Occupational Health Management Plan for Australian Coal Mines

This report outlines an occupational health management plan specifically designed for BHP Billiton's coal mines in Australia. It begins with an executive summary highlighting the prevalent health hazards faced by workers, including respiratory issues from dust, skin diseases from chemicals, fatigue, injuries, and hearing problems. The report then introduces the issue of occupational health hazards, emphasizing the need for proactive safety measures. It provides a workplace demography of BHP Billiton's employees and conducts a thorough risk assessment, detailing the dangers of dust, noise pollution, falling objects, fatigue, and chemical exposure. A critical review of relevant literature supports the proposed management plan, which includes protective clothing, reduced working hours, and machinery maintenance. The implementation of the plan is discussed, along with evaluation methods using a qualified team and interview guides. The report concludes by emphasizing the significance of preventive strategies in safeguarding worker health and safety. The report underscores the need for effective measures to mitigate the risks and ensure employee well-being.

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Running head: OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH MANAGEMENT PLAN
Occupational Health Management Plan
Student’s Name
Student Name

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Table of Contents
Executive Summary...................................................................................................................................3
Organization Name...................................................................................................................................4
Introduction...............................................................................................................................................4
Workplace Demography...........................................................................................................................4
Assessment of Risk....................................................................................................................................5
Critical Review of Relevant Literature....................................................................................................8
Management Plan......................................................................................................................................8
Evaluation..................................................................................................................................................9
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................................9
References................................................................................................................................................11

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Executive Summary
BHP Billiton is a company that deals with mining products in Australia and other countries.
However, this piece of work focuses only on coal mines in Australia. These mines expose
workers to health hazards. Workers are exposed to breathing problems due to dust, skin diseases
due to chemicals, fatigue due to extreme work for long hours, injuries due to falling objects, and
hearing problems due to noise from heavy machinery. It is unethical for employers to set up
insurance plans that do not take any action of preventing these health hazards. Therefore, it is
necessary to set up preventive strategies that reduce or prevent the occurrence of these health
hazards in the workplace. The proposed management plan against these occupational health
hazards involves wearing clothes that are protective such as boots, sunglasses, masks, gloves,
helmets, and aprons. Also, companies would be required to reduce working hours to utmost 8
hours and two mandatory free days for the workers. Moreover, for efficiency and reduction of
injuries, machinery should be serviced thoroughly and operated by experienced workers. The
evaluation of this management plan would be done by a qualified team which would use the law
to enforce these strategies. Interview guides will also be used to evaluate the efficiency of these
strategies. This management plan is significant because it aims at preventing health hazards,
which is more efficient than treating or dealing with the complications after they have adversely
affected the workers.

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Organization Name
BHP Billiton
Introduction
The issue of occupational health hazards has been ignored significantly. Many strategies
and plans have been developed and funded to ensure public health and safety, leaving the issue
of dangers faced by employees in their workplace untouched. However, some people believe that
the health and safety of employees in their workplace should be the role of their employers. This
has led to the neglect of the harm that employees are exposed to that puts them in the risk of
losing their lives, contracting diseases, and getting injured. The BHP Billiton is one of the
leading companies in Australia and is concerned with the production mining products such as
iron ore and coal (Austrasian Mine Safety Journal, 2019). However, the issue of coal of great
significance in the discussion of this piece of work. The mining of coal puts workers in the
various mines into the risk of getting injured by materials which fall accidentally, the dust that
gets into their breathing system, the tiredness caused by a heavy workload, skin diseases due to
exposure to chemicals, and hearing issues associated with noises from machinery. These issues
put the lives and health of the employees at risk, and hence, a plan is significantly required to
manage them. This piece of work aims at outlining the various occupational health hazards that
employees are exposed to in BHP Billiton, propose a management plan, explain how it would be
implemented, and discuss how the program would be evaluated.
Workplace Demography
BHP Billiton is a company that was started in 2001. From the year 2012-2018, this
company has had 19 305 workers who are both males and females (Billiton, 2016). Most of these

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employees, however, are mostly males since the number of males outweighs that of females. The
number of males in the workplace is significant since the work is tedious hence requires
masculinity. The workers range between the age of 18 years to 45 years in approximation
(Billiton, 2014). The employees are recruited based on contracts which can be renewed. Most of
these employees belong to the middle social class due to the amount of their wages and their
lifestyle. These employees are exposed to the heavy machines, the distractive sounds, dust, and
chemicals which are hazardous to their health.
Assessment of Risk
The BHP Billiton is a major company in Australia and has a large number of employees
in its coal mines. Austrasian Mine Safety Journal. (2019) argues that BHP Billiton has significant
occupational health hazards which threaten the lives and well-being of the workers therein. A
study conducted by Mahdevari, Shahriar, and Esfahanipour (2014) shows that the employees in
BHP Billiton coal mines are involved in the extraction of coal deep in the ground. This
extraction has a lot of dust due to the removal of soil using heavy machinery. Although the legal
standards governing these workers require them to wear protective gadgets to protect themselves
from such dust, almost 60% do not comply with these requirements (Carey et al., 2014). This
puts the workers at the risk of developing respiratory illnesses such as black lungs which are
brought by the heavy congestion of the coal dust. A breathing system which is congested with
dust is not likely to function efficiently and would result in difficulties in breathing (Landsbergis,
Grzywacz and Lamontagne, 2014). This is a significant risk which should be handled with high
efficiency to ensure that it is reduced.
The employees in BHP Billiton are exposed to noise pollution, which threatens their
hearing abilities. The mining of coal uses heavy machinery which carries out various significant

