Department to focus on minesite safety

The state government is cracking down on management and supervision at Pilbara minesites, with the Department of Mines and Petroleum launching a targeted safety campaign this month.

Inspector of mines Craig Cullen said a major issue to be addressed was poor management, with supervisors slated to always have a presence on site.

Around  44 per cent of incidents over an 11 month stretch from January 2011 were the fault of the operator, and 12 per cent were because of poor practice or planning.

Mr Cullen said the incidents may have been avoided if supervisors were on site.

“Inspectors will also be ensuring all workers participate in the safety management processes of their company – that they are fully aware of the procedures and know how to carry them out, should there be an emergency,” Mr Cullen said in a statement.

“You can have the best safety processes in the world, but it’s all useless if no one knows about them.”

The Department will provide a report to industry on its findings at the end of the campaign.