Australasian Mining Review
Issue link: http://ebook.aprs.com.au/i/37922
324 Securing the safety of your mine How to address key challenges and mitigate risk Mine safety, security and emergency rescue response services are top priorities for the mining sector, given the high-risk nature of the industry and the public interest mining activities attract. Having the appropriate strategies in place to protect the mining company’s people, assets and reputation is critical to an organisation’s ongoing success. W hile each site has its own unique risk factors, there are common security, safety, compliance and health challenges across the sector: • Safety issues, including hazards, potential injuries and fatigue • Site access compliance, including visitor, staff and contractor inductions • Emergency, fi rst aid, medical and rescue response • Protestor activity and industrial unrest • Unauthorised access • Theft and vandalism • Threats including domestic terrorism. The fi rst step in addressing these challenges is to conduct a site safety, security and emergency health risk assessment to identify the individual site risk factors. This should form the basis of a detailed plan which outlines the strategies, responsibilities and contingency plans to mitigate the risks involved. The security and emergency health and rescue response teams need to take a proactive approach and remain vigilant in implementing the plan, particularly when it comes to monitoring for threats such as terrorism or large and disruptive protests. Success factors There are a number of key success factors in effectively managing the safety and security of the mine: • Comprehensive security risk assessment of the site, resulting in site-specifi c security, access control and safety recommendations • Detailed security plan with clear guidelines and responsibilities • An experienced, highly trained security team to implement the plan • Provision of specialist emergency response, fi rst aid and medical services as required • Effective communication between the security and emergency response teams, and the management and staff at the mine • Robust occupational health and safety procedures • The ability to immediately deploy additional security and emergency response resources to scale up in the event of an emergency. Experienced security and emergency response teams which have completed comprehensive training programs tailored to the mining and resources sector are vital to an effective and effi cient health, safety, environment and security (HSES) operation. The teams should be prepared for any situation and be capable of effectively responding to emergencies with minimal disruption to the mine. Jason Maley, State Operations Manager Queensland and mining expert for MSS Security, agreed that the experience and training of the security and emergency response teams directly correlate to the overall successful HSES operation of the mine. “Providing comprehensive and customised training and development for our security, emergency response and emergency health personnel provides them with the qualifi cations, skills and competencies they need to ensure the security and safety of our clients’ mining sites,” explained Maley. “The mining and resources sector is a unique one and the training programme needs to refl ect this. We expect our people to be proactive and go that extra mile — so we give them the tools and support they need to achieve this. MSS Security is so committed to training that it has established its own Registered Training Organisation to support its clients’ needs.” Another factor which should be used to mitigate risk at the mining site is a scalability plan used to ensure that there are additional resources available to rapidly respond to any incidents or cover any additional requirements (such as protestor activity or industrial unrest). “In 2009 MSS Security implemented an Incident Response Team (IRT) to meet client requests for a rapid response service for surge requirements,” Mr Maley said. “The IRT has been engaged a number of times over the past 12 months for expected protest action and other events. The team is not designed to replace the role of the police but to lock down and protect sites from any unauthorised entry which may affect the operations of the site and to support the on-site permanent guarding services.” It is important that the security and emergency response teams work closely together as well as with police and emergency services, and the management team at the mine. When a potential threat or emergency occurs, these relationships must already be established and appropriate plans must be in place so that there can be an immediate response before issues are escalated. “MSS Security’s ability to provide clients with an integrated security, emergency and response service, through MSS Strategic Medical (a SIS Group Enterprise), ensures a collaborative and unifi ed approach, facilitating faster response times. With the right planning, training and people, any potential hazards can be averted, mitigating the risks in securing the mine.” [Security for Mine Sites, Lockout and Tagout] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _