Recurrent causes of occupational incidents in the NSW, Australia coal and metalliferous mining industry

Introduction: Serious incidents continue to occur in the mining industry. Sociotechnical and political economy perspectives on occupational safety assert that the root causes of major disasters are found in the broad social and political economy. Aims: The aims of this thesis are to ascertain whether socio-economic factors and pattern failures contribute to the causes of occupational incidents in mining, and whether safety climate data has potential as a leading indicator of low frequency, high consequence incidents. Methods: A mixed-methods approach is applied in the detailed analysis of 51 serious mining incidents, and safety climate data from 15 mine sites. Incident causation factors are analysed at the operational level (UQ R!SK’s control failure analysis), safety management level (Ten Pathways to death and disaster, PyraMAP’s archetypes), and for external factors (economic pressures, work organisation issues, and regulatory failure). Factor analysis and regression models are used in the analysis of the safety climate data collected using NOSACQ-50. Results: The results show that approximately a third of incidents involved no front-line worker mistake or error. Work pressures and other job demand-capacity mismatches are linked with goal selection mistakes and unintentional errors. In many incidents evidence is found linking work pressures with operational, strategic, or financial decisions. Risk assessment failures, and safety management design or implementation flaws were present in all incidents. An overreliance on personal risk assessments, failure to maintain work area controls, and equipment and job design contributed to demand-capacity mismatches. Other issues included an underutilisation of engineering personnel, inadequate statutory inspection, and gaps in regulatory oversight, namely guidance gaps, design, manufacture, and supply of equipment, and assessment and review of mining design approval conditions. The safety climate study results were inconclusive. Conclusions: When designing injury prevention strategies mines should consider production pressures arising from the broader socio-economic environment.