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Chapter 2
Health, Safety and
Environment
2.1. Occupational health and
safety
Role of The AusIMM
The Australasian Institute of Mining and
Metallurgy (The AusIMM), in line with other
professional organisations, has a philosophy that
members and particularly senior professionals
should have a program in place to maintain
their competency to undertake their duties
and participate in related professional activity.
Membership of professional organisations
provides managers and employees with a level
of confidence in the technical capabilities of
professional staff.
The AusIMM is the peak body for professionals
in the minerals sector. The Institute comprises
over 10 000 professionally qualified individuals
and technologists, as well as students under-
taking studies that will qualify them for a
minerals sector role. Over a fifth of Institute
members work outside Australia.
The core elements of professionalism are
adherence to a professional Code of Ethics1,
and a commitment to continuing professional
development. This recognises the special
responsibility professional qualified persons
1. The full Code of Ethics can be obtained from The
AusIMM web site.
2. The AusIMM CPD guidelines can be obtained from
The AusIMM web site.
3. Further information including an application form
is available from The AusIMM web site.
Chapter02.indd 7
in the minerals sector have in relation to the
environment and the community by virtue of
their technical expertise.
The Code of Ethics1 represents the core values
of The AusIMM and all members are bound by
this Code. The AusIMM Code of Ethics has as its
first principle:
The safety, health and welfare of
the community shall be the prime
responsibility of members of The
AusIMM in the conduct of their
professional activities.
All members of The AusIMM are able to
commit to continuing professional development
(CPD)2. The AusIMM Chartered Professional
(CP) program acknowledges members who
actively undertake ongoing continuing profess-
ional development by providing them with
an additional post nominal – CP. To obtain
CP, a member must demonstrate professional
standards in a discipline and then work to
undertake an average of at least 50 hours per
year of CPD. AusIMM members can obtain CP in
a variety of disciplines including mining, geology,
geotechnical, environment and management.3
Safety, health and risk management are key
elements in demonstrating competency. For
instance, under the geology discipline a successful
CP is expected to demonstrate experience for at
least five years, in a range of areas including:
Formulation and implementation of
safety and health management systems,
plans and procedures, facilitating
safety and health reviews and auditing
processes …
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 CHAPTER 2 – health, safety and environment
The CP must then demonstrate ongoing CPD
through keeping records for regular audits
undertaken by The AusIMM.
Membership of The AusIMM not only
demonstrates the commitment of a technically
qualified professional to ongoing continuing
professional development, but provides extensive
resources to support this commitment. Members
have access to information sources – technical
publications and journals, industry networks
and technical conferences, and critically,
mentors. Meanwhile, CP status provides explicit
recognition of a professionally qualified person’s
competency, demonstrating a clear commitment
to maintaining professional competency to a
recognised standard.
Across the globe communities and govern-
ments have an expectation that professionals
in the minerals industry will uphold the highest
standards of professionalism and ethics. As
technical solutions are increasingly key to meeting
a range of environmental and social challenges,
as well as the challenges of discovering new
orebodies, professional geologists are expected
to keep themselves up-to-date and undertake
further learning as their career changes. This has
clear benefits for the member, their employer
and the community.
Introduction to health and safety
The exploration and mining environment
contains many hazards that are both natural
and manufactured. The hazards occur within
the defined mine site environment as well as
within exploration areas and embrace all types of
environmental and terrain conditions.
As a minerals industry professional, every
geologist, who has a level of responsibility for
their own safety or for the safety of others, needs
to gain an appreciation of the nature of the
hazards that have potential to or have proved
to have resulted in work-related fatality, injury,
disease and ill-health. The professional geologist
needs to be a part of a system that addresses the
risk associated with site hazards and to develop
strategies to effectively manage and control these
risks.
Hazard identification and risk management
includes personal safety and the safety of
colleagues and persons under supervision.
Geologists need to consider a further level
of professional input to compile and analyse
geological information for use by mining
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Chapter02.indd 8
engineers and mine managers, and to assess
and manage their risk associated with geological
hazards. Not only does technical data need to be
compiled but there is also a need to assess the
reliability of such data and the likely range of
adverse outcomes possible within error limits of
the data collected.
The approach to hazard identification relies
heavily on records of adverse health and safety
conditions and provides for a classification
based on damaging energy, environmental and
biological hazards.
Regulation and standards
All geologists working at mines and in exploration
areas are subject to a complex array of mining
health and safety legislation and related
requirements. The complexity of this regulatory
framework is a function of the diverse nature
of mining industry hazards and the extent to
which these hazards are translated into fatalities
and serious injuries. The prevailing legislation
of all jurisdictions is based on ‘duty of care’
and risk management systems. These systems
include hazard identification, implementation
of suitable controls, monitoring and review to
evaluate effectiveness, and implementation of
improvements.
The definitive reference on occupational health
and safety management systems is the standard
AS/NZS 4804 (Standards Australia, 2001). This
standard is supported by a further standard,
AS 4801 (Standards Australia, 2001), which
provides guidance in relation to undertaking
audits in relation to AS/NZS 4804. Further
advice in relation to risk management systems
is provided in AS/NZS 4360 Risk management
guidance (Standards Australia, 2004). This
standard promotes the concept that risk
management should be applied at all stages in
the life of an activity, function, project, product or
asset. The maximum benefit is usually obtained
by applying the risk management process from
the beginning. Often a number of discrete
studies are carried out at different times, and
from strategic and operational perspectives. The
process described applies to the management
of both potential gains and potential losses.
Related standards include ISO 31000:2009 Risk
management – principles and guidelines, and HB
436 Risk management guidelines – companion
to AS/NZS 4360.
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Standards Australia provide a wide range Identification of hazards

