Category: Mining Lifestyle

Fortescue Metals Group has become the first company in the resources sector in WA to remove all retail single-use plastic beverage products from across its business. Instead, beverages will be available for purchase in non-plastic packaging. Fortescue has also introduced reusable containers for all team members and contracting partners for use at its Pilbara mine sites. Fortescue Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth Gaines said the company was committed to safeguarding the environment for future generations. “We know that single use plastics are having a devastating impact on our environment, with up to 12.7mt of plastic entering our oceans every year, or the equivalent to a truckload of plastic every minute,” she said. “Through these new initiatives, we will be able to…

A number of vending machines with a difference have recently been installed across various WA minesites, but instead of dispensing confectionery, chips and soft drinks, they provide essential oils, healthy snacks and sleep sprays. It’s all to do with helping keep the FIFO workplace a healthy place to work in. The 24/7 “wellness stations”, placed in mining camps, provides support in workplaces where mental health issues have been prevalent, and to help break the statistics of unhappiness in workplaces, schools and other communities. They are a highly visible, self-service solution for employees to easily access a range of practical tools and products that can help improve wellbeing, general health and state of mind. The company behind the roll-out — Perth’s…

Resources and energy employers have been equipped with a new practical framework to assist them in navigating the industry’s distinct workforce mental health challenges, including varying rosters, remote isolation and fly-in, fly-out working arrangements. The Resources and Energy Industry Workforce Mental Health Framework is the latest initiative from Australian Resources and Energy Group AMMA, assisting employers in their shared commitment to building and maintaining mentally healthy workplaces. The industry-first framework further builds upon the resources and energy industry’s strong motivations to drive continual improvement in workforce mental health policies and initiatives. Organisations are provided with the theoretical tools to break down their workforce mental health and wellness capability from a policy, program and practical perspective. Employers can then benchmark their…

Year 10 students from Central Queensland high schools became tradies for a day at workshops to learn more about resources sector trades, including auto electrics, mechanics, pneumatics and technical drawing. The workshops – attended by male and female students from Mackay SHS, Sarina SHS, Pioneer SHS and Mackay Northern Beaches SHS – formed part of the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy’s (QMEA) ‘Tradies for a Day’ experience, supported by BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA). Mentored by industry representatives from BHP and BMA, students received a practical taste of trades and heard about the growing number of career opportunities available to young people in the region. QMEA’s Manager of Skills and Education, Matthew Heskett, said the workshops come at a time when…

What REALLY happens in the life of a fly-in, fly-out mine worker? Is it all high jinks for high pay? A book by blogger and real-life FIFO employee Aaron White – FIFO: What Really Happens After the Plane Takes Off – helps to unravel the mystery for those not accustomed to the life of working rostered weeks in hot, dusty, remote locations, while apart from families thousands of kilometres away in the big city. The amusing anecdotes surround the life of Mick, a nice guy from a small town who lands himself a FIFO job, and whose delusions of grandeur quickly fall apart after he gets a closer grip with the harshness of labouring in isolation for two to three…

A QUIET PLACE 2 (John Krasinski, Emily Blunt) A Quiet Place Part II is quite literally a sequel, picking up directly where its preceding chapter left off, extrapolating on the first instalment’s cliffhanger ending, which had resilient  mother Evelyn Abbott (Blunt) killing off inhuman attackers who were threatening her and her kids Regan and Marcus. But there’s a prelude before the story continues, in which the viewer is taken back to the very moment the Abbott clan witnessed first-hand the horrific experience that would forever disrupt and change their lives. Via the flashback, we see how the Abbotts reacted to Earth’s new apex predator – blind, emaciated beings with chitinous armour and an acute sense of hearing – and provides…

On 65 Roses Day, send your loved ones a rose from the mines, and it will be helping people with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) at the same time. CF is a rare recessive genetic disorder that causes severe damage to the lungs, digestive system and other organs in the body, and for which there is currently no cure. On 65 Roses Day, Friday, May 28, you can make a real difference to those living with the disease. A typical 65 Roses Day sees the streets flooded with red roses being sold by volunteers, but COVID-19 put a stop to that last year and saw the introduction of a virtual rose. Virtual roses mean every West Aussie, no matter how remote, can…

WA’s mining and resources sector gathered in early March to celebrate the power of gender diversity, with the 12th annual Chamber of Minerals and Energy of WA’s (CME) Women In Resources Awards. A crowd of almost 1000 people gathered at the Perth Exhibition and Convention Centre to see five inspiring women recognised in the individual award categories. CME Chief Executive, Paul Everingham, paid tribute to the winners and their inspirational stories. “These women reflect the enormous value that diversity and inclusion provide to our sector,” he said. “Some are currently in leadership positions and some will progress to those types of roles. But each is already an outstanding role model for the tens of thousands of women who work each…

WA-focused gold developer and explorer Bellevue Gold and Australia-focused precious and base metals explorer Chalice Mining are the recipients of the coveted Craig Oliver Award, presented on the first day of the 20th RIU Explorers Conference. The Award – which is in memory of Craig Oliver, the former Sundance Resources director and major contributor to the mining industry – recognises the ASX resource sector’s best all-round achievers throughout the year. In accepting the award, in front of a packed ballroom at The Esplanade Hotel in Fremantle, Bellevue Gold managing director Steve Parsons said he was proud of Bellevue for its efforts over the past 12 months. “It’s a great project but it’s got great people as well and it’s the…

Time is running out to put forward exceptional members of the community for this year’s Western Australian of the Year Awards, with nominations closing on Friday, February 26. The 2021 Awards will be particularly special, celebrating the achievements of Western Australians over the past two years and raising the calibre of the Awards even higher. Celebrate WA was forced to cancel the 2020 celebrations in order to play their part in the fight against COVID-19, but the Board is confident the 2021 Awards will take place, with final decisions on the nature of the Awards ceremony to be made in line with the most up to date advice from the State Government. In the period since the 2019 Awards many…