THE Department of Minerals and Energy has appointed Simon Thompson as director of its Mining Operations Division.
Mr Thompson will be responsible for administrating the Acts and Regulations for the State’s mining industry, including health, safety and environmental obligations.
Department director general Lee Ranford said Mr Thompson’s broad experience in the mining industry would be a valuable asset to the Department.
Prior to his appointment, Mr Thompson worked as a safety and risk management con-sultant within the Australian mining industry.
He was chief inspector of Mines for the Queensland Department of Minerals and Energy from 1993 to 1995. During this time, Mr Thompson represented the Australian Government on the International Labour Organisation’s committee, which developed the International Safety and Health in Mines Con-vention.
From 1995 to 1998, he was a senior safety adviser and environment manager for WMC Resources Ltd in WA.
At WMC, Mr Thompson was involved in the elimination of fatalities taskforce. The task-force developed a set of safety standards that are being used to manage major hazards in the mining industry.
