Mine rescue skills put to the test

Teams of miners from across the Goldfields put their emergency response skills to the test as they competed in the annual Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA Mine Emergency Response Competition.

The 2021 surface-based challenges covered a range of emergency scenarios that could happen on a mine site, with each created by the individual teams.

During the course of two days, the teams competed in fire fighting, hazchem, first aid, team skills, vehicle extrication, rope rescue, incident management, confined space rescue and a theory exam.

Hosted at Evolution Mungari, there were nine teams including two from BHP, two Gold Fields teams, one group from St Barbara’s Leonora, Northern Star, Norton Gold Fields, Minara Resources and one team from the host mine.

CME mine rescue committee chairman Alex Fincher said the competition gave teams the opportunity to learn from industry experts, and gain skills they can share with their sites.

“Emergency response competitions give the teams a unique opportunity to practise their skills under pressure, in realistic scenarios beyond what is achievable in routine training,” he said.

“The Goldfields competitions have a long history of providing world-class events that the local mining industry should be proud of.”