Glenda Abraham – Chief Engagement Officer, Mine Super

ABSTRACT

In addition to the substantial personal costs, poor financial wellness is a major drag on Australian businesses, costing an estimated $33 billion per annum. According to Workplace Super Specialists of Australia’s ‘Workplace Financial Wellness Index’, employees who lack financial wellness tend to be more stressed, as observed by more than three in five employers (63.3%). A significant number of employers also noted presenteeism (43.3%), low morale (30%), and absenteeism (16.7%) as other consequences of poor financial wellness. This data clearly shows a connection between tired, disengaged and distracted employees and an increase in work health safety incidents. This presentation will help you integrate a financial wellness program as part of a holistic approach to employee wellbeing and a component of a healthy workplace.

Paul Shorthouse – Senior Training Officer, Simtars

ABSTRACT

Queensland legislation requires all coal mines, mineral mines and quarries to have an induction process. These inductions, including the current Standard 11 mine induction, address a wide range of topics including risk management, vehicle interaction, fire-fighting and a generic isolation procedure. The underpinning knowledge that is required and crammed into two days only allows for a brief amount of time to focus on the main points and not given the attention and time they require. This makes the induction more of a ‘tick in the box’ exercise rather than a valuable strategy aimed at training the worker to stop and think about what is required to safely accomplish the task they are about to perform. This talk will ponder the following questions: Is the current induction process effective? What metrics should we be using to gauge its effectiveness? How can the delivery of the course be improved to increase knowledge retention and improve the decision making choices of mining personnel? Are meaningful inductions even more important with the casualisation of the workforce? What additional training could decrease the amount of injuries, accidents, high potential incidents and equipment damage?

Cristian Sylvestre – Managing Director, HabitSafe

ABSTRACT

Queensland Mines and Energy initiated in March 2008, a review of the role of human factors in mining incidents and accidents in Queensland. What followed was the largest independent and most comprehensive study of a portion of mining incidents across all classes of mining in Queensland. This presentation will recount the findings of the study and what lessons for leadership are present. It will explore the presence of human factors, the most abundant factor and the role leadership played in these incidents. It will also explore the strengths and weaknesses of the data set, so a balanced view is presented. Importantly, the paper will present how to move forward with these findings and offer research supported steps leaders can take to reduce the impact of the most prevalent human factors.