InterSafe IEA Mining Paper

A detailed review of WorkCover Western Australia data for the Mining Industry from 2003 to 2013 shows that manual tasks continue to produce high numbers of serious incidents resulting in serious injury for mining workers. Even with the concerted efforts towards “Zero Harm” during this time, this alarming trend continues. The review highlights the size of the permanent damage problem within Australian workplaces and the nature of the problem associated with Western Australian mining. The analysis of the data then provides hypotheses as to why this problem is not being effectively managed in mining workplaces. These hypotheses involve metrics influencing management focus, the egocentric approach, the quality of information provided and the cumulative effect of manual task damage. Further research should be conducted over time to test these hypotheses through the implementation of effective controls for manual tasks within the mining industry.

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