❓ Mr. Blayney asks about the impact of safety regulation upgrades on safety outcomes in the resources sector. The Minister responds by highlighting a reduction in lost time injury frequency rates and the implementation of a new online safety regulation system to improve data analysis and accident prevention.
AnsweredQoN 815Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
RESOURCES SECTOR — SAFETY REGULATION
UPGRADE
815. Mr I.C. BLAYNEY to the
Minister for Mines and Petroleum:
Can the minister please update the house on how upgrades of
the safety regulation system are contributing to better safety outcomes for the
resources sector?
UPGRADE
815. Mr I.C. BLAYNEY to the
Minister for Mines and Petroleum:
Can the minister please update the house on how upgrades of
the safety regulation system are contributing to better safety outcomes for the
resources sector?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Geraldton for the question. In his
electorate, he has a number of mining operations, including the emerging
magnetite industry. Worker safety is paramount to me, as the Minister for Mines
and Petroleum. Every worker has the right to go to work and to come home safely,
and to be without fear of risk while they are at work. The ultimate goal with
safety is to have a zero risk regime. In the past 10 years, we have managed to
bring Western Australia's lost time injury frequency rate down by 50
per cent. Indeed, three years ago, in 2010, the lost time injury rate was 3.1
per million hours worked. In 2012, that had come down to 2.6. There has been a
gradual improvement in recent years, so we have to take our hat off to the
industry and also to my department.
The next step is how we can get a
quantum jump in the lost time frequency rate. We need to change the culture, so
we have to get a resilient safety culture embedded into the industry. To assist
industry in adopting a resilient safety culture, we have replaced the Department
of Mines and Petroleum's old legacy computer systems with a new
platform—a new safety regulation system.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Victoria Park, member for West Swan and member for Cannington, if
you want to have a private meeting, go outside.
Mr P.C. Tinley :
This is so boring.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Willagee, if it is so boring, you can also go outside. I call you to
order for the second time.
Mr W.R. MARMION :
As I was saying, we have replaced our old computers with a new computer system.
I detect a great interest in that from members opposite, so I might end up
tabling the actual platform diagram when I have finished answering the
question.
Ms J.M. Freeman interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Mirrabooka!
Mr W.R. MARMION : Thank
you, Mr Speaker.
These online systems are very important, because they help to
reduce red tape and the problems that industry has in lodging forms. Now people
can —
Mr P. Papalia interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Warnbro, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr W.R. MARMION :
This is a very important issue. There is no more important issue than safety of
workers.
Mr P. Papalia interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Warnbro, I call you to order for the third time.
Mr W.R. MARMION :
As I was saying, there is no more important issue in the mines and petroleum
industry than the safety of workers. We have provided streamlined systems
within the department, which means that the industry can now submit its injury
forms online, and a notifiable event can be lodged online. The department can
bulk upload results so that it can analyse them, and it can also get pro forma
results forms online. Indeed, it can get online access to improvement and
prohibition notices. With all this information now available online, it means
that accidents can be properly analysed and measures taken. This is very
important. Why would we get this data? Obviously, we get the data so that we
can analyse accidents, and by analysing those accidents, what are we doing? We
are looking at the incident to make sure it does not happen again.
This government cares about worker safety, and this is
another reform implemented by the Liberal–National government to
streamline the provision of information to my department and also help reduce
the lost time injury rate in a very important industry to Western Australia.
electorate, he has a number of mining operations, including the emerging
magnetite industry. Worker safety is paramount to me, as the Minister for Mines
and Petroleum. Every worker has the right to go to work and to come home safely,
and to be without fear of risk while they are at work. The ultimate goal with
safety is to have a zero risk regime. In the past 10 years, we have managed to
bring Western Australia's lost time injury frequency rate down by 50
per cent. Indeed, three years ago, in 2010, the lost time injury rate was 3.1
per million hours worked. In 2012, that had come down to 2.6. There has been a
gradual improvement in recent years, so we have to take our hat off to the
industry and also to my department.
The next step is how we can get a
quantum jump in the lost time frequency rate. We need to change the culture, so
we have to get a resilient safety culture embedded into the industry. To assist
industry in adopting a resilient safety culture, we have replaced the Department
of Mines and Petroleum's old legacy computer systems with a new
platform—a new safety regulation system.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Victoria Park, member for West Swan and member for Cannington, if
you want to have a private meeting, go outside.
Mr P.C. Tinley :
This is so boring.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Willagee, if it is so boring, you can also go outside. I call you to
order for the second time.
Mr W.R. MARMION :
As I was saying, we have replaced our old computers with a new computer system.
I detect a great interest in that from members opposite, so I might end up
tabling the actual platform diagram when I have finished answering the
question.
Ms J.M. Freeman interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Mirrabooka!
Mr W.R. MARMION : Thank
you, Mr Speaker.
These online systems are very important, because they help to
reduce red tape and the problems that industry has in lodging forms. Now people
can —
Mr P. Papalia interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Warnbro, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr W.R. MARMION :
This is a very important issue. There is no more important issue than safety of
workers.
Mr P. Papalia interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Warnbro, I call you to order for the third time.
Mr W.R. MARMION :
As I was saying, there is no more important issue in the mines and petroleum
industry than the safety of workers. We have provided streamlined systems
within the department, which means that the industry can now submit its injury
forms online, and a notifiable event can be lodged online. The department can
bulk upload results so that it can analyse them, and it can also get pro forma
results forms online. Indeed, it can get online access to improvement and
prohibition notices. With all this information now available online, it means
that accidents can be properly analysed and measures taken. This is very
important. Why would we get this data? Obviously, we get the data so that we
can analyse accidents, and by analysing those accidents, what are we doing? We
are looking at the incident to make sure it does not happen again.
This government cares about worker safety, and this is
another reform implemented by the Liberal–National government to
streamline the provision of information to my department and also help reduce
the lost time injury rate in a very important industry to Western Australia.
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