SAFETY 4.0: THE FUTURE OF MINE SAFETY

The mining industry has made significant improvements in health and safety over the last decade, reducing the incidence rates of both fatalities and serious injuries. However, modern mining safety is multifaceted and becoming increasingly complex, branching out from the primary focus on the traditional concerns of getting workers home safely to their families and delivering the best possible shareholder returns. Today, modern mine safety has expanded into new areas, and refined what it means for traditional ones. Deloitte has released a report into the four key areas of safety –which it calls Safety 4.0 – that are needed to create a safe, sustainable, inclusive, resilient and successful organisation.

The four key areas of safety presented in Safety 4.0: A new horizon for mining safety link and build on each other to build secure foundations that safeguard mining organisations and their people into the future.

The traditional focus on physical needs to extend into all areas and be combined with psychological safety to ensure the mental health and wellbeing of workers. However, for this to be successful, cultural safety has to be embedded to create a safe environment for all people, regardless of age, gender, sexual preference, race, religion or socio-economic status. Underpinning the entire organisation is cyber safety, which is dependent on every worker sharing in the responsibility.

1. Physical safety

The mining industry has made significant improvements in health and safety over the last decade, reducing the incidence rates of both fatalities and serious injuries. However, according to Safe Work Australia, the mining industry still has one of the highest rates of fatalities of any industry – on average nine per year – which has a huge cost to workers, their families, and the community.

The mining industry also has a high number of serious lost time injuries, including significant, often life-changing injuries with ongoing rehabilitation costs and wider social and psychological impacts on individuals.

Therefore, continuing to put worker’s physical safety at the forefront of operations is paramount. Safety 4.0 highlights the need to broaden the view of what this entails to encompass the redesign of all physical environments workers are in including operational areas, accommodation, transportation and offices.

Initiatives are occurring within the industry to help reduce fatalities and serious injuries, and some of them could have an impact, such as new WHS legislation in Western Australia. The WA Work Health and Safety Act 2020 and the WA Work Health and Safety Regulations

(Mining and General) 2022, are the first legislation changes to occur in the state in almost 30 years and could impact the sector in the following ways: key terms and definitions, industrial manslaughter, enforceable undertakings, and health including psychological health.

2. Psychological safety

Psychological safety is a key area of improvement that has garnered a lot of media spotlight recently, due to the reporting of various high-profile cases, industry reviews and investigations, as well as state and industry association announcements regarding work being done to improve mental health outcomes in the sector. To achieve psychological safety, a shift in mindset is needed in many workplaces to create a space where people can bring diversity of thought, innovation and new ideas to the table, and feel that these are valued and explored, and that they are safe from intimidation, bullying, harassment or isolation.

In particular, recent parliamentary reports and inquiries have highlighted that companies need to reflect on what they’re doing to provide a psychological safe work environment for women. This includes making victims and bystanders of sexual harassment feel safe to speak up and report inappropriate behaviour.

Providing an inclusive and psychologically safe environment is an area that mining companies will need to address to ensure they meet legislative and moral obligations, retain workers and attract the diversity of talent required for the future. Societal expectations for transparency and accountability have changed, so companies need to act quickly to address incidents and take corrective actions in the best interest of the injured worker.

3. Cultural safety

Cultural safety is the creation of an environment where everyone can be proud of who they are regardless of culture, ethnicity, age, sexuality and gender, and feel like they are safe, respected, supported, heard and celebrated. For mining companies, cultural safety extends beyond just their workers to also include the communities they operate in, as well as valuing and protecting the culture of the lands on which they operate.

However, many workplaces aren’t adequately addressing cultural safety. Reporting of poor cultural safety is crucial for management as it provides an earlywarning system for serious HR incidents, such as bullying, assaults and psychosocial injuries. Ignorance is not accepted as an excuse, and workers, communities and stakeholders are increasingly holding organisations to high standards.

There are a number of benefits for an organisation that has great cultural safety, including increasing diversity and innovation of thought, greater resilience, and decreased injury.

4. Cyber security

With the increasing use of technology in mine operations and companies, the risk of cyber security threats is also rising. Workers, customers and suppliers place trust in mining companies to keep their information confidential, which means planning and threat analysis is fundamental to reduce the risk of damage to assets, reputation and future. What companies need to be aware of is that the damage from cyber attacks is not always about monetary costs.

Cyber attacks are increasing in Australia, and overseas, and federal laws now require companies to act. The Security of Critical Infrastructure (SOCI) Act requires any system of national significance (SONS) to have a risk management plan which mitigates personnel hazards, physical and natural hazards, cyber security hazards, and supply chain hazards.

Safety is becoming an ever increasing focus for mining companies as societal expectations rise for greater transparency, responsibility and accountability. Delottie’s Safety 4.0 report gives mining leaders strategies and a pathway forward, showing the opportunities to improve the key areas of safety to create a more sustainable, resilient and prosperous future.

To read Safety 4.0: A new horizon for mining safety, visit https://www2.deloitte.com/au/en/pages/energy-and-resources/articles/safety-4-0-new-horizon-mining-safety.html.