News »
Parents of Pike victim give valuable insight Karen Phelps A recent visit to OceanaGold Waihi by parents of a victim of the Pike River disaster is proof that good things can come from tragic circumstances. Carol and Steve Rose’s son Stuart Mudge died at Pike River and the couple spent three days at Waihi Gold meeting every team and crew to share lessons learned from the tragedy. Issues that were raised included the fact that many of the miners affected by Pike River didn’t have up to date next of kin contact details and wills, which heeded communication to their loved ones when the disaster occurred. “It is doubtful that any of us can really appreciate the ordeal faced by the families after the mine disaster,” says OceanaGold Waihi Senior Health and Safety Advisor Peter Lowe. “Carol and Steve spent time with us to provide a brief insight into their world, and equally importantly, share some practical advice based on their experiences.” The visit by the Roses was part of a focus at the mine since 2011 to address safety performance. While Lowe says that the operation’s safety performance was one of the best in the industry there was still room for improvement. “Top down management initiated programmes had achieved only limited short term success and we decided we needed a culture change, one that made every person on the mine site actively and personally responsible for his or her safety and that of the team on a long term basis.” He says that the first of OceanaGold’s nine strategic objectives is to have injury-free healthy work environments without fatalities. At the Waihi operation they use the Vital Behaviours programme to obtain long term buy-in of staff and to maintain on-going interest in safety. “The Vital Behaviours programme works with site crews so they self-identify the behaviours that they need to keep themselves and their colleagues safe,” he explains. The focus is on bringing home the safety message in a fun and memorable way. Other past initiatives of the programme have included staff making their own corporate safety video and a staff and families open day. Since the implementation of the Vital Behaviours programme in 2011 the mine has had one Lost Time Injury (LTI) on site and the total number of injuries recorded decreased from 55 in 2010 to 28 in 2015. The number of serious injuries decreased by over 300% from 2010 to 2015. By the end of March 2016 the company had 723 days LTI-free. Peter Lowe says that the feedback from staff on the Roses recent visit has been that this was the most relevant presentation they had ever attended. “We all learned a lot from Carol and Steve, and we really thank them for their time, energy, and commitment.”
-
Exploration programme management Geological mapping and 3D modelling Resource evaluation and certification Mine drainage consulting, research, sampling and testing - Gas content testing of coal
6 Mining NZ » Autumn 2016
Waihi Gold’s C crew raised funds for 29 plaques to recognise those who lost their lives at Pike River.
Memorial unveiled to Pike 29 Karen Phelps A group of underground miners from Waihi Gold’s C crew has banded together to raise funds for 29 plaques to recognise those who lost their lives at Pike River. OceanaGold Waihi senior community advisor Kit Wilson says it took the crew about two weeks to raise the funds, organised with assistance from a number of local businesses, and arrange for help with the installation from Hauraki District Council. “Underground miner Tehuiroa Tawa organised everything, from funding through to plaque manufacture and delivery, and the final installation,” says Wilson. “It was really something to see it all happen, and to have members of Pike River families with us for the dedication earlier this year was just the icing on the cake,” he says. The Pike River Memorial Avenue features 29 kowhai trees and flush mounted plaques bordering a footpath leading through Gilmore Reserve towards the Tunnellers Memorial and Memorial Wall, which is part of an area of the reserve called the Miners’ Reflective Area. The has been developed over the last five years by Waihi Heritage Vision to remember the New Zealand Engineers Tunnelling Company, which dug under enemy lines there in preparation for the 1917 Battle of Arras. The company included about 90 miners from Waihi and Karangahake. People from New Zealand as well as dignitaries from France,
-
the Cook Islands, Australia, the UK and Canada as well as descendants of the tunnellers, Maori members of the Pioneer Battalion attached to the Tunnelling Company, servicemen and veterans, and miners and their families all attended the memorial dedication in January. The dedication event included musical tributes, the blessing of the memorial, the mounting of a catafalque guard and the laying of wreaths and a concluding flyover performed by three Harvards.
Wilson says that Carol and Steve Rose, whose son Stuart Mudge died in the Pike River mine disaster, got to meet with C crew during a recent visit to Waihi Gold. A special moment was when the Waihi Gold C crew performed a haka in their honour and as a mark of respect for them, their son Stuart, and his colleagues who died. Says Wilson: “It reinforced what we all knew - we are all miners, and we need to look out for each other.”
His Excellency the Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae, and Hauraki District Council Mayor John Tregidga, pay their respects at the Pike River Memorial Avenue.
New Brisbane joint venture - CB3 Ltd Spontaneous combustion testing Combustion analysis and testing Gasification and carbonisation research Advanced nano-materials research and development Coal and minerals processing research
-
Coal and combustion testing Chemical analysis on fuels Water analysis - domestic to industrial Magnetic and density mineral separations X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence (XRF & XRD) Acid base accounting and kinetic testing