Health, Safety and Environment

Are you a confident and proactive communicator who likes to help others? You might want to secure a career as an Emergency Response Worker.

Emergency Responders, also known as Emergency Services Workers, attend the scene of emergencies to minimise risk to community safety and security. In mining, there are volunteer Emergency Response Team members who are part of wider teams.

“You need to be prepared for anything to go wrong in the mine and emergency response prepares you for that. It allows you to save your mates at the end of the day and make sure they all go home in one piece,” said Toben Clements, Northern Star Planning Engineer and ER Team member.

Activities

Emergency Responders attend to scenes of emergencies such as crashes, spills and fires to secure and control the incident site, rescue and evacuate people and administer first aid.

Common tasks include maintaining site security systems, participating in training and rescue drills and demonstrations and operating equipment to extinguish fires, disperse and neutralise dangerous substances.

Work Environment

Emergency Responders predominantly work outdoors but may also attend to incidents that occur indoors. They make quick decisions that have a large impact on others, work in teams and wear personal protective equipment (PPE) with possible exposure to hazards and dangerous situations.

Knowledge

It is important for Emergency Responders to have a sound understanding in caring for others’ needs, psychology, medicine education and training, and).

Skills

Skills that Emergency Responders need to perform their tasks include critical thinking, active learning, reading work related information, active listening, being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

Specialisations

• Emergency Response Officers (EROs) are people who are trained to be the first line of response in any emergency situation. The primary role played by EROs are to check out any reported incident locally and assess the situation.
• Industrial Paramedics treat work-related injuries and illnesses in industries or remote work locations where employees may lack immediate access to hospitals or other types of medical facilities.

Prerequisites

You can secure work as an Emergency Responder without formal qualifications, however, a Certificate II, III or IV in Public Safety may be beneficial.

• Certificate II in Public Safety (Firefighting and Emergency Operations)
• Certificate II in Public Safety (SES)
• Certificate III in Public Safety (Community Safety)
• Certificate III in Public Safety (Firefighting and Emergency Operations)
• Certificate III in Public Safety (SES Rescue)

Are you a great communicator with a keen eye for spotting hazards and looking out for others? You might fare well in a career as a Health and Safety Advisor.

Health and Safety Advisors develop, implement and evaluate risk management policies and programs, train employees in occupational health and safety procedures, monitor and audit the workplace and record and investigate incidents to ensure safe and healthy working conditions.

Activities

Health and Safety Advisors implement procedures and solutions to control hazards and mitigate risks at mine sites (open-pit and underground), site offices and processing plants.

Common tasks include inspections and audits on workplaces, processes, equipment and hazards and recording and investigation injuries, equipment damage and safety performance.

They communicate to co-workers by telephone, in writing or in person, monitoring people and processes and creating detailed plans that provide guidance to management or other teams.

Work Environment

Health and Safety Advisors work both outdoors and indoors, across project sites. They talk with teams face-to-face, via email or phone and conduct inductions and training for onsite work.

Knowledge

It is important for Health and Safety Advisors in the mining industry to have sound knowledge in chemistry, mathematics, english, interpersonal communication and customer service.

Skills

Skills required include critical thinking, active learning and listening, decision making and talking to others.

Specialisations

• Chartered Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Professionals in addition to the role, knowledge and skills of the OHS Profession, have high level specialist skills in a specific area and/or strategic skills. They are likely to be a designer of strategy and influential with senior management and/or policy makers.
• OHS Professionals are designers of strategy relating to the organisation and management of OHS within the wider context of business processes and the external regulatory, market and societal influences. They are influential and involved in problem solving and organisational review and change as advisers and consultants.
• OHS Practitioners are implementers of strategy and actions usually designed by an OHS Professional. They support a safe working environment by maintaining OHS administrative processes, conducting basic training and using a range of state-of-the-art tools, processes and standard practice solutions to OHS risks and their management, particularly aimed at routine and well-known processes and work.

Prerequisites

To secure work as a Health and Safety Advisor, you will need a formal qualification in Occupational Health and Safety, or another related field. Vocational Education and Training (VET) and university are both common study pathways.

• Certificate III in Health Support Services
• Certificate III in Work Health and Safety
• Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety
• Diploma of Work Health and Safety
• Advanced Diploma of Work Health and Safety
• Undergraduate Certificate Health Services Management (Western Sydney University)
• Graduate Certificate in Occupational Health, Safety and Environment Management (Australian Catholic University)
• Graduate Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety (University of Wollongong)
• Graduate Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety (Curtin University)
• Graduate Certificate in Workplace Health and Safety (University of Newcastle)
• Diploma of Health Science (Charles Darwin University)
• Associate Degree in Occupational Health and Safety (CQUniversity)
• Bachelor of Public Health (Queensland University of Technology)
• Bachelor of Health Science (Charles Darwin University)
• Bachelor of Science (Health, Safety and Environment) (Curtin University)
• Bachelor of Occupational Health and Safety (CQUniversity)
• Bachelor of Occupational Health and Safety Science with Honours (University of Queensland)