuring clarity on control importance, understanding their function, verifying effectiveness, assigning accountability and reporting on control performance.

International Council on Mining and Metals. (2015). Health and Safety Critical Control Management Good Practice Guide. ?

Shanks, G.D. (2022), Historical gold mining infectious disease epidemics. Intern Med J, 52: 1441-1445.?https://doi.org/10.1111/imj.15881

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