of standards that apply to specific work
environments and their web site should be
consulted for relevant material.
In a practical sense, the legislation obliges
persons who have control over the activities
of themselves and others to regularly review
hazards and their controls on their site, as well as
keep up to date with hazards that have emerged
in other sites with similar risk profiles. Such a
review needs to consider the various hazards in
relation to the following considerations:
For an occupational health and safety
management system to be effective, it is essential
to have an understanding of the biological,
psychological and social aspects of the individual
(and group) and the hazards to which they may
be exposed in the work environment. While
health professionals need to be consulted in
relation to human issues, designers, managers
and their technical advisers need to develop an
appreciation of potential hazards and the ways in
which they may be controlled.

•• What are the controls used to manage the Tables 2.1.1 and 2.1.2 outline firstly categories
and then industry-related examples based on
hazards?
energy damage criteria. This concept is used
•• How effective is the monitoring of the in many industries and largely follows issues
controls? identified in the 2010 Safety Institute of Australia
•• How effective are the controls? ‘Body of Knowledge’ project.
•• How effective is remediation when the Effective understanding of how injury and/or
controls fail? ill-health occur is required to identify hazards
and act proactively to prevent future incidents.
•• How effective is supervision?
‘Hazard’ is defined as a source of potential harm
•• How can supervision be improved? in the Australian Standards, and ‘risk’ is the
•• How effective is training? chance or probability that a person, equipment
or the environment is harmed or damaged if
•• How can training be improved?
exposed to the hazard.
For example, a standard for health and safety
There are numerous categories of damaging
management on exploration sites is set by the
energies and these are used to identify the
Queensland mining safety and health legislation
particular energy that has produced damage (an
(administered currently by the Department injury, ill-health or loss).
of Employment, Economic Development and
Each of the energies listed below have
Innovation), which requires site exploration
subgroups. For instance ‘Other energies’ include
managers to have the same competency and
the following:
obligations of site senior executives on mine
sites. This legislation obliges the managers to •• 11-1 Biological energy.
ensure hazards are identified and health and •• 11-2 Biochemical energy.
safety management systems are developed and •• 11-3 Animal energy.
implemented. In addition, persons need to be •• 11-4 Atmospheric pressure energy.
properly trained and supervised. •• 11-5 Pressure energy.

FIGURE 2.1.1
Risk Management Process Model (AS/NZS 4360).

