CMPA NEWS (Issue 71)

2013/14 PREFERRED SUPPLIERS REFERENCE MANUAL

Th e 2013/14 Preferred Suppliers Reference Manual is finally complete and will be in the mail to you shortly. The manual will be more colourful than last year due to an increase in Associate Members taking out colour logos and adding photos of their products to brighten up their pages and stand out from the crowd.

Thank you to the thirty members who have taken out ads your support is greatly appreciated.

Remember to Support the Suppliers who support you!

SALE OF CMPA COMPUTERS

The CMPA has currently upgraded their two office computers and monitors. The second-hand machines are now available to be purchased.

The monitors are: ACER 19” inch LCD Widescreen.
The computers are: a Pentium Dual Core 2.2GHz, 2GBRA M, 80GB Hard Drive, DVD-RW with Windows XP Professional Software.

To make an offer or to gain further information please contact the Secretariat 03 5781 0655.

2014 CMPA WALL PLANNER

Th e 2014 CMPA Wall Planner is included in this issue of Sand & Stone. This is the third year it has been put together and is bigger and better than last year. Your feedback on its usefulness in the office or the lunchroom would be greatly appreciated. The CMPA is looking to improve on this tool for the years ahead.

If you require any more copies of the wall planner please contact the Secretariat and we will be more than happy to send them out to you.

Thank you to the twenty three Members who have taken out ads your support is greatly appreciated.

Remember to Support the Suppliers who support you!

WEBSITE UPDATE

The CMPA website holds a wealth of information on your Association. It is currently being updated with the latest information on:

• benefits of membership
• the preferred suppliers who support the CMPA has been extensively redesigned with photos, maps and dvds of suppliers products
• details of the available reference manuals and safety checklists
• back copies of Sand & Stone magazine,
• copies of all the CMPA submissions to Government representing members views
• latest training and events

The CMPA is your association, make the most of your membership and use the available services.

PLAN MELBOURNE – METROPOLITAN PLANNING STRATEGY

Earlier in October the Victorian Government officially launched Plan Melbourne, the new metropolitan planning strategy for Melbourne.

It outlines Melbourne growth to the year. The Government is proposing construction of a series of infrastructure projects. These will include the expansion of the Port of Melbourne at Webb Dock, Regional Rail Link, Port of Hastings, East West Link and Melbourne Metro Rail Capacity Project.

A copy of the report can be found on http://www.planmelbourne.vic.gov.au/Plan-Melbourne

The strategy fits within a broader suite of policies and strategies that the Victorian Government has developed to create a framework of sustained growth and prosperity. These include the Government’s economic and fiscal strategy, the freight and logistics plan and the eight Regional Growth Plans. Note that CMPA made submissions to all these Plans.

ERTS FORUM

Dr Elizabeth Gibson, CMPA General Manager attended the Earth Resources Tripartite Safety Forum met at WorkSafe in Melbourne on 24 October 2013. The following issues were raised:

Body Vibration – WorkSafe had made preliminary enquiries at quarry sites. The mobile plant is generally relatively new and fitted with ergonomic seats but the awareness (of body vibration issues) is not there. WorkSafe does not see the need to change the WorkSafe program.

Mobile Plant Overