❓ Following a mine rescue and recent fatalities, the Premier outlines the government's review of mine safety standards, potential reforms based on the offshore petroleum industry model, and increased inspections, possibly funded through a user-pays system.
AnsweredQoN 513Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
MINE SAFETY STANDARDS
The successful rescue of a miner from the BHP Billiton Nickel West Perseverance Underground Mine at Leinster this morning again highlights the dangers associated with mining. Will the Premier please inform the house what the government is doing about improving mine safety standards throughout Western Australia? Mr C.J. BARNETT
The successful rescue of a miner from the BHP Billiton Nickel West Perseverance Underground Mine at Leinster this morning again highlights the dangers associated with mining. Will the Premier please inform the house what the government is doing about improving mine safety standards throughout Western Australia? Mr C.J. BARNETT
AnswerView source ↗
Fortunately, the miner concerned was recovered at 6.30 this morning without any ill-effects. He had been in a safety part of the mining operation, so he had food, water, air supply and communications. He was at a depth of 3 000 feet, which would be a frightening experience for anyone outside the mining industry, and was below ground for around 15 hours. A mining operation can trigger seismic events and rock movements, which is apparently what happened. Mine inspectors are now at the site determining exactly the nature of the situation. Fortunately, there has been a happy ending to that precarious situation and, in fact, an example of where safety procedures have worked. However, we cannot overlook the fact that six fatalities over the past year have occurred in Western Australia, which is a high and unacceptable rate—indeed, any fatality is unacceptable. The Minister for Mines and Petroleum, Hon Norman Moore, is having an extensive review of mine safety. He is proposing significant reforms to mine safety, probably along the lines of the offshore petroleum industry and looking at more of a case study approach. Mr F.M. Logan : Does that include more inspectors? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I think that is a good point. He will be certainly looking at that with probably a more user-pays approach, which would imply more inspectors. Given the fatalities that have occurred, a far higher level of inspection is taking place at a number of mining sites around the state. We have had a tragic period of mine safety, which has been taken seriously. From the nature of that interjection, I appreciate the bipartisan approach to this. Ours is a mining economy, and mining inherently has dangers in it. Fortunately, last night’s incident was resolved in a safe way but, tragically, that has not happened in other cases. Watch out for the results of the review, because a lot of work is going into improving mine safety and avoiding fatalities.
Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: Fortunately, the miner concerned was recovered at 6.30 this morning without any ill-effects. He had been in a safety part of the mining operation, so he had food, water, air supply and communications. He was at a depth of 3 000 feet, which would be a frightening experience for anyone outside the mining industry, and was below ground for around 15 hours. A mining operation can trigger seismic events and rock movements, which is apparently what happened. Mine inspectors are now at the site determining exactly the nature of the situation. Fortunately, there has been a happy ending to that precarious situation and, in fact, an example of where safety procedures have worked. However, we cannot overlook the fact that six fatalities over the past year have occurred in Western Australia, which is a high and unacceptable rate—indeed, any fatality is unacceptable. The Minister for Mines and Petroleum, Hon Norman Moore, is having an extensive review of mine safety. He is proposing significant reforms to mine safety, probably along the lines of the offshore petroleum industry and looking at more of a case study approach. Mr F.M. Logan : Does that include more inspectors? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I think that is a good point. He will be certainly looking at that with probably a more user-pays approach, which would imply more inspectors. Given the fatalities that have occurred, a far higher level of inspection is taking place at a number of mining sites around the state. We have had a tragic period of mine safety, which has been taken seriously. From the nature of that interjection, I appreciate the bipartisan approach to this. Ours is a mining economy, and mining inherently has dangers in it. Fortunately, last night’s incident was resolved in a safe way but, tragically, that has not happened in other cases. Watch out for the results of the review, because a lot of work is going into improving mine safety and avoiding fatalities.
Fortunately, the miner concerned was recovered at 6.30 this morning without any ill-effects. He had been in a safety part of the mining operation, so he had food, water, air supply and communications. He was at a depth of 3 000 feet, which would be a frightening experience for anyone outside the mining industry, and was below ground for around 15 hours. A mining operation can trigger seismic events and rock movements, which is apparently what happened. Mine inspectors are now at the site determining exactly the nature of the situation. Fortunately, there has been a happy ending to that precarious situation and, in fact, an example of where safety procedures have worked. However, we cannot overlook the fact that six fatalities over the past year have occurred in Western Australia, which is a high and unacceptable rate—indeed, any fatality is unacceptable. The Minister for Mines and Petroleum, Hon Norman Moore, is having an extensive review of mine safety. He is proposing significant reforms to mine safety, probably along the lines of the offshore petroleum industry and looking at more of a case study approach. Mr F.M. Logan : Does that include more inspectors? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I think that is a good point. He will be certainly looking at that with probably a more user-pays approach, which would imply more inspectors. Given the fatalities that have occurred, a far higher level of inspection is taking place at a number of mining sites around the state. We have had a tragic period of mine safety, which has been taken seriously. From the nature of that interjection, I appreciate the bipartisan approach to this. Ours is a mining economy, and mining inherently has dangers in it. Fortunately, last night’s incident was resolved in a safe way but, tragically, that has not happened in other cases. Watch out for the results of the review, because a lot of work is going into improving mine safety and avoiding fatalities.
Mr F.M. Logan : Does that include more inspectors? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I think that is a good point. He will be certainly looking at that with probably a more user-pays approach, which would imply more inspectors. Given the fatalities that have occurred, a far higher level of inspection is taking place at a number of mining sites around the state. We have had a tragic period of mine safety, which has been taken seriously. From the nature of that interjection, I appreciate the bipartisan approach to this. Ours is a mining economy, and mining inherently has dangers in it. Fortunately, last night’s incident was resolved in a safe way but, tragically, that has not happened in other cases. Watch out for the results of the review, because a lot of work is going into improving mine safety and avoiding fatalities.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I think that is a good point. He will be certainly looking at that with probably a more user-pays approach, which would imply more inspectors. Given the fatalities that have occurred, a far higher level of inspection is taking place at a number of mining sites around the state. We have had a tragic period of mine safety, which has been taken seriously. From the nature of that interjection, I appreciate the bipartisan approach to this. Ours is a mining economy, and mining inherently has dangers in it. Fortunately, last night’s incident was resolved in a safe way but, tragically, that has not happened in other cases. Watch out for the results of the review, because a lot of work is going into improving mine safety and avoiding fatalities.
Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: Fortunately, the miner concerned was recovered at 6.30 this morning without any ill-effects. He had been in a safety part of the mining operation, so he had food, water, air supply and communications. He was at a depth of 3 000 feet, which would be a frightening experience for anyone outside the mining industry, and was below ground for around 15 hours. A mining operation can trigger seismic events and rock movements, which is apparently what happened. Mine inspectors are now at the site determining exactly the nature of the situation. Fortunately, there has been a happy ending to that precarious situation and, in fact, an example of where safety procedures have worked. However, we cannot overlook the fact that six fatalities over the past year have occurred in Western Australia, which is a high and unacceptable rate—indeed, any fatality is unacceptable. The Minister for Mines and Petroleum, Hon Norman Moore, is having an extensive review of mine safety. He is proposing significant reforms to mine safety, probably along the lines of the offshore petroleum industry and looking at more of a case study approach. Mr F.M. Logan : Does that include more inspectors? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I think that is a good point. He will be certainly looking at that with probably a more user-pays approach, which would imply more inspectors. Given the fatalities that have occurred, a far higher level of inspection is taking place at a number of mining sites around the state. We have had a tragic period of mine safety, which has been taken seriously. From the nature of that interjection, I appreciate the bipartisan approach to this. Ours is a mining economy, and mining inherently has dangers in it. Fortunately, last night’s incident was resolved in a safe way but, tragically, that has not happened in other cases. Watch out for the results of the review, because a lot of work is going into improving mine safety and avoiding fatalities.
Fortunately, the miner concerned was recovered at 6.30 this morning without any ill-effects. He had been in a safety part of the mining operation, so he had food, water, air supply and communications. He was at a depth of 3 000 feet, which would be a frightening experience for anyone outside the mining industry, and was below ground for around 15 hours. A mining operation can trigger seismic events and rock movements, which is apparently what happened. Mine inspectors are now at the site determining exactly the nature of the situation. Fortunately, there has been a happy ending to that precarious situation and, in fact, an example of where safety procedures have worked. However, we cannot overlook the fact that six fatalities over the past year have occurred in Western Australia, which is a high and unacceptable rate—indeed, any fatality is unacceptable. The Minister for Mines and Petroleum, Hon Norman Moore, is having an extensive review of mine safety. He is proposing significant reforms to mine safety, probably along the lines of the offshore petroleum industry and looking at more of a case study approach. Mr F.M. Logan : Does that include more inspectors? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I think that is a good point. He will be certainly looking at that with probably a more user-pays approach, which would imply more inspectors. Given the fatalities that have occurred, a far higher level of inspection is taking place at a number of mining sites around the state. We have had a tragic period of mine safety, which has been taken seriously. From the nature of that interjection, I appreciate the bipartisan approach to this. Ours is a mining economy, and mining inherently has dangers in it. Fortunately, last night’s incident was resolved in a safe way but, tragically, that has not happened in other cases. Watch out for the results of the review, because a lot of work is going into improving mine safety and avoiding fatalities.
Mr F.M. Logan : Does that include more inspectors? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I think that is a good point. He will be certainly looking at that with probably a more user-pays approach, which would imply more inspectors. Given the fatalities that have occurred, a far higher level of inspection is taking place at a number of mining sites around the state. We have had a tragic period of mine safety, which has been taken seriously. From the nature of that interjection, I appreciate the bipartisan approach to this. Ours is a mining economy, and mining inherently has dangers in it. Fortunately, last night’s incident was resolved in a safe way but, tragically, that has not happened in other cases. Watch out for the results of the review, because a lot of work is going into improving mine safety and avoiding fatalities.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I think that is a good point. He will be certainly looking at that with probably a more user-pays approach, which would imply more inspectors. Given the fatalities that have occurred, a far higher level of inspection is taking place at a number of mining sites around the state. We have had a tragic period of mine safety, which has been taken seriously. From the nature of that interjection, I appreciate the bipartisan approach to this. Ours is a mining economy, and mining inherently has dangers in it. Fortunately, last night’s incident was resolved in a safe way but, tragically, that has not happened in other cases. Watch out for the results of the review, because a lot of work is going into improving mine safety and avoiding fatalities.
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