Establish the context

Communicate and consult

Monitor and review

Identify risks

Analyse risks

Evaluate risks
Assess risks

Treat risks

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 CHAPTER 2 – health, safety and environment
TABLE 2.1.1
Categories of damaging energy.
1. Human energy 6. Electrical energy
2. Gravitational energy 7. Thermal energy
3. Vehicular energy 8. Chemical energy
4. Machine energy 9. Radiation energy
5. Object energy 10. Noise energy
Ongoing learning and further reading
In developing and reviewing site specific
procedures and standards, senior exploration
and technical managers need to review current
standards and from there, build their own
programs. A useful starting point is the mineral
exploration safety guidance note (Department
of Employment, Economic Development and
Innovation, Queensland, 2004). This reference
provides a standard for operators by providing a
simple reference or checklist of safety issues that
should be considered when planning field work.
The Mineral Industry Safety and Health Centre
(MISHC, 2010) has undertaken numerous
industry-wide safety and injury prevention
projects. Much of this work is freely available on
the MISHC web site. Some of this work reflects
the emerging technology that is a character of the
mining and exploration industries.
While not specific to mining or exploration, the
general health and safety literature linked to the
Safety Institute of Australia should be reviewed
where impacts may be high, the problem is
persistent, mining health and safety data is
inadequate and the latency times relating to the
disorder are long.
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11. Other energy
12. Susceptible part
13. Specialised shape
14. Insufficient information
15. Disasters (potential/multiple fatalities)
Conclusion on health and safety
management
With the benefit of the experience gained from
a series of events that have resulted in multiple
fatalities, the regulators have changed the
approach to health and safety management.
The emphasis has moved away from old
style prescriptive regulation toward enabling
legislation that imposes obligations on employers
and employees and establishes a health and
safety system framework. The measure of good
performance is not that an operator has a health
and safety management system but rather that
the operator has processes in place that can
review current performance of systems and
implement improvements. The desired objective
is to ensure the site or enterprise achieves
improved outcomes and risk management in
relation to work-related fatality, injury, disease
and ill-health. As a key operator, the field
geologist can play an important role in ensuring
the safety, health and welfare of the community
in which professional activity is undertaken.
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Chapter02.indd 11

TABLE 2.1.2
Schedule detailing examples of hazards based on damaging energy criteria.

Damaging energy Damaging energy mechanism Examples of hazards (the potential for harm)
category
Activity: underground mining and exploration
Human energy Lifting, carrying, slip/trip, impact body part. Hitting head, uneven ground.
Gravitational energy Falling: same level, from height. Falling objects. Rockfall, falling from ladder.
Single vehicle accident, collision with other vehicle or
Vehicular energy Hit by vehicle, collision when in vehicle.

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Access to pedestrian, vibration/jolt on uneven ground.
workplace No or recirculating ventilation, high humidity with high
Thermal energy Prolonged exposure to hot/cold environments.
temperature.
Chemical/radiation Damage from inhalation or absorption and contact
Entering old workings (unventilated), radon daughters.
energy effects. Oxygen deprivation.
Human energy Overexertion, awkward or repetitive work. Heavy lifting.
Gravitational energy Fall of ground. Rockfall from roof or sidewall.
Object energy Impact/crushed by object. Struck by hammer/flailing hose.
Direct contact with moving parts of hand-held/portable
Channel Machine energy Sleeve caught in rotating power tool.
tools.
sampling and
geological Penetrate electrical cable with tools, faulty electrical
Electrical energy Contact with electrical power cables.
mapping equipment.
Working adjacent to ventilation fan or active equipment
Noise energy Exposure to noise.
(drill).
Low velocity objects (failure to wear personal protective Dust or foreign object in eye. Skin damage from abrasion,
Susceptible parts
equipment). lung damage from inhalation of smoke/dust/vapour.
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Unplanned initiation of explosives, unauthorised entry to

Explosions.
blasting zone.
Structural collapse. Pillar failure, gas outburst, seismic event.
Other
potential Fires. Vehicle fire.
underground Disasters Accessing old workings. Surface inundation from river/
mining Flood/inrush.
tailings dam.
hazards
Toxic atmospheres. Entering recently blasted area. Smoke from tyres on fire.
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Working alone, no communications, fall of ground, gas

Lost/trapped.
11

outburst, fire, no alternative egress.

