The Western Australian Department of Mines and Petroleum has ramped up efforts to ensure that the safety of the state’s 11,000 underground mine workers are ensured through proper ventilation practices.

 

The department’s Resources Safety Executive Director Simon Ridge said underground mines relied heavily on diesel-powered vehicles and machines – which can produce harmful diesel particulate matter (DPM).

 

 

“Like other States, WA mines are not allowed to exceed 0.1 milligram of submicron elemental carbon (the measured component in DPM), in any one cubic metre of air that a miner breathes in,” Mr Ridge said.

 

“That’s why mines need good ventilation and monitoring systems in place.”

 

To make sure this is achieved; companies that have identified DPM as a potential hazard through compulsory checks and balances are required to undertake air monitoring.

 

At present, 46 of WA’s 57 underground mines perform such sampling and issue all of the results to the Department of Mines and Petroleum.

 

“We don’t call for the remaining 11 mines to carry out such monitoring – as these operations are either in care and maintenance or don’t have a great deal of diesel-powered machinery,” Mr Ridge said.

 

In 2012, 37 ventilation inspections and four ventilation audits have been performed at underground mines across WA.

 

These visits saw two prohibition notices issued to Goldfields operations, where operations have been suspended, and 13 improvement notices to companies across the State – all in relation to ventilation issues.

 

“There’s no doubt about it, the department is here to crack down on mining companies who fail to meet ventilation standards,” Mr Ridge said.