From the toolbox

This new feature of Th!nkSafe is designed for safety and health representatives and others with occupational health and safety responsibilities. Here you’ll find links to the Department’s latest safety and health publications, statistics and safety share moments to help plan your next safety meeting.

What's new

Statistics

• Safety performance in the Western Australian mineral industry 2019-2020 – report

• Safety performance in the Western Australian mineral industry 2019-20 – poster

• Activity indicators for Mines Safety - July to September 2020

• Key OSH Statistics Western Australia – Work-related lost time injuries, diseases and fatalities in WA

• Safety and health snapshot – Ground control

• Safety and health snapshot – Mentally healthy workplaces

Information sheets

• Respiratory protective equipment – Fit testing requirements

• Safety management of electric arc flash hazards

Helping you understand the role of provisional improvement notices

A provisional improvement notice (PIN) is a notice issued by an elected safety and health representative about a safety and health issue in the workplace. Only elected safety and health representatives who have completed the required training can issue a provisional improvement notice (PIN).

More information on PINs and the appropriate forms are available on our website.

• General workplaces: Provisional improvement notices (PIN) (WorkSafe)

• Mining: What are provisional improvement notices (PINs) for a mining operation?

•Petroleum: Provisional improvement notices (PIN) – petroleum and geothermal energy industries

Safety moment

These incident scenarios have been developed by the Department to help workplaces understand how different types of decisionmaking failures can result in an incident. These examples are based on actual events; however, all identifying features have been removed, and they are not intended to be simply a question and answer, rather to start conversations about safety within the workplace.

Incident scenario

Decision-making failure: Lapses

A lapse of attention or memory (e.g. forgetting to carry out a step in a procedure – error of omission)

A haul truck driver was under instruction with the trainer in the cab of his truck. They were carting iron ore from a shovel face to the ROM at an open pit. The procedure specified in the training manual was for the trainer to prompt the driver prior to any critical action, such as braking or stopping at an intersection. While under instruction, the driver would be prompted or reminded to carry out these critical tasks until the trainer was confident that the driver was able to carry them out unaided.

The cresting speed for all ramps on site was 16 kph. The procedure required the driver to slow to the cresting speed prior to engaging the ramp and set the retard speed control (RSC) to the ramp cresting speed.

The driver had been under instruction for approximately an hour and a half when they approached the crest of a ramp. When the truck was about 20 metres from the crest, the trainer looked down at the paperwork for recording the driver’s compliance and performance of critical actions. The trainer had thought the paperwork to record correct cresting procedure was on top of the pile, but it wasn’t. Realising that they were approaching a ramp, the trainer began to shuffle through the pile of documents and knocked most of the papers onto the truck floor.

The trainer bent down to pick them up. The driver was aware that the crest was approaching, but was distracted by the trainer and the dropped papers. The driver continued at the same speed and crested the ramp at approximately 30 kph.

The trainer felt the truck going over the ramp and shouted to the driver to apply the service and dynamic brakes. The truck came to a halt half way down the ramp.

Questions for the group

1. What went wrong? What was the lapse or omission?

2. What could have been done differently?

3. What could be done to prevent a reoccurrence?