Mining companies need to “look under the covers” to identify workforce psychological risk markers and start to “demystify” an expanding list of potential new hazards, Rio Tinto manager occupational health Rebecca Morton-Stephens told the AusIMM’s Minesafe International Conference 2022.
“I think we have always looked at accident risk in a particular way and that’s what we have talked about to the point where all our operational leaders are health and safety professionals in a traditional sense,” Morton-Stephens said. The health and injury management specialist of 20 years was speaking on a panel focusing on the critical role of professional standards in improving mining health and safety.
“Where we have got to now is to broaden our understanding of the actual risks, so it’s not just accident risks, it’s psychosocial risks as well as bullying, sexual harassment and racism, which are the hot topics right now because there is lots of that in the media. But they aren’t the only risks that exist in that space,” she said.
The panel featured Morton-Stephens, AusIMM chief advisor, professional standards, Leigh Slomp, CSA Global manager corporate and principal consultant, Ivy Chen, and moderator, AusIMM CEO Stephen Durkin.