Chapter02.indd 12

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Damaging energy Damaging energy mechanism Examples of hazards (the potential for harm)
category
Activity: surface mining and exploration
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Lifting, carrying, slip/trip, impact body part with object. Carrying/moving/pushing/pulling/lifting heavy loads.
Human energy Cumulative damage through awkward or sustained work Overstressing body-parts. Uneven ground, swamps, hill
postures or repetitive work. climbs.
Falling: same level or from height. Falling or toppling Concealed shafts. Working under highwall or bench,

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Gravitational energy
objects. climbing rock face. Tyre change.
Single vehicle accident, collision with other vehicle or
Hit by vehicle. Too fast on dirt roads. Excessive speed.
Vehicular energy pedestrian or animals, vibration/jolt on uneven ground.
Inattention. Excessive driving periods. Driving when tired.
In vehicle during collision/rollover.
Falling tree, swinging crane load, hammer blow. Hunters
Access to Object energy Impact/trapped/crushed by object. Projectiles.
(firearms).
workplace
Machine energy Direct contact with moving parts of plant. Replacing vehicle fan belt.
High humidity with high temperature. Camping in
Thermal energy Prolonged exposure to hot/cold environments.
inclement weather.
Damage from inhalation or absorption and contact Entering cave, adit. Sampling asbestiform or siliceous
Chemical energy
effects. Oxygen deprivation. minerals.
Exposure to natural or instrument-generated UV
Radiation energy Sunburn. Eye damage.
radiation.
Damage from excessive sound pressure of varying Continuous or medium to high intensity exposure to radio,
Noise energy
intensities and exposure. MP3 players or machine noise.
Lifting, carrying, slip/trip, impact body part with object. Carrying/moving/pushing/pulling/lifting heavy loads/
Human energy Cumulative damage through awkward or sustained work rods. Overstressing body-parts. Uneven/unstable/
Core shed/ postures or repetitive work. overgrown ground or diggings.
exploration Slips and falls rearwards, or rolled ankle from rough Working in and around stacked core boxes. Traversing
/geological Gravitational energy ground or stepping on edge. Falls while ascending/ broken rock/scree. Running (drill) rods. Poor lighting. Wet
mapping descending. Falls from +2.1 m. Impacted by falling object. ground/wet rocks.
Vehicle collides with pedestrian, eg forklift. Rolled vehicle,
Vehicular energy Damage caused by vehicle.
crushing when vehicle on jack collapses.
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Damaging energy Damaging energy mechanism Examples of hazards (the potential for harm)
category
Activity: surface mining and exploration
Impact/trapped or crushed by object. Imparted pressure Hydraulic hose failure. Pressure vessels exposed to heat.
Object energy
energy, imparted tension/compression. Vegetation clearing (axe, machete).
Direct contact with moving parts of hand-held/portable Loose sleeves using rotating power tool. Vibration on drill
Machine energy
tools/drill. deck, using chainsaw. Core cutting saws.

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Penetrate electrical cable with tools. Unearthed electrical
Electrical energy Contact with electrical power cables.
tools.
Core shed/ Contact with hot/cold objects. Exposure to environmental Metal exposed to sun. Unprotected exposure to sun, wind,
exploration Thermal energy
heat/cold. cold.
/geological
mapping Chemical energy Damage from inhalation, absorption or contact Drilling, sample preparation or analysis.
Noise energy Continuous exposure. Exploration drilling equipment.
Low velocity objects (failure to wear personal protective Dust or foreign object in eye. Exposed skin. Lung damage
Susceptible parts
equipment). from inhalation of smoke/dust/vapour.
Wildlife, including bats, snakes, mosquitoes, parasites,
Animal/biological Damage from interaction with animals and insects or
ticks, leaches. Wading or swimming in freshwater rivers,
energy disease.
ponds. Ross River fever, typhoid, bilharzia.
Explosions. Geoseismic field work.
Bush fire, vehicle fire. Accommodation, eg hotels, places of
Fires.
entertainment.
Flood. Fast rising/flowing river to cross. Deep ford/river crossing.
Other
Field Geologists’ Manual

Toxic atmospheres. Smoke from bushfire, confined space.

potential
surface Disasters Cyclone, high winds, blocked progress (fallen tree, swollen
Storm or tempest.
mining river).
hazards Carrying firearms (for personal protection against wild
Firearms (accidental discharge).
animals, eg wild boars). Hunters.
Adverse weather for helicopter/light aircraft. Inadequately
Aircraft accident.
prepared helicopter landing pads.
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Environmental. Transporting hazardous substances.

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Damaging energy Damaging energy mechanism Examples of hazards (the potential for harm)
category
Activity: office and administration (including field activities)
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Heavy lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying requiring
Human energy
strong effort. Impact body with object, repetitive work.
Fall (slip or trip) of person on level or ascending/
Gravitational energy
descending ground.
Poor ergonomics, cluttered workstation. Poor illumination,
insufficient area to work.
Leaning back or faulty chair. Stairs. Tripping on poorly
secured power cords. Falling off ladders.

