Rich vein of data for the Queensland Mining Industry Safety Reporting Survey

Commissioner for Resources Safety and Health Kate du Preez said the highest proportion of completed surveys has come from surface coal mines, with surface minerals and underground coal mines rounding out the top three.

“This is in line with industry workforce distribution and each sector is performing exceptionally well,” Kate said.

“However, the standout performer so far has been the quarrying industry which has accounted for seven per cent of total responses, but only makes up three per cent of the industry.”

Kate said more than 55 per cent of responses had come from frontline workers, with 23 per cent of responses coming from frontline leaders such as supervisors, deputies and open cut examiners, and 17 per cent from senior leaders, such as site senior executives, managers and superintendents.

“There has been great response from people with all levels of experience, age groups, and gender, including those who have only been in industry a few years,” she said.

"Initial data is being processed by my office and already shows valuable insights into what is working well and what can be improved.

“We are eager to explore the full data set once the survey is complete and start the journey with the advisory committees and industry towards improvement.”

The Queensland Mining Industry Safety Reporting Survey aims to understand the state of the safety reporting culture in the mining industry by identifying the opportunities and barriers to achieving a responsive and effective safety reporting culture.

The survey will independently survey workers in Queensland's coal mining and mineral mining and quarrying industries to establish a baseline of the safety behaviours exhibited at mine and quarry sites.

It will also provide valuable insights and focus areas for industry and the advisory committees to drive continuous improvement in safety reporting culture.

“A survey like this has not been attempted in the Queensland mining industry before, so it is a vitally important piece of work for the industry,” Kate said.

“I encourage every person who works at a mine or quarry or in exploration, from operators to the site senior executive or mine manager to complete it.

“A positive safety reporting culture is an essential element of any safe and healthy workplace and requires a commitment to engagement, learning and continuous improvement.

“This survey presents an opportunity for sites to take some time to sit down and have a conversation about safety and I encourage all sites to participate.”

The survey was developed in collaboration with the Coal Mining Safety and Health Advisory Committee and the Mining Safety and Health Advisory Committee and is split into sections which ask workers about safety behaviours demonstrated by their team, their supervisors, and their managers at their worksite.

Privacy and confidentiality are paramount in this process, and the survey does not ask for any personal information that could be used to identify workers.

The survey is available online or in hard copy and takes 10–15 minutes to complete.

For more information or to receive a survey link go to https://www.commissioner.rshq.qld.gov.au/safety-survey.