Why do Fatal Accidents Keep Occurring in Mining?

Last year I led a review into the causes of fatalities in the Queensland mining industry, with the findings being tabled in the Queensland parliament in February 2020.

Since the review’s release it has prompted plenty of discussion and debate, as well as some disagreement, about mine safety. And what’s quickly become apparent is that the industry wants to continue these discussions about where they are now and where they want to be in the future.

And that’s where Rethinking Safety comes in.

In this 6 part podcast series, we talk to leaders from across the mining industry, the regulator and the union, and hear their views on the challenges that lie ahead.

"...this show will help you understand why things go wrong and help you avoid failures. Takeaways that are transferable to other industries."

The series covers a range of topics that will assist the industry to take steps to reduce the numbers of incidents and fatalities in the future.

And even if you’re not a regular podcast listener nor in the mining industry, this show will help you understand why things go wrong and help you avoid failures. Takeaways that are transferable to other industries.

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify.

Podcast Production

Stepping back to February this year, the idea for this podcast started its life as a considerably more modest concept than it's morphed into today. It began with us asking how do we disseminate the findings of this review in a way that will contribute to the conversation about industry safety.

A podcast series seemed like a good place to start – we could interview industry leaders and get their views on the review’s findings.

But this simple idea soon took on a life of its own. As you’d expect, people in the mining industry have a lot to say about safety. And the people we spoke to used the review’s findings as a starting place to discuss mining safety in general, to highlight their belief that the industry needed to change, to share their ideas for how to improve, to set out the challenges that lay ahead, and to talk about how these challenges could be met.

"... through the lens of industry leaders sharing their own personal stories and examples."

By the end of these conversations, we'd heard from thirteen mining leaders – voices from the coal and metalliferous mines, the quarries, the regulator, the Queensland Resources Council and the CFMEU.

What started with the goal of disseminating the written review in an audio format actually ended up as a whole new project in itself. The podcast we produced covers similar themes to the review, as well as new ground. And it does so through the lens of industry leaders sharing their own personal stories and examples.

Series Overview

Episode 1 was released on 26 Aug 2020 and it provides an introduction to the topics we cover in the series. It also specifically asks why now is the time for change. Mining has been around for a long time in Queensland, so why change now?

Episode 2 discusses the causes of 47 fatalities that occurred between 2000 and 2019, the period of the review. It covers the issues of supervision, training, ineffective controls, and asks if human error plays as big a role in fatalities as many people think.

In episode 3 we look at what's causing serious accidents and ask why the accident rate is increasing. We also ask if the industry is responding effectively to these accidents. And what role “the paperwork problem” plays in this process.

Episode 4 is provocatively named "Why everything you know about reporting is wrong", and this covers the key, but often counter-intuitive, role of safety reporting. We also talk about why procedures don't guarantee predictability, a concept called Drift Into Failure, and how blame can get in the way of understanding why a system failed in the first place.

Episodes 5 and 6 focus on the way forward, spending most of the time discussing High Reliability Organisations - organisations that have very few disasters or failures, despite conducting activities that are considered complex and hazardous. I believe this is the way forward for the Queensland mining industry. And many people in the industry agree.

The Guests

From an industry perspective you'll hear from a range of people. We have Rob Jackson, the Vice President of Supply for South32 (who previously was Vice President of Operations at Cannington Mine). We have Bobbie Foot, Head of Health, Safety and Environment at BHP Mitsubishi Alliance. Matt O'Neill, the Chief Operating Officer for Glencore's base metals business in Queensland joins us too, as well as Ian McFarlane, Chief Executive of the Queensland Resources Council. And Russel Wilson from Boral talks about some of the unique challenges faced by the quarrying industry.

From a union perspective we hear from Stephen Smyth, the president of the CFMEU Mining Division in Queensland and a third generation coal miner.

From the regulator, Resources Safety and Health Queensland, we have Mark Stone, the Chief Executive Officer, Rob Djukic, the Chief Operating Officer, and Kate Du Preez, the Commissioner for Resources Safety and Health. We're also joined by two chief inspectors: Hermann Fasching, the Chief Inspector of Mineral Mines and Quarries; and Peter Newman, the Chief Inspector of Coal Mines in Queensland.

Finally, we're joined by two experts in safety. Peter Wilkinson, from Noetic Solutions, who's the General Manager for Risk, and the swashbuckling Sidney Dekker, a professor at Griffith University, where he runs the Safety Science Innovation Lab.

?Listen Now

Rethinking Safety is a show where the Queensland mining industry charts out the journey to a safer future.

The show is produced by Brady Heywood and Wavelength Creative, and is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and all the usual podcast apps.

I hope this podcast continues the conversation about safety that the Queensland mining industry needs. And I hope it can help us all rethink our approach to safety.

Listen now:

• Apple Podcasts
• Google Podcasts
• Spotify
• Other apps or listen online