All over the mining world, driver fatigue is a problem, particularly for truck drivers on long hauls, whether they be in open pits or up ramps from underground. Particular effort is being made in Queensland, Australia, where the mining industry says it will continue to work with unions and government to prevent motor vehicle accidents related to driver fatigue.

Commenting on recommendations handed down on February 23 by Coroner Annette Hennessy, Chief Executive of the Queensland Resources Council Michael Roche said the QRC had for some time been working on a guidance note on fatigue with the Queensland Mines Inspectorate and the major mining unions.The problem is not just on-shift. Driving home is also a problem. Ms Hennessy made 24 recommendations to address road accidents, following two separate crashes in central Queensland involving coal miners driving home from work. She found driver fatigue was a possible factor in both crashes, but bad weather was a major contributor to a crash that claimed two lives near Yeppoon in 2005. The other crash was near Dysart in 2007.

“We will carefully consider all the recommendations made by the coroner to see what more we can practically do to improve the safety of employees as they travel to and from their work places,’ said Roche. ‘Just this week, safety performance statistics released by the state government demonstrated significant continued improvement in Queensland mines’ existing world-class safety performance. Safety is the top priority of QRC members who have a goal of ‘zero harm’ and this extends to employees getting safely to and from work.

“Many mines provide buses to and from mine sites and encourage their employees to use them instead of private transport. We look forward to carefully examining the recommendations and working with the Queensland Police, the Department of Transport and Main Roads, and the mining unions and mine employees to prevent death and injury on our roads.”