Questions
How does Safety influence mining industry in general? What are the issues associated with Safety versus Production in mining?
1) Introduction
This essay will examine Safety within the mining industry with a focus on Western Australia. It will examine the growth of the industry and look at how safety has developed and is applied today. This essay will examine three (3) key areas;
1) Safety from a workers point of view,
2) Safety from a management point of view and
3) Safety from my point of view as a safety advisor.
According to Worksafe Australia the Mining Industry today is ranked as the sixth (6th) most dangerous industry leading to work place fatalities.
Since the beginning of mining in Australia in the early 1840s, workers have been drawn to the allure of striking it rich or making big money. This attraction has not come without the hazards and risks that are inherent to the mining industry. For over 180 years the mining industry still has regular injuries and fatalities.
The Australian mining sector is a unique industry as a large number of its workforce is employed as fly in fly out (fifo) workers. Most mining companies’ employ workers on a 12 hour shift basis and accommodation is in company owned or operated camps. The mines that operate this model of employment and accommodation can be defined as ‘total institutions’, that is “a place of work and residence where a great number of similarly situated people, cut off from the wider community for a
The case study points out some of the deficiencies mentioned by Wilson in his article, specifically how political appointments lead to a weak administrative system and the tendency to corrupt the individual. Also due to the coal industry being so entwined with the state politics, the industry’s need for monetary gain came before the workers’ need for safety. Had there been a clear separation of politics and administration, it is feasible to believe that the incident at the mine could have been
Anthracite coal mining consisted of differing levels of skill and precision that could be lucrative depending upon the miner’s luck. A coal miner would be lucky to find steady employment, or to even survive to the day’s end. The procedures involved in preparing the coal from the mines to the shipping was filled with dangers that led the “industry” as “one of the world’s most hazardous.” Mine owners to maintain “overhead costs” and keep mine workers in the industry, would tactfully engage in underemployment. This left workers in state of constant need for more work, or higher wages to offset working part-time. These Anthracite miners were largely paid more than the average miner, but
The title of this case study alone insinuates that perhaps this mine disaster could have been prevented. Martin opens his case study with very descriptive and gruesome details about the events that lead up to the explosion. Martin states: “One hundred and eleven men were killed in that
On March 25, 1947, the mining world in the city of Centralia, Illinois was forever changed. This was the day 111 miners lost their lives, in Centralia No. 5, due to the neglect and disregard of the safety issues that were presented to those, for five (5) years, that were supposed to protect them. The blame lies at the feet of many. A few of them
Factory, mill, and mining work in Britain may be very hazardous to one’s health, especially with regards to the health of children, according to reports by workers and medical experts. Harsh working conditions results in the poor health of workers as well as injuries.
However, there if there is something good there has to be a bad part as well. Even though mining is helping the technologies to grow rapidly everyday, there are side affects caused to the people live near mining areas, especially indigenous people, given that a substantial number of mining operations are on or near Indigenous land, the increase in mining investment may have extremely affected Indigenous communities. There are concerns that, in remote mining areas, the increases in house costs generated by the mining boom mean that anyone who doesn’t work in the mining industry, especially those who are 100% relied on government benefits, will find it harder to afford housing. It will not affect the current generation; however, it will have a huge impact on the future generation. For example, parents wont be able to afford money for their children to go to school, which will result in, kids started working as child labours or slaves and people will find it hard to afford foods and
When new miners arrive in the town of Matewan, they are automatically in debt to the company store for the equipment need to begin working. Throughout the life of the coal miners they are at the mercy of the company's scams and whims. Coal mining is a dangerous operation; not only by chance of mishap, but the coal miners are in great risk of ill health due to the inhalation of coal dust, and the physical strain of working such a laborious trade. The coal company is insensible to the health concerns of the miners; individuals are irrelevant to the industrial company, and they are secure on the knowledge that a fresh supply of young, healthy, able-bodied workers will fall into their grasp.
On March 25, 1947, a blast in Centralia Coal Mine killed 111 workers. Centralia Coal Mine No. 5 had been operational since 1907 and had never suffered a major disaster. Prior to this event only four shotfirers were killed in 1921 (Fleege). Because of the safety record of the mine, it was considered relatively safe and a disaster seemed remote. The United States had just ended a war and the economy was picking up and production needs were relatively high. Mine operators were being pushed by the federal government to produce as much coal as possible to meet the demands of the robust economy. Because of the demand, safety factors in the mines were not a top priority,
Mines had issues such as cave-in’s and explosions, both purposeful and accidental that lead to fatalities in men, women, and children. Most adolescents working in mines would die before the age of
These deaths and injuries called for better safety for all working and many well-organized methods of getting rid of the gasses with flames and creating paths for water to leave the mines were thought up for more efficient coal mining. Inventions such as giant vacuums were used to rid of flooding water and one-man tunnels used for both mining and creating paths for water to go into a nearby river. Without a doubt coal mining was the most dangerous job in the early part of its life, killing around 1/3 of workers and causing permanent damage to bones and brains to around 60% of actual miners.
The essay centers around three different case histories each of which involves another one of the Acts. The three different Acts are the QLD Health & Safety Acts 2011, which applies to Scenario 1, the the Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety Act 2004) which applies to Scenario 2 and the Western Australian Mines Safety and Inspection Act 1994, which applies to Scenario 3.... The following essay serves to define the three different Acts and contrast one to the other.
Pike River Mine tragedy took place on the 19th November, 2010 and resulted in deaths of 29 workers. Many factors led to this tragedy especially poor decisions made by PRCM and Department Of Labour. In this Report, many aspects of the tragedy will be discussed.
In the United States, construction has always been one of the most dangerous industries to work in. The number of fatalities that occur in this industry year after year demonstrate this. In 2014, 19.6% of worker fatalities, in private industry, were in construction (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015) despite the industry comprising only 6.8% of the total work force. This epidemic is not unique to the United States. Essentially every country faces similar problems regarding construction safety. For example, in 2004 the Australian construction industry employed approximately 8% of the countries workforce. However, workers compensation statistics indicated that the industry’s incidence rate was 28.6 per 1000 employees,
South Africa is world leading in mining. The discovery of minerals in this country has attractive many investors and has been the backbone of the country’s economy – leading to many benefits that the people of South Africa could take advantage of. However, not all the benefits are shared equally, and there is a lot of exploitation surrounding the mining sector. This essay will be discussing the issues surrounding the labour exploitation in the mines and the resulting consequences.
The mining industry has seen an explosive growth from the past few decades. It has played an important role in economic growth, infrastructure development and a raise in the living standard of the whole world. According to the Australian National Accounting System, the mining sector has made contributions of 9.8% GDP growth to the Australian economy between 2008 to 2009 (Australia Bureau of Statistics, 2012). However, the mining industry has caused many environmental issues such as adverse effect to air, land and water quality and continues to affect global environment as a whole. According to the World Health Organization, it evaluated that 25% of worldwide death are directly associated with environmental pollution (Blacksmith Institute, n.d). This essay will outline the environmental issue raised by the mining industry with pinpoint focus on the effects to air, water and land. It will also provide strategies for mining companies to improve the environmental conditions.