Reports

Diesel engine exhaust (DEE) is a known hazard for mining operations, especially in underground mines where widespread use of diesel vehicles and equipment means control at source, and providing appropriate ventilation is critical to ensure worker health and safety.

The Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) and the Mineral Research Institute of Western Australia (MRIWA) co-funded the first research project which focussed on evaluating the physical-chemical aspects of DEE. The project focussed on evaluating the physical-chemical aspects of DEE, and comprised 2 parts:

• Part A:  A Study of Nano Diesel Particulate Matter (nDPM) Behaviour and Physico-chemical changes in Underground Hard Rock Mines of Western Australia
• Part B: Personal and Stationary Monitoring, Ventilation Modelling and Deeper Mines Study

The final consolidated report for Part A and Part B of the first research project is available below.

DMIRS also funded a second project, which evaluated the possible health impacts of DEE exposures. Twenty above-ground and 80 underground miners underwent a series of health screening tests and were fitted with personal exposure monitoring equipment to investigate whether their work exposures had an effect on their health status. The findings from this research is undergoing peer review prior to publication in academic journals.

Also available is a literature review to consolidate recent research findings relevant to worker exposure to DEE, with a specific focus on newer engine and after-treatment technologies.

Curtin University, the Chemistry Centre and the University of Western Australia conducted the research in collaboration with DMIRS and MRIWA.

A study undertaken by the Department of Mines and Petroleum in 2013 reviewed mining fatality reports for Western Australia from 2000 to 2012. The aim was to identify some key activities and areas where improvements can be made. In the 13 years covered by the review, there were 52 mining-related deaths, with an average of four deaths per annum. Over this period, the industry workforce increased by 60,000.

A formal report and accompanying toolbox presentation are available.

A study undertaken by the Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP) in 2015 reviewed serious injuries for Western Australia from 1 July to 31 December 2013. The objective was to see if serious injury data could be used to assist in understanding the causation factors behind fatal incidents, and to develop a better understanding of the injury risk profile of the State’s mining industry.

In the 6 month period covered by the review, there were 658 serious injuries reported by the mining industry including three fatalities.

A study was undertaken by the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, examining the 172 collisions and near collisions involving 292 vehicles, as reported to the Department from January 2015 to December 2016. It is an extension of the suite of publications by the Department that provide information and analysis of accident and incident data to identify causation factors.

A formal report on the findings along with a spreadsheet of the accompanying graphs is available. The purpose of providing this information to industry is twofold:

• to develop a more detailed understanding of the factors that influence vehicle collisions
• used as an exemplar project to determine how the incident data can be used to develop a taxonomy for identifying hazards in Western Australian mining.

The Registered Managers forum is hosted annually by the Department, as an opportunity for a specific industry segment to contribute to the development of appropriate strategies. The post-event reports cover the main outcomes of each forum.

In 2010, Dr Dean Laplonge of Factive ran roadshow workshops for Resources Safety to collect information from a variety of industry stakeholders. His report summarises and analyses the responses, and includes recommendations on how to respond to the problems that arise from the relationship between gendered behaviours and safety.

A workshop planner series was also developed to help companies explore this issue.

A safety behaviour survey was undertaken by the Mines Occupational Safety and Health Advisory Board (MOSHAB) in 2002 to collect information from employees on their views of key safety issues, including perceptions on what may lead to risk-taking behaviour on mine sites.