What a bizarre situation we’re in.
With businesses being forced to close, people being urged to social distance or stay indoors, and borders closing all around us I feared the worst. But in an industry built to withstand every hardship, mining has only felt a slight pinch so far with production slowing down only by a fraction of what was initially predicted.
With companies reacting promptly to the situation and implementing necessary procedures we have seen the industry step up in a time of need to ensure the continuation of a vital sector needed to the Australian economy and its communities.
However, after speaking to people last week, some have voiced that they may not get home for 2/3 months as there is talk that they could stop those on mining sites returning home in order to keep production running.
With growing concern and Government putting in further restrictions over the weekend, how do I see Covid-19 impacting the Mining sector in the coming months.
Interstate FIFO
As of 11:59pm Saturday 4th April, the QLD Government implemented new restrictions on interstate FIFO within the mining & resources sector; only critical employees within the resources sector will be exempt from interstate FIFO restrictions. These are employees who are vital to the ongoing operation of mining activities or supply chain. The list of critical employees can be found here.
All FIFO workers who live and work in QLD can continue their FIFO roles with no restrictions.
Updated restrictions can be located here.
This will mean companies will have to act fast to adapt to this change and make suitable arrangements to potentially house the interstate workers temporarily for the foreseeable on a voluntary basis. This could put a strain on families, resources, and budgets as companies must cover the relocation costs of doing so however, it would be a temporary solution to support workers and ensure the workforce remained relatively intact while still considering the safety of Australian communities.
I believe one solution to potentially reduce issues and redundancies could be for employees to job swap/share. For companies who have operations in multiple states, they could potentially have employees who work similar roles in a different state, swap with those who in the same position.
For example, if a STP Engineer FIFO’s from NSW to QLD and another STP Engineer travels from QLD to NSW, there is a possibility for them to take up one another’s role in their home state allowing for FIFO to occur only within the state and enabling employees to still get home to their families.
Workforce Retention
In a recent survey by the Queensland Resources Council (QRC), prior to the new travel restrictions by QLD Government, they found that more than half the companies in QLD planned to maintain or increase their workforce numbers over the next three months.
With only 21%, or 1 in 5 expecting a decrease in staff, this number has only grown by 6% from the survey conducted in December highlighting the minimal impact expected on workforce numbers and retention.
With a number of steps taken by the State Government, such as payroll tax relief, this has helped reduce the pressure of potential redundancies and give companies more opportunity to focus on staff retention over the coming months.
Below is a list of roles still being recruited for during CV-19:
• Technical Services Managers & Superintendents
• Mining Engineers; STP, MTP, Drill & Blast
• Surveyors
• Maintenance Planners & Specialists
• Open Cut Examiners
• Health & Safety Manager & Superintendents
• Operators
Health & Safety
In a sector where health & safety is an essential everyday measure, it is no surprise that mining companies have reacted swiftly in creating strong contingency plans and been concise in implementing new protocols and procedures following advice from Government.
Although people are fearful of the virus getting on to a mine site, compared to other industries, being thousands of miles inland can certainly have its benefits.
There are strong baseline measures which must always be followed however, many mining companies are stepping up measures to ensure the safety and wellbeing of their staff. Appropriate leave in effect for self-identification, hygiene controls at all workstations, relevant testing and designated quarantine areas are only a few of the many measures used by mining companies across Australia. The image on the right is an example of a flowchart for CV-19 Patient Self-Screening being used to screen employees (apologies for poor image quality).
For more COVID-19 Health & Safety policies by the CFMEU, check out this link.
Conclusion
As we step into another week taking it hour by hour, day by day, we can’t fully predict the outcome of what CV-19 will have but I feel confident that this is a sector that will pull through and help communities alike to do the same.
With a tough mindset and even tougher approach to the health & wellbeing of its people, I feel that companies will continue to produce and even with all restrictions in place, will find a need to grow their workforce in order to maintain or potentially increase production levels throughout the year.
Stay safe, stay healthy, and keep washing your hands.