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Machine energy Contact with moving parts. Paper jam in copying machine or printer.
Machine energy imparted, pressure energy imparted, or
Object energy Stapler, guillotine, scissors, slamming door.
tension/compression imparted.
Contact via portable extensions or appliances (tools). Power leads, changing light bulbs or fuses, exposure to live
Electrical energy
Contact via power or lighting circuits. wires or contacts.
Chemical energy Inhalation, contact, ingestion, injection or absorption. Stored hazardous substance, smoking.
Office/ Biological/ Food stored too long, air conditioning (Legionnaire’s
admin. Biological or biochemical activity from airborne, ingested
biochemical/ disease). Poor housekeeping. Poor sanitation. Undercooked
or animal source.
animal energy meat and food. Spiders, snakes.
Working under stress, sleep deprivation, drugs or alcohol.
Susceptible parts Damage to eyes, skin, lungs or other major organs.
Exposure to chemicals.
Temporary camp, use of paraffin lamps, gas bottles,
Fire/explosions.
campfire cooking.
Large structural collapse/cave in (subsidence) or
Offices/camp adjacent to mining operations.
Disasters landslide.
Flood/cyclone. Limited outside communications/weather forecasts.
Management/contractor failure. No management system in place. Little quality control/
documentation or backup systems.
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 CHAPTER 2 – health, safety and environment
2.2. COMMUNITY AND
ENVIRONMENT
Introduction
Poorly planned exploration activities can affect
the quality of geological data gathered, as well as
having the potential to significantly impact the
health and safety of employees and contractors,
damage the environment, adversely affect local
communities and other stakeholders. The end
result may then be death or injury, costs to
rehabilitate environmental damage, damage
to the company’s reputation, increased costs
associated with resampling and, ultimately, the
delay of mining projects.
Government approvals require a range of risks
to be identified and managed before an exploration
program is approved. Although governments
may not specify a particular management system,
the AS/NZS ISO 31000:2009 Risk management
– principles and guidelines are useful, together
with the AS/NZS ISO 14001:2004 series, which
describes a practical environmental management
system model that covers risks, implementation
programs, monitoring and review.
Once an exploration program is proposed,
a review of legal compliance issues is required
followed by a hazard identification and risk
assessment of health, safety, environmental,
social and community issues. Significant
risks must then be eliminated or managed to
minimise negative impacts. It is important to
ensure that employees and contractors know
their accountabilities and risk management
controls, and that they are adequately trained to
carry out the exploration activities in a safe and
responsible manner.
This section covers some of the major
environmental and community risks that may
need to be managed during an exploration
project and should be read in conjunction with
the previous section, plus The AusIMM’s Field
Guide for Geoscientists and Technicians, which
has been written by experienced practitioners
and contains practical on-the-ground advice
about conducting a successful field program.
Sustainable development in mineral
exploration
Sustainable development was defined in the
United Nation’s report of the World Commission
on Environment and Development: Our
Common Future in 1987 as:
Chapter02.indd 15
… development that meets the needs of
the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet
their own needs (Bruntland, 1987).
In the past there have been many examples of
exploration activities that have caused ongoing
environmental and community problems for
future generations. These have included:
•• acid forming drill chips left on the soil surface,
contaminating soil and water and promoting
the establishment of weeds;
•• saline groundwater and drill muds
contaminating soils and surface waters;
•• damage to or contamination of important
aquifers;
•• introduction of weed seeds on drill rigs and
other machinery;
•• death to small native fauna and serious injury
to grazing stock from open drill holes;
•• erosion around drill holes that have been left
unplugged; and
•• erosion of access tracks that have been poorly
designed and left unrehabilitated.
More recently we have seen environmental
and community disasters such as the Sidoarjo
mud volcano in East Java, Indonesia, where an
exploration gas well in this geologically active
region is believed to have triggered a mud flow
in May 2006. The mud flow has been estimated
to continue for a further 25 to 30 years (Davies
et al, 2011).
The International Council on Mining and
Metals (ICMM) was established in 2001 to act
as a catalyst for performance improvement.
In May 2003, ICMM’s CEO-led Council
committed corporate members to implementing
and measuring their performance against ten
principles. The principles are based upon the
issues identified in the Mining, Minerals and
Sustainable Development (MMSD) project – a
two-year consultation process with stakeholders
to identify the issues relating to sustainable
development in the mining and minerals sector.
Principles 3, 9 and 10 relate to stakeholder
engagement, respecting cultures, development
of local communities and communication:
