Australasian Mine Safety

Australasian Mine Safety Winter 2011

Australasian Mine Safety is the leading voice for all key decision makers within Mining company's and major contractors. Delivering the latest industry news as it breaks.

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TRAINING SAFE, CLEAN FIRE-TRAINING The continued use of current methods, fuels, waste disposal and the risks involved in practical fire-fighting training must be seriously addressed. workplace to help create added situation realism. Mobile fire and emergency simulation trailers are available to attend worksites where specific emergency training can be conducted with high degrees or realism. Over recent years there has been a strong global drive to lessen the environmental impact of corporate operations and this has increased with the approaching implementation of a carbon tax in Australia. The measures adopted have included, amongst others, redesigning processes and systems, eliminating antiquated practices and redefining the corporate culture. Workplace Emergency Management usually has corresponding legislation prescribing the outcome required to achieve corporate compliance. Unfortunately, this legislation is not accompanied with a plan to assist the HSE Officer’s progress along the route. This is exacerbated when exterior forces compete with the mission set before them. These forces may be economic, environmental or an inability to evolve and embrace new technologies. Often a solution to one problem is also the solution to another. Take for example fire training. The majority of industries conduct fire fighting training as it protects the workplace, employment, personnel and is a transferrable skill to life away from work. Conventional practice within industry has often been to use wet fuels such as diesel, petroleum and water mixes to create fire scenarios thus creating unnecessary additional carbon pollution and uncontrolled fires in the workplace. Corporations should be committed to reducing the effects of fire fighting and training and its effects on the environment. Some organisations in Australia have been measured as producing up to 3,000 kgs of CO2 per week during fire training! Waste water disposal is an important aspect to consider. This may involve appropriate disposal or filtering on-site, or transport of and disposal back at another location. This style of training is only teaching how to fight flammable liquid fires. Each class of fire behaves differently and the individual fire characteristics need be learned during theoretical and practical training exercises. Clearly, a solution is to provide the ability to conduct fire training using methods that do not harm the environment either during or 110 AUSTRALASIAN MINE SAFETY JOURNAL after the training session and which simulate as many different classes of fire as possible whilst maintaining the highest levels of safety. A comprehensive fire safety program should include theoretical and hands-on instructional opportunities. Fire training programs should be tailored to the specific realities of each worksite. Programs should be adjusted depending on the threats personnel face and the emergency response protocols that are established. Fire-fighting is a part of any emergency control organisation’s emergency response plan under AS 3745. Mine operators must supply and communicate sufficient information to all employees and contractors to enable them to fulfil their duties with respect to occupational health and safety. This includes risk assessments on the practical fire training to be undertaken. Hands-on training is by far the most successful way to familiarise one with fire equipment usage. Watching a video or providing a classroom demonstration is no substitute for seeing a fire, feeling the heat and using fire suppression equipment. Fire-fighting equipment like any tools, require proper training to support safe and effective usage. In fact, trained individuals are shown to be 250 per cent more effective in extinguishing fires than those who are unfamiliar. Hands-on training engages trainees as they are able to put the learning elements of the classroom into practice, and new learning points are uncovered through the hands-on experience. Training not only builds confidence, it also breaks down overconfidence. Hands-on training helps employees further assess risk and appreciate the limits of portable extinguishers and other fire-fighting equipment. A variety of different fire situations, including different types of fires and intensities that challenge different employee skill sets and keep the hands-on practice fresh should be conducted. Modern live-fire props can allow the instructor to change the fire intensity or grade users on how effectively they extinguished the flames. Modern digital fire simulators can be placed right in the Specialised, high technology, LPG fired gas simulators are available to create realistic fire scenarios with no uncontrolled fire risk. These “smart” systems provide unparalleled levels of fire-fighting practical training without harming the environment and providing more cost effective training. A well-executed fire-fighting training program offers much more than a means of regulatory compliance. A comprehensive program that includes both classroom and hands-on training where employees understand the risks, challenges, and opportunities in facing a fire emergency will truly engage employees in the fire safety policies of the company, protecting lives, jobs and property.

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