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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132 The Australasian Mine Safety Journal Summer 2011/12 The Australasian Mine Safety Journal Summer 2011/12 ONSITE SECURITY Securing the Health and Safety of Your Mine Is there a Medic in the house? T Mine safety, security and emergency health services are top priorities for the mining sector, given the high-risk nature of the industry and the public interest mining activities attract. Hav- ing the appropriate strategies in place to protect the mining company's peo- ple, assets and reputation is critical to an organisation's ongoing success. he availability and reliability of the following specialist services are critical to mitigating potential risk and protecting the health and wellbeing of personnel at the mine: • Provision of emergency health services (multidisciplinary ALS/IC Paramedics, Emergency Response Medics / EMTs and Occupational First Aid Responders whom are competent in occupational health, emergency response and technical rescue) • Provision of emergency response, fi re and technical rescue services (multidisciplinary Emergency Response Offi cers / ERT members, including specialist Paramedic, Fire and Rescue Team Leaders) • Provision of experienced, highly trained security offi cers • Static and roving safety, compliance and security, and paramedical services for the exploration, seismic and energy sector. Collaborative approach It is important that the security and emergency response teams work closely together as well as with police, 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," commented Nick Prass, National Manager for MSS Strategic Medical. Site safety, security and emergency health risk assessment The fi rst step in securing the health and safety of the mine 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. Comprehensive training 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. As a result of the training programs, these teams will be prepared for any situation and be capable of effectively responding to emergencies with minimal disruption to the mine. Nick Samios, General 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 Nick. "The mining and resources sector is a unique one and the training program 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." Scalability plan Another factor which should be used to mitigate risk at the mining site is a scalability plan, to ensure that there are additional resources available to rapidly respond to any incidents, potential threats or requirements for emergency rescue. "In 2009 MSS Security implemented an Incident Response Team (IRT) to meet client requests for a rapid response service for surge requirements," Samios 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." Immediate response Having a comprehensive risk assessment in place (with associated actions), comprehensive training which ties into the action plan, and a clear, unifi ed approach between the security and emergency response services will allow for faster response times in dealing with health, fi re, emergency rescue and security requirements. The ability to immediately respond and take action will make the difference in achieving a positive outcome in securing the health and safety of the mine site.