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tasks. These machineries produce a lot of noise as they operate, and this puts the workers at the
risk of having hearing problems. Borm (2017) argues that a person who has got used to staying
in a noisy environment is likely to develop mental problems. The sound may have a high pitch
which irritates the mind, and continued exposure to such an environment would make the mental
wellness to be distracted. Some companies dealing with mining products in Australia ensure that
their workers are checked of their health and hence handle any future health problem (Borm,
2017). However, this is not a good strategy since it only deals with treatment plan rather than
prevention. It has been reported that many workers who have retired from this organization have
been having hearing problems later in their life (Donoghue, 2014).
Additionally, the mines of coal in Australia have many incidents of falling objects
(Donoghue, 2014). The deep depressions and extracts which are as a result of the mining activity
make some parts of the soil lose and hence have a high possibility of falling. Some workers are
forced to enter into these deep extracts in the various processes of mining. Therefore, once
workers enter such deep holes, there is a high risk for the loose land to slide over them. This
would result in their injury, which in most cases become severe and would even result in deaths.
There are also other objects which the heavy machinery can fail to handle efficiently and hence
fall. Such cases have been reported with the result of several workers losing their lives due to the
impact of the weight and force of the objects (Arrighi and Hertz-Picciotto, 2014). These deaths
can be reduced or prevented through the implementation of various strategies and hence protect
the well-being of workers. Also, workers in various mines have been reported to have a lot of
fatigue due to the heavy work that they undertake and the high number of hours they spend in
this work (Bahn, 2013). Some of the workers have developed spinal cord complications due to
the heavy work they carry out in the mines.

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Moreover, there are chemicals which are related to the natural coal which is produced at
the BHP Billiton mines. These chemicals are also exposed to the employees in the various stages
of production, which involve a mixture of chemicals. These chemicals are hazardous to the skin
of the employees since they can lead to diseases of the skin. These chemicals can also lead to
respirational ailments when they are inhaled because they are harmful to health. When these
employees are exposed to such a wide range of health hazards, their overall well-being and life
are threatened. This threatening of life means that a significant plan needs to be taken to combat
these risks and hence ensure that employees are safe in their working places.
The Australian Occupational Health and Safety is a body which assessed the wellness of
employees in these coal mines. This body concerns itself with the safety and health of workers in
their workplaces (Lingard, 2013). There are legal guidelines which outline the rights of workers
and the responsibilities of employers. Additionally, there are health and safety standards which
the Australian Occupational Health and Safety developed and submitted for adherence by
various firms to protect the health and safety of employees (Shea et al., 2016). These guidelines
require employers to have insurance covers for their employees against injury, diseases, and
death, which result from the conditions of the workplace. Therefore, this body dictates that any
injury, illness, or death which occurs within the workplace become a responsibility of the
employer to take care of (Xiang, Bi, Pisaniello and Hansen, 2014). However, this is not enough
and does not seem to bring any positive impact on the well-being and safety of employees. This
is because having an insurance cover over the employees is not a measure that reduces the risks
associated with health hazards. It instead takes actions after the workers have got into problems
of health. Therefore, there is a significant need for employers and other national and international
organizations to develop strategies which aim at reducing the risks of occupational health.

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Critical Review of Relevant Literature
A study carried out in Iran showed that a management system known as fuzzy TOPSIS
was proposed and was an efficient method in identifying health and safety risks in coal mines
(Mahdevari et al., 2014). Through the use of this model, strategies are developed to reduce or
prevent risks that have been identified. This is following the high risks of deaths and injuries
associated with deep coal mines in Iran. Sengupta (2018) argues that his book is a must-have for
all companies and firms which deal with mining. This book proposes a strategy which these
firms should use to reduce and remediate the issue of environmental damage, which has a link to
the health and safety of workers. This proposed strategy is significant in doing away with issues
which directly or indirectly affect the well-being of employees in working places such as soil
pollution, air pollution, sedimentation and erosion, and destruction of agricultural and forest
lands. This strategy would be used by a variety of people, including planners, geologists,
workers, waste management professionals, and environmental consultants. This strategy aims at
preventing health and safety issues not only to workers in workplaces but also the entire
community. Therefore, this is an essential and diverse strategy which needs to be implemented
efficiently since it takes care of the safety of people, both workers and members of the
community, as well as the environment. The issue of environmental protection is vital in this
strategy since it prevents current health hazards as well as future risks.
Management Plan
The management plan would aim at preventing the various occupational health hazards in
BHP Billiton. Clothes which protect workers against various hazards would be a significant
component of this plan. This would involve gloves, sunglasses, boots, aprons, helmets,
reflectors, and masks. These would curb the issue of dust, injuries, and effect of chemicals.

