Mine dust crack down planned to better protect mine workers
Steps taken to ramp up safety measures to prevent occupational lung diseases.
Rockhampton
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THE Construction Forestry Maritime Mining Energy Union has welcomed the State Government's commitment to tighter controls on mine dust to protect mine workers.
On the eve of today's Miners Memorial Day remembering mine victims, Mines Minister Anthony Lynham told parliament that the state would match new national recommended standards expected to be released by Safe Work Australia before the end of the year.
"The simplest way to prevent occupational lung diseases like black lung is to protect our miners from mine dust through the effective use of engineering controls," Dr Lynham said.
"As Queenslanders gather at Moura tomorrow (Thursday) for Miners' Memorial Day, they have an assurance that this Government will support the lower workplace exposure standards that Safe Work Australia recommends."
Rockhampton MP Barry O'Rourke sought to highlight the importance of our miners to mark Miner's Memorial Day. "Everyone in Rockhampton knows a miner. They are our sons and daughters, husband and wives, brothers and sisters, neighbours and friends," Mr O'Rourke said
"They deserve to come home safely at the end of each day.
"It is totally unacceptable that we have had six fatalities over the past 12 months."
"The health and safety of our 49,000 mine and quarry workers is paramount for the Palaszczuk Government. That is why we secured a commitment from mining and quarrying chiefs to schedule a safety reset for all workers."
He said all workers were to complete extra safety training in August and there were two independent reviews already underway and two mining safety and health advisory committees had met recently.
"The Queensland Government has been working closely with Unions and Mining Companies on new offences of "industrial manslaughter" in mining and we will work together on further reforms to strengthen the safety culture on mining and quarrying sites," Mr O'Rourke said.
"There are a lot of mining families in my electorate and they deserve to have their friends, family and loved ones come home safely after each and every shift; and that's what I have been telling the Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy, Anthony Lynham and I know that he has taken it on board.
"The health and safety of all workers is paramount for a Labor Government. I am looking forward to voting for these legislative changes in Parliament in future."
The current occupational exposure limit for respirable coal dust is 2.5mg per cubic metre.
Safe Work Australia is proposing this be reduced by 40 per cent to 1.5 mg/m3.
This commitment was the latest government reform to mine worker health and safety over the past three years which included extra powers for the mine safety regulator to issue fines without going to court for mine safety and health breaches, an increase in maximum court penalties to $4 million and sweeping changes to better prevent and detect black lung disease among coal workers and provide a safety net for affected workers including compulsory chest X-rays and special standards for medicos doing mine worker health checks.
CFMEU Mining & Energy Queensland District President Stephen Smyth said black lung was an insidious and deadly disease, taking years before symptoms started showing but once it took hold, it had a devastating impact.
"Not only does it affect the victim's capacity to work and quality of life, treatment can be very expensive. This places a huge emotional and financial strain on families," Mr Smyth said.
"The measures announced by the State Government are a step in the right direction. The Minister has recognised the problem and is genuinely committed to doing something about it."
He said a properly resourced and effectively functioning regulator was needed to provide strong enforcement on the issue.
The CFMEU and the Black Lung Victims Group have been arguing for mining companies to contribute one cent per tonne, per week, levy into an Industry Assistance Fund which would provide lifelong health care and support for dust disease victims.
LNP Shadow Minister for Mines Dale Last said the measures didn't go far enough and Labor should have backed his party's call for a Parliamentary Inquiry into mine safety to understand the industry's views about health and safety.
Mr Last was concerned that Queensland Government had slashed the state's mine inspections in Queensland by more than 500 annually and the mining safety and health advisory committee had failed to meet because its membership did not meet Labor's gender-balance requirements.
QRC Chief Executive Ian Macfarlane said the Queensland resources industry would work with the State Government on the implementation of dust standards for mines.
"We have worked cooperatively with the Government on a range of safety measures, including the response to the re-emergence of CWP through to safety resets," Mr Macfarlane said.
"Queensland's mines are covered by robust safety standards and regulations, and we want to ensure the industry continues to operate to the highest standards.
"Everyone in the resources sector from the company heads through to every worker shares the same commitment to make safety the top priority."
Miners memorial day
Date: September 19.
Why: Anniversary of the state's worst mine disaster at Mount Mulligan in FNQ on September 19, 1921, when 75 miners died.
● Today is the 44th anniversary of the Kianga disaster near Moura, when 13 workers died.
● This year the 25th anniversary of 11 men dying at Moura No. 2 coalmine.
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