Move to Underground Mining poses major safety challenge

"By 2010 surface mining in Australia will be far less important than it is now. But there is concern that the present circumstances will make it difficult for the industry to take the long term steps necessary to overcome our relative lack of experience in managing the safety risks associated with underground mining," said Mr Carter, who is chairman of leading OH&S advisors ZEAL Consulting.

Mr Carter said Australia’s move toward underground mining was largely due to a combination of two factors: the depletion of surface resources and increased environmental constraints.

The challenge was how to safely negotiate the transition from one to the other, not only technically and economically, but in terms of workplace safety.

"The Australian mining industry will have to adapt quite quickly to the vastly different technical requirements that come with underground mining.

"But it is not solely a question of getting on top of new production techniques; it is also one of safety and successfully managing risks which are quite different in underground mining,"

He said ZEAL Consulting was presently helping the Victorian Department of Natural Resources and Energy to conduct a risk management course for mines inspectors. The course is under the auspices of the Box Hill TAFE which will issue a certificate at the completion of the course. Initially limited to the department’s 21 inspectors, the course is envisaged soon to go public.

The training course is designed to establish a common standard for inspectors in respect of the Victorian extractive industry.

It uses computer-based applications and risk management manuals developed by ZEAL Consulting.

ZEAL also recently conducted an advanced risk management course for the Queensland Department of Mines and Energy.

"We have about a decade in which to develop the skills necessary to operate underground profitably and safely. By then workplace safety requirements will be quite a lot higher than they are now, so the industry must be prepared to achieve an extra steep learning curve."

Mr Carter said OHS requirements across all industries were moving from a compliance based to a performance based mode.

"The goal posts are shifting all the time. As the nature of the mining industry undergoes a fundamental change it will need to work very hard at coming to grips with the different requirements and dangers associated with mining underground," said Mr Carter.