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Additionally, the plan involves reinforcement of working hours where every employee will be
entitled a maximum of 8 hours of working and two days off. This will enable the employees to
relax and hence combat the risk of developing fatigue and mental problems. There will also be
the recruitment of experienced employees, especially in critical areas such as the operation of
machinery. Additionally, heavy machinery will always be purchased from trusted companies and
be checked off their potential weaknesses and then serviced thoroughly before being used in the
mines. This will help to reduce the risks of injuries due to failure or low operational quality of
the machinery. A team will be recruited to ensure that BHP Billiton in Australia follows these
strategies. The employees will be trained in every weekend to ensure that they understand the
significance of wearing these protective clothes and the laws which would accompany the stay in
the workplace.
Evaluation
This plan would ensure that there is a team which is deployed to ensure that the various
strategies are implemented in every mine of BHP Billiton. This would include ensuring that the
management provides the various clothes and protective gadgets to its employees. Additionally,
the workers would be interviewed through the use of interview guides to collect data on the
effectiveness of these strategies, as well as their opinion on the significance and relevance of the
plan in the workplace.
Conclusion
BHP Billiton is a company that deals with mining products. In specific, the production of
coal puts the workers into a risk of health and safety hazards. These hazards include health
complications such as breathing problems due to dust, injuries due to falling objects, skin

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problems due to chemicals, hearing problems due to noise from heavy machinery, and fatigue
due to a heavy workload for an extended period. Some organizations have required mining
companies to ensure that their employees are insured against accidents, deaths, and diseases
contracted within the workplace. However, this does not reduce the risks of injuries, deaths, and
illnesses but instead deals with the handling of these issues after they have adversely affected the
employees. Therefore, the proposed management plan is a preventive way of reducing
occupational health hazards. This includes wearing protective clothes and other relevant gadgets
to ensure protection against dust, injuries from falling objects, and coming into contact with
harmful chemicals. Additionally, machines used in the mining sites would only be purchased
from public companies and would be serviced thoroughly before being used. Also, the plan
involves reducing working hours and enforcing two mandatory free days for the workers. A team
would be deployed to ensure these measures are taken. The used team would evaluate this by
ensuring managers provide protective clothes to their workers and follow the working hours.
This plan is significant because it aims at taking precautions that prevent occupational health
hazards.

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References
Arrighi, H. M., & Hertz-Picciotto, I. (2014). The evolving concept of the healthy worker
survivor effect. Epidemiology, 189-196.
Austrasian Mine Safety Journal. (2019, April 29). Health hazards in coal mining. Retrieved from
https://www.amsj.com.au/health-hazards-coal-mining/
Bahn, S. (2013). Workplace hazard identification and management: The case of an underground
mining operation. Safety science, 57, 129-137.
Billiton, B. H. P. (2014). BHP Billiton results for the year ended 30 June 2014. Available at:
(accessed 20 December 2014).
Billiton, B. H. P. (2016). Resourcing Global Growth–Annual report 2015. BHP Billiton,
Melbourne.
Borm, P. J. (2017). Toxicity and occupational health hazards of coal fly ash (CFA). A review of
data and comparison to coal mine dust. The Annals of occupational hygiene, 41(6), 659-
676.
Carey, R. N., Driscoll, T. R., Peters, S., Glass, D. C., Reid, A., Benke, G., & Fritschi, L. (2014).
Estimated prevalence of exposure to occupational carcinogens in Australia (2011–
2012). Occup Environ Med, 71(1), 55-62.
Donoghue, A. M. (2014). Occupational health hazards in mining: an overview. Occupational
medicine, 54(5), 283-289.

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Landsbergis, P. A., Grzywacz, J. G., & Lamontagne, A. D. (2014). Work organization, job
insecurity, and occupational health disparities. American journal of industrial
medicine, 57(5), 495-515.
Lingard, H. (2013). Occupational health and safety in the construction industry. Construction
management and economics, 31(6), 505-514.
Mahdevari, S., Shahriar, K., & Esfahanipour, A. (2014). Human health and safety risks
management in underground coal mines using fuzzy TOPSIS. Science of the Total
Environment, 488, 85-99.
Sengupta, M. (2018). Environmental impacts of mining monitoring, restoration, and control.
Routledge.
Shea, T., De Cieri, H., Donohue, R., Cooper, B., & Sheehan, C. (2016). Leading indicators of
occupational health and safety: An employee and workplace level validation
study. Safety science, 85, 293-304.
Xiang, J., Bi, P., Pisaniello, D., & Hansen, A. (2014). The impact of heatwaves on workers׳
health and safety in Adelaide, South Australia. Environmental research, 133, 90-95.