Do you feel occupational health and safety regulations on mine sites have gone too far?
Workplace safety in the mining industry is back in the news, with the WA State Government planning to change the law so mining companies face tougher penalties for workplace negligence.
For those of us who work in the industry, issues relating to occupational health and safety are a part of daily life. From PPE to policies and procedures, there isn’t a moment of the working day where health and safety issues aren’t present in one form or another.
And that’s good, right? Mine sites are dangerous places and no one should ever risk death or injury in the workplace.
Or has occupational health and safety in the mining industry gone too far? Are there rules intended to keep us safe that actually make us less safe? Are there procedures in place that serve no useful purpose at all?
According to Worksafe , there have been significant improvements in workplace safety in the mining industry over the past decade. However, the mining industry still has one of the highest rates of fatalities of any industry.
Worksafe figures in the 12 years to 2015 show the fatality rate in the mining industry decreased by 65 per cent from 12.4 worker fatalities per 100,000 workers in 2003, to 4.4 in 2015.
Alarmingly, the mining industry still has the third-highest fatality rate of any industry, with an average of nine workers dying each year.
With the topic in the news again, this month’s MPi Poll asks: Do you feel occupational health and safety regulations on mine sites have gone too far?
You can take part anonymously here.