Dual conference hosted in Dubbo and Broken Hill a success

Earlier this month we hosted the inaugural Mining Engineering Managers (MEM) for underground mines other than coal mines in a dual conference hosted in both Dubbo and Broken Hill.



The 3 August forum was an opportunity for us to engage with industry regarding the major issues that affect MEMs in the underground metalliferous sector and for MEMs to network with their peers. 



The forum was well attended in Dubbo and Broken Hill and the 48 attendees heard informative presentations and networked during the session breaks.



A major theme of the forum was statutory obligations and what is required of the position holder. The keynote address was from our Chief Inspector Garvin Burns, who spoke to some of the key resources available on the Regulator’s website and outlined our approaches to regulation. 



This was followed by Senior Investigator Jason Gill’s excellent presentation on the Regulator’s approach to managing incidents on NSW mine sites and the key parts of legislation we utilise in our work. 



In the second session, Bruce Blunden from Cobalt Blue presented on its journey from cobalt explorer to becoming a producer and the lessons Cobalt Blue learnt in developing its safety management system. They are lessons that apply no matter the size of your operation. 



Following Cobalt Blue’s presentation Craig Reed from Newcrest’s Cadia operation outlined each iteration of design improvements for underground ventilation and traffic management. The new design of PC1 & 2 is the culmination of 25 years of learning and it is pleasing to see industry seeking to utilise the hierarchy of controls to improve traffic management and to improve dust and mitigate airborne contaminant. 



Finally, Regulator Inspectors Xavier Hill, David Gordon and Bill Costello gave presentations about tailings dams, ventilation and managing risk with structural plant. 



The forum on 3 August was our first MEM forum for underground mines other than coal and it was also the first dual conference between Dubbo and Broken Hill. It is an 8-hour drive to get from Broken Hill to Dubbo and the dual conference was well received by attendees in Broken Hill. It allowed mines in the Broken Hill area to participate in the forum and the networking opportunity provided, yet without the tyranny of distance.



The feedback from industry has been great. Since the conference participants have stated how productive the day was and they have already approached our team with papers they want to share with industry the next forum in early 2023.