Critical control management - the latest on leading practice and lessons learned

摘要

Mining activities are high risk because they can result in injuries, fatalities and multiple fatalities if they are not well managed. To manage the risk, the Australian mining industry has adopted and developed risk management approaches to control threats and mitigate consequences of unwanted events. Industry statistics suggest mat progress has been made in reducing injury rates within Australia and within the major mining companies. However, the number of fatalities incurred in Australian mines has remained relatively constant over the past decade. Investigations into the fatality events indicate that the accidents that continue to occur are associated with foreseeable risks that have known causes and controls. These accidents often result from a failure to identify, implement and manage the controls needed to effectively prevent or mitigate the event.In 2015 and 2016, the International Council of Mining and Metals (ICMM), the Australian Coal Association Research Program, the Minerals Council of Australia, the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia, NSW Mining, the Queensland Resources Council and individual companies have invested in research, development programs and collaborative sharing and learning forums to identify leading practices for improving the selection, effectiveness and management of controls and critical controls. This paper provides an overview of the wrork done to date towards developing and implementing approaches that improve the control of fatal and catastrophic risks within the mining industry. It will go through each step of the ICMM Critical Control Management process and provide examples of developing practices as well as the tricks, traps and lessons learned from different company, industry and research initiatives. It will conclude by proposing recommendations for further improvements to risk identification and control management approaches that the industry can pursue to better manage fatal and multiple fatality events.