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Hard days, easy nights In the past 12 months Australia has experienced a major boom in the mining industry sector, with further developments to continue throughout the next few years. With high demand within the industry for experienced and highly skilled employees, there needs to be a shift in the way that we can attract and retain these valuable employees, and improve their accommodation options whilst living away from home for such lengthy periods of time.
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ecorate by Design is a commercial company who specialise in the design and fitout of the accommodation and recreational amenities for remote accommodation facilities. With the ability to customise furniture, fittings and equipment (FF&E) to suit all criteria in terms of budget, durability, serviceability and aesthetics, Decorate by Design have built a solid relationship with numerous housing suppliers to the Mining Industry, the Australian Government, Indigenous Land Council and the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Their high level of service and expertise within the area of ‘donga shed’ accommodation means that they have the facilities to provide clients with full project management skills including plan and layout designs, sourcing, supply, installation and guaranteed lead times. With a firm belief that all employees who live in remote mining camps deserve comfort after a long shift, Decorate by Design are redesigning the donga shed concept. Increasingly, research is showing the benefit of a good night’s sleep, and some of the significant factors in the achievements of our staff are not only based on their skills and intelligence, but the surroundings in which they live and relax. If miners cannot get enough sleep and relaxation, then it is well known that productivity decreases and the risk of injury increases. So, what changes have Decorate by design made? Given spacial constraints, the aim in all of the projects is to optimise the practicality of the
Accomodation - portable and demountable mine site buildings
accommodation rooms and ensuites, and to provide a comfortable and convenient solution. To better understand the conditions and requirements, a number of Decorate by Design key personnel have themselves spent time staying in the camps and using the facilities. With this extra experience they were able to make an objective assessment as to where improvements could be made. A common complaint (and one experienced by Decorate by Design themselves) has been the noise created by the bar fridge whilst trying to sleep. By incorporating the bar fridge inside a ventilated wardrobe unit, they were able to decrease the noise level. It was also a useful way to utilise the space where the bar fridge typically sits in the corner of the room with merely a shelf above. The addition of a chest of drawers (lockable if necessary) alleviated the concern of not enough storage space left in the wardrobes due to the incorporation of the bar fridge, and after discussion with tenants it was ascertained that a chest of drawers would be more convenient and useful than the full height robe in any case. The chest of drawers also has the added benefit of bench top space which is often limited in these rooms. Depending on the style of accommodation required, there are many other space saving solutions offered by Decorate by Design. In some cases the desk is not used by the tenant as an office / work space, so in these cases the desk can be substituted with a comfortable armchair opposite the television (which should be wall mounted). A perfect way to relax and watch television in the evening, instead of on