•• Principle 3: Uphold fundamental human
rights and respect cultures, customs and
values in dealings with employees and others
who are affected by our activities. Follow
government employment regulations, engage
and consult with local communities, carry
out ethnographic and archaeological surveys
as required.
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 CHAPTER 2 – health, safety and environment
••Principle 9: Contribute to the social, eco-
nomic and institutional development of the
communities in which we operate. Develop
a policy of dealing with local suppliers
and contractors where possible. Provide
employment and training opportunities to
local communities where possible.
••Principle 10: Implement effective and
transparent engagement, communication
and independently verified reporting
arrangements with our stakeholders.
Principle 6 is applicable to environmental
management during exploration activities:
•• Principle 6: Seek continual improvement of
our environmental performance. Assess the
positive and negative, the direct and indirect,
and the cumulative environmental impacts
of new projects – from exploration through
closure. Implement an environmental
management system focused on continual
improvement to review, prevent, mitigate or
ameliorate adverse environmental impacts.
Rehabilitate land disturbed or occupied by
operations in accordance with appropriate
post-mining land uses. Provide for safe
storage and disposal of residual wastes
and process residues. Design and plan all
operations so that adequate resources are
available to meet the closure requirements of
all operations.
Legal requirements and approvals
Prior to commencing an exploration program,
the applicable state regulatory authority should
be contacted to determine the approvals
required. It is common for applications to
contain information about the type and scope
of exploration work proposed, including: maps,
costeans/rotary/diamond drilling, presence of
environmentally sensitive areas, proposed land
clearing, time frame, hazard management,
access agreements, community consultation and
land rehabilitation.
Government advice should be sought regarding
the need to conduct surveys, which may be
required to identify archaeological and ethno-
graphic sites, artefacts and vegetation types.
Local government may also have regulations
that must be followed relating to issues such as
waste and weed management.
Land access
Advice from government departments will be
required when determining the land title, which
16 Field Geologists’ Manual
Chapter02.indd 16
specifies who owns the land and whether there
is a lease over the land. Land may be freehold,
Commonwealth, or State owned and may be
subject to a range of zoning conditions. This
information will guide the approvals process
discussed above.
The presence of telecommunication, water and
electrical services on the land should also be
determined, including the presence and location
of buried services.
Native title
To find out whether an area of land or water is
affected either by a native title determination or
existing indigenous land use agreement (ILUA), a
request can be made to search the public register
of the National Native Title Tribunal (NNTT).
The Commonwealth Native Title Act 1993
(NTA) provides for Indigenous Land Use
Agreements (ILUAs) to be made between native
title holders or claimants and other interested
parties about how land and waters in the area
covered by the agreement will be used and
managed in the future.
ILUAs can provide for the grant and renewal
of mining, petroleum and exploration tenements
and the grant of fossicking licences.
Once an ILUA is authorised by the native
title parties, then signed by all parties, it is
lodged with the Native Title Tribunal (NNTT)
for registration. The registration may take up
to six months, which includes a three month
notification period. After the ILUA is registered
the authorised future activities may then proceed.
Importantly, once an ILUA is registered
with the NNTT it has the same status as a legal
contract, binding all native title parties to the
terms of the agreement, including those who
may not have been identified at the time the
agreement was made. This provision gives
everyone the certainty and security they need to
conduct an exploration program.
Stakeholder engagement
Basic community consultation is required to
develop land access agreements; however, the
expectation of governments, communities and
other stakeholders in many areas now requires
much greater consultation to take place. The
stakeholders must be identified at the start of
a project to ensure adequate consultation has
taken place. These stakeholders may include, but
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 CHAPTER 2 – health, safety and environment
are not limited to: federal and state government
departments, landholders, leaseholders, comm-
unity groups, non-government organisations,
schools and other training facilities, hospitals
and other mining companies in the area.
The benefits of a rigorous stakeholder
engagement program were summarised by
Richard Aldous in the foreword to ‘Community
Engagement Guidelines for Mining and Mineral
Exploration in Victoria’, where he stated:
Good community engagement ... makes
sense on a practical level – it reduces
risks, improves decision making and
ultimately enhances outcomes.
There are many suitable guidelines to
assist companies to develop and undertake a
stakeholder engagement program. Some are
