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.
Issue link: http://ebook.aprs.com.au/i/52244
Foreword Foreword Just as the mining and industrials sector is expected to boom in South Australia, so too will the safety profession. any allied industries will ride the wave of growth and expansion with the mining companies, a direct benefit for the state and for the local economy. It stands to reason that there will also be an increased need for suitably qualified and competent safety professionals to be employed to help ensure that workplace hazards and risks are addressed. OHS systems will need to be established, implemented and maintained to help ensure that workers have the tools they need to work safely in these environments. T he mining expansion across SA will create literally thousands of jobs, both directly and indirectly, with many other companies being used to supply services to the mining companies. These contracted services will also need the services of safety professionals to ensure that safe systems of work are employed; as well helping to ensure that the safety demands and requirements of the mining companies are also being met. Safety is a lot more than putting up some signs, supplying some PPE for the team and then writing a few procedures. Standards and legislation are universal in their requirement to undertake risk assessments as necessary to identify the severity or significance of workplace hazards. This information must be acted on appropriately so that improved risk control solutions are identified and/or considered and implemented where practicable. Engineering solutions and advances in technology are available for many of the issues present in the workplace. Recent issues of the Australasian Mine Safety Journal have showcased some of these solutions. Knowledge and application of these higher level control areas is the domain of the safety professional. So how do you ensure that you have a suitably qualified and knowledgeable safety professional? Obviously the first way is to ask for an individual's qualifications and experience related to your needs and area(s) of business. Another way will be to find out whether or not your safety person is a member of a recognised safety organisation. The Safety Institute of Australia is Australia's peak body for OHS professionals. With over 60 years' experience, and a national membership of almost 4,000, it aims to develop, maintain and promote a body of knowledge that defines professional practice in OHS. The SIA is committed to creating a profession that can deliver the highest standards of safety and we do this through the engagement of our individual members, corporate and strategic partners, governing bodies and key professional stakeholders. Advantages to membership include such things as: access to latest information and thinking in relation to safety solutions and initiatives, networking with other like-minded professionals and also simply keeping in touch with what is happening in the safety profession. Promotion of safety and in particular the presence and benefits of the SIA is something that needs to be increased. To help with this process, the SA Branch of the SIA recently hosted a one day conference and trade expo. This was the first time since the mid-1980s that anything like this had been attempted. The aim of this first conference was to fly the flag for safety here in SA and create sufficient interest so this can become a regular event. Numbers were lower than expected, but there were still three streams of speakers who made presentations on a range of topical issues, a keynote speaker to start the day and a panel discussion held as a closing activity. I believe that the event was a success as there were also almost 30 local companies who were prepared to host and man a booth for the trade show. Exhibitors indicated that it was good to be able to meet with safety professionals and key people from local organisations who are in positions to purchase the goods and/or services that were on offer. Other trade shows in SA have had higher numbers of attendees, but less of the people attending these shows had the authority to actually purchase items on display. The introduction of the national harmonised WHS legislation in 2012 will also create additional requirements for safety professionals, as companies come to grips with any changes in legislation as well as look to implement their own updated safety systems. Despite the fact that state-based safety legislation has been present in Australia in its current form for almost 30 years, some smaller companies will also be looking to implement safety systems for the first time. Ensuring that they engage a competent safety professional to assist them with this process (regardless of the size of the company) will provide confidence to business owners and their workers that appropriate safety management systems are in place and that safety hazards are able to be addressed. Craig is the current chairman for the South Australian branch of the Safety Institute of Australia. He is a Chartered Professional Member of the Safety Institute of Australia. Craig also runs a safety consultancy company, Choose Safety, based in Adelaide and operating nationally to serve organisations of all sizes across a wide range of safety-related activities. Regarding SIA membership please visit www.sia.org.au for more information. 4 The Australasian Mine Safety Journal Summer 2011/12 craig schopp - CPMSIA (RSP AUST)