Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference - 20th to 23rd August

The Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference is an initiative to promote health and safety in the Queensland mining industry.

The conference provides the industry with the opportunity to exchange information, network and foster proactive health and safety management techniques.

The conference runs from Sunday 20th August to Wednesday 23rd August at The Star on the Gold Coast.

Click Here to view the Full Program

Middlemount Coal, Operations Manager, David Champion will present on Critical Control Management:

Using Technology to Drive a Mindful Organisation – Tuesday 1.50pm

Critical control management is essential to the effectiveness of a company’s Safety and Health Management System to manage fatal risks. It is well known that the principles of a High Reliability Organisation can help to create a proactive culture of safety in the mining industry through a preoccupation for failure and a sensitivity to operations by encouraging a ‘Bad News’ is ‘Good News’ reporting methodology. But what is not so well known is the crucial role that technology can play in monitoring and verifying the effectiveness of critical controls in daily operational activities to create a truly mindful organisation.

The key benefits of technology in verifying critical control effectiveness are real-time monitoring, automated reporting and data analytics of everyday compliance activities. Advances in technology have enabled the use of mobile phones, tablets and other electronic devices to capture data, images and non-conformances of various critical control points. This information can then be analyzed by software algorithms to identify potential risk exposures and deviations from established performance standards. By leveraging technology, mining companies can quickly identify potential emerging hazards in critical control management and make data-driven decisions to learn from these identified erosion factors and help promote a more risk-aware and adaptive workforce.

The effective use of technology can improve the visibility and accountability of critical control management systems and bring substantial benefits to the organisation, including improved safety standards, better tracking and reporting of critical control measures, increased efficiency of supervision, as well as facilitation of regular continuous improvement reviews and performance evaluations. These elements are vital, particularly as the industry continues to strive to exhibit the type of mindfulness that is characteristic of High Reliability Organisations, while promoting a culture of safety based on a commitment to resilience in reducing fatal risks.

Biography

David is an experienced operations professional with a demonstrated history of safety leadership in the mining industry. David has 29 years industry experience in both coal and metals, having spent the last 15 years in senior management positions. David has held the role of Operations Manager and Site Senior Executive at Middlemount Coal since September 2021 and was previously the Project Manager and Site Senior Executive for Peabody Energy at the Millennium operation. David holds tertiary qualifications in safety, risk management, leadership, auditing, project management and surface coal mine management.

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