listed in Chapter 15: Resources, Templates and
Further Reading.
Landholder relations
Day-to-day relations with landholders, or lease-
holders, during an exploration project requires
preagreed terms to ensure all activities are agreed
upon. Phone numbers should be exchanged and
radio channels for communicating should be
discussed. A regular meeting schedule should
be agreed upon and the best method and time to
contact land/leaseholders confirmed.
Some of the typical areas that require
negotiation include:
•• Noise: agree upon the location of drill pads
and the hours of operation. State and local
governments have noise regulations that
must be complied with.
•• Vehicle movements: agree upon access
tracks to be used, hours of activities, speed
limits and how the company vehicles will be
identifiable, eg with company logos.
•• Stock: determine where stock is located, and
the location of areas to avoid, such as feeding
and watering points. Ensure excavations are
protected by stock-proof fences and chemicals
and wastes are secure from animals.
•• Water: agree upon a source of fresh water if
available.
•• Waste: agree upon waste management
procedures, eg drill muds and chips should
be buried and other wastes collected for off-
site disposal.
•• Dust: adhere to speed limits around
homesteads to reduce dust generation, use
a water truck to dampen roads and tracks if
required, utilise drill rig dust suppression.
Chapter02.indd 17
•• Fences and gates: agree on access points and
gates that are to be locked, left open or closed.
•• Goodwill: there may be opportunities for
company goodwill during the project, such as
drill holes that produce good quality water,
which may be useful to land/leaseholders as
bores and earthmoving equipment brought
in for rehabilitation work may be made avail-
able to the land/leaseholder for small jobs.
Environment management system
A company must make a commitment to
sustainable development and stakeholder
engagement for the following reasons:
•• it sends a clear message to employees and
contractors that these issues are important to
the company,
•• it shows stakeholders that the company is
committed to addressing issues that affect
them, and
•• it demonstrates to potential investors that
the company plans to work in an ethical
manner and that exposure to government
fines for pollution will be minimised and
that achieving a ‘social licence to operate’ is
a priority.
This commitment is commonly made in the
form of a written policy signed by the managing
director or chief executive officer, which is then
displayed in workplaces and on the company’s
web site and included in employment contracts
and contracts for service.
It is essential to have clear lines of
communication and a management hierarchy,
and to clearly spell out the accountabilities and
responsibilities of all employees and contractors,
usually by written job descriptions. A regular
‘toolbox’ meeting provides a forum for discussion
of safety and environmental issues and allows for
quick resolution of issues and feedback to
personnel.
State legislation and regulations outline the
legal requirements for exploration programs
and many state governments have exploration
guidelines. The hazards particular to an
exploration program should be identified,
relevant risks assessed and then recorded in a
risk register.
The management of risks will be dependent
upon their significance. Significant risks will
require management controls such as plans and/
or procedures and personnel must be trained
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 CHAPTER 2 – health, safety and environment
in their implementation. The controls are to be
assessed by monitoring their effectiveness using
tools such as checklists, inspections, audits and
photographs and monitoring records are to be
kept to demonstrate compliance.
Land disturbance
A well-planned exploration program will ensure
land disturbance is kept to a minimum, which will
reduce environmental impacts and rehabilitation
costs. Past exploration work often started in the
field with a dozer pushing a deep track through
the bush. Today track construction may be as
minimal as removing a few branches or rocks
to allow vehicles access to an area, or in highly
sensitive areas, access may be via helicopter.
When planning locations for drill pads,
topographical maps and aerial photographs
should be consulted. Discussions with the
landholder can identify areas of soft sand, erosive
soil and the location of existing tracks that can be
used for access.
In the past a poorly constructed track might
have been put in with a dozer straight up a hill,
resulting in deep erosion gullies forming after
the first rain storm. Costly remediation work
and delays will result from this type of practice.
The same problems occur with a track pushed
through a swampy or marshy area. After the
first rain the track will become impassable and a
new track must be constructed around the area.
Erosion gullies and damage to sensitive areas are
almost impossible to remediate but are easily
avoided when planned correctly.
Other impacts such as topsoil disturbance
and soil compaction are inevitable but can be
minimised by stockpiling and respreading topsoil
after disturbance, and by ripping or scarifying
compacted soil before reseeding.
Other ways to minimise environmental impacts
is to ensure that personnel are made aware of
approved access tracks and the requirement to
