• Work-related health in the high hazards sector
• Fatigue
• Information management as a control measure 
• The second industry forum for major hazard facilities
• Underground emergency response exercise
• Latest safety alerts
• International Regulators' Forum

The safety element of our work often attracts the most attention, particularly after serious workplace incidents in which workers have been killed or seriously injured. The fact is that the typical New Zealander is 10 times more likely to die from a work-related health issue than a workplace safety incident.

This is why we developed our 10-year strategic plan for work-related health. 

While our focus is on preventing catastrophic harm, our inspections will also check on how you're managing health risks. Health can have a big impact on work, and work on health.

Work-related health issues are specifically referred to in the Health and Safety at Work (Mining Operations and Quarrying Operations) Regulations 2016 (MOQO regulations). The regulations have specific requirements for managing mining-related hazards, such as coal and silica dust and also require worker health control plans in certain circumstances.

We have just published new guidance on managing health hazards in the extractives industry. The guide:

• describes the key hazards and the associated risks for workers involved in this line of work,
• explains the responsibilities of PCBUs to manage these risks effectively, and outlines practical ways this can be done,
• and provides information on health monitoring and exposure monitoring.

Fatigue

Another health-related guide that may be of interest is the quick guide on fatigue which provides information on how business and workers can manage fatigue in the workplace.

Operator fatigue is commonly identified as a factor that can contribute to catastrophic harm. Fatigue management is considered as an important control measure in the safety cases required by the Major Hazard Facility Regulations and Petroleum Regulations.

Other jurisdictions have also published guidance on fatigue management:

• UK Health and Safety Executive guidance on fatigue management for offshore oil and gas installations
• Australian National Offshore Petroleum and Environmental Management Authority’s advice on avoiding fatigue
• Western Australian Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety guidance about preventing and managing fatigue in the mining sector.

The prevention of catastrophic harm requires organisations to maintain a sense of ‘chronic unease’ about potential sources of major incidents. One way of doing this is to challenge the mental models we all hold about how these incidents arise.

High Hazard and Energy Safety Unit Information Manager Janita Stuart analysed 10 disasters including the 2010 Pike River Mine explosion and 1953 Tangiwai derailment to see how information management practices either contributed to the cause or to the severity of a range of multi-fatality disasters. Overseas disasters she analysed include the Union Carbide Bhopal chemical plant explosion in India in 1984 and the 1988 Piper Alpha oil/gas rig explosion off the coast of Scotland.

This research has been well-received in the information management profession in New Zealand, Australia and the UK - you can read the research on our website.

Take a look at your information management and how it could help or hinder you in controlling your hazards. 

Have a read of the systems theory approach of a leader in safety engineering. Professor of Aeronautics, Astronautics and Engineering Systems at the Massachuetts Institute of Technology Nancy G. Leveson. She looks at how information flows contribute to major incidents. 

The second Major Hazard Facilities Industry Forum was recently held in Auckland. Our inspectors answered questions from the industry sessions held that morning and joined in on the emergency planning and response discussion.

It's great to see such interest in the forum. A big thanks to the idustry organisers of this event. 

Anyone interested in attending the next forum can contact the organisers at: robert.hilliam@boc.com. 

How do you rescue workers trapped in an air pocket in a a flooded tunnel under construction in Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour?

This question was tackled recently by representatives from Fire and Emergency New Zealand, Police, our High Hazards Unit extractives team and mining and tunnelling companies.

The desktop exercise was based on a fictitious tunnelling scenario. The objective was to:

• test underground mine emergency protocol (UMEP) processes and procedures including role clarity, responsibilities and communications between the services and agencies
• familiarise participants with UMEP’s coordinated incident management system principles
• maintain the tunnelling sector’s emergency readiness - tunnel infrastructure investment is expected to be the largest public sector capital expenditure over the next five years
• provide mine incident controllers with experience in escalating/managing complex incidents
• test requests to government for resourcing beyond the level that the operator can provide.

The exercise consolidates previous training to ensure a viable core of appropriately qualified emergency response personnel is maintained.

Extractives Deputy Chief Inspector Dave Bellett said that evaluation conducted after the exercise identified improvement opportunities for future exercises. He said that emergencies services commented on the value of running practices because they cemented relationships with mining and tunnelling companies. Good relationships before an emergency help to avoid confusion of roles if a real event occured.

In future exerises, the High Hazards Unit extractives team will consider adding simulated reporters to add another dimension to what the incident teams have to deal with.

The extractives team has recently published its fifth safety alert for the year. We are publishing the alerts in response to a desire from the extractives and quarrying sectors for more timely information about lessons learnt from workplace incidents.

The two most recent alerts covered multiple incidents involving large vehicles:

• collisions in mines and quarries
• working near water

The three other alerts involve single incidents:

• explosion at mine site
• hydraulic power pack ram rupture
• highwall failure

Petroleum and Geothermal representatives will attend the International Regulators’ Forum (IRF) annual general meeting in Copenhagen in October. General Manager, High Hazards and Energy Safety Wayne Vernon and Deputy Chief Inspector High Hazards Donna Ellis will present an update and contribute to discussion on the progress on IRF workgroups on:

• performance measures
• asset integrity
• safety culture and standards.

New Zealand particularly benefits from our involvement with the IRF as we share understanding of regulatory issues with organisations who have a far larger oil sector, and therefore have experience of dealing with a wide range of safety and regulatory issues.

A good recent example is the United States’ Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement sharing their experience of the decommissioning of offshore platforms.

The Geothermal Operators and Contractors’ Forum was welcomed back in Taupo last month, after a lengthy hiatus.

The forum is an excellent opportunity for geothermal industry stakeholders to meet and discuss common issues.

Approximately 60 geothermal operators, contractors and service companies attended.

Our Specialist Inspector Michael Mathews presented on learnings from our engagement with the geothermal industry over the past year. The audience was particularly interested in:

• asset integrity, particularly in late-life facilities
• management of organisational and procedural changes
• permit to work systems.

We are looking to develop safety alerts for the petroleum and geothermal sector following industry feedback at the forum that members want to receive more on-going feedback on incident learnings from us, similar to the High Hazard Unit’s extractives sector safety alerts. 

Contact Energy also presented on its journey moving from investigations to learning, as did Mercury Energy on change management, detailing failures and successes managing non-routine work.