With National Safe Work Month running through October, resources workers in coal, minerals and quarrying along with the petroleum, gas and explosives industries throughout Queensland will take part in the biennial sector-wide Safety Reset.
Queensland held its first Safety Reset in 2019 following a tragic year when six mine workers died in the workplace.
Previous Safety Resets have identified some barriers to safety in the workplace such as a fear of reprisal if you speak up, complicated reporting processes, inadequate site inductions and safety training, and poor communication.
Resources Minister Scott Stewart said safety in the resources industry is everyone’s responsibility.
“We need to remain vigilant, even when operations are running smoothly because complacency can lead to injury.”
“Safety Resets provide an important opportunity for every worker to take stock and see what practises must be improved to ensure the workplace is safe.”
“We want people and workplaces to go back to basics which is why the focus of this year’s Safety Reset is to empower and support workers to recognise unsafe situations, stop work, and report the issue, that is; SEE STOP REPORT.”
Resources Safety and Health Queensland (RSHQ) CEO Mark Stone said the Safety Reset program is vital to supporting a positive safety culture.
“Everyone in the resources sector needs to know how to identify a hazard, and how to report it.
“Key to that is supporting a reporting culture so workers can identify risks and hazards without fear of reprisal.”