remain on the designated tracks and not to make
new ones or take short cuts.
Rehabilitation objectives also need to specify
the post-disturbance land use agreed upon with
government regulators and landholders.
Weeds
Each Australian state has a list of declared
weeds that have been recognised as pest species.
Declared weeds may impact upon:
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Chapter02.indd 18
1. agricultural crop quantity by competing for
nutrients and water,
2. crop quality by contaminating the crop with
foreign seed,
3. burrs may injure native and production
animals and decrease the quality of fleece,
4. animals due to weed toxicity, and
5. native vegetation due to competition from
the weed, thus decreasing the biodiversity of
an area.
During the planning stage of an exploration
program the state government departments
responsible for weed management and local
government should be contacted regarding what
declared weed species occur in the area and
how they are to be managed. Procedures and
record keeping for vehicle cleaning may need to
be developed and personnel awareness training
may need to be undertaken. Areas of infestation
should be avoided where possible to avoid the
transportation of seeds.
Disturbed and compacted soil is an attractive
growth medium for some weed species that
thrive in this soil, which otherwise may not
be suitable for native plants. Care should be
taken to minimise the area of soil disturbance
and rehabilitation work should be undertaken
as soon as possible to remediate drill pads and
tracks back to their original condition. Drill chips
of highly mineralised material are also attractive
to weed species and often unsuitable for local
species.
Some weed seeds will attach to equipment and
must be removed by thorough vehicle and equip-
ment cleaning before entering a weed free area to
avoid the transfer of weeds.
Once weeds have been brought into an area
by exploration activities, the cost to control
them can be very high, due to the high cost of
chemicals, labour, equipment hire, monitoring
activities and the fact that control programs may
have to run for several years.
Relations with landholders regarding weed
management is critical as their livelihood may
be adversely impacted by weed presence and the
cost of weed control.
Waste management
The perfect exploration program will not leave
any wastes on site. For drilling wastes such as
drill mud, best practice is to let the material
dry, remove the plastic liner and cover the sump
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 CHAPTER 2 – health, safety and environment
with subsoil followed by topsoil. Sumps should
be fenced when drying to keep stock and native
animals out. A stick can be placed in the sump to
allow small animals to climb out if they fall in.
Excess groundwater must be managed to avoid
pollution of soil and surface waters. Testing of
groundwater quality should be carried out and
compared to guidelines such as the Australian
and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and
Marine Water Quality (ANZECC, 2000).
Drill chips should be placed back down the
hole or buried. Highly mineralised material can
still be seen on the surface in old exploration
areas, sometimes hosting weeds and often
contaminating surface water run-off.
General waste should be collected in a manner
that reduces the risk of wind-blown waste and
scavenging by feral and native animals. This
waste should not be buried but should be taken
to a local landfill.
Recyclable materials should be kept separate
and recycled where possible, including oils
and grease. The local government should be
contacted regarding waste disposal and recycling
facilities in the area.
Emergency preparedness
Risk assessments should identify potential
emergency situations, which may include
bushfires, chemical spills and working in remote
locations.
Preparations for emergency situations require
the development of emergency response plans,
which will include details of communication,
training and emergency equipment if required.
Chapter02.indd 19
When working in remote locations, employers
must consider how employees and contractors
will respond to hazards, including injuries,
becoming lost, heat management, electrical
storms and bushfires.
A major proportion of rural vehicle accidents
arise from inexperienced driving on gravel
roads. Advanced driver training courses that
have specific emphasis on gravel road driving
safety should be undertaken by employees and
contractors driving under these conditions.
Western Australia’s RAC has a good overview of
safe ‘country driving’ on its web site. Four wheel
drive training and vehicle recovery should also
be provided to applicable personnel.
The Australian National Immunisation
Program Schedule should be followed together
with guidelines for travellers to reduce the risk of
disease while working in the field. Health advice
and the security status of individual overseas
countries should be checked on the Australian
government’s ‘smart traveller’ web site.
Contractor management
Field work supervisors should ensure that both
employees and contractors meet the minimum
skill, experience and qualification requirements
for field work activities. Induction training in
the company’s health, safety, environment and
community management system is essential.
Contractors should be regularly monitored
to ensure they are complying with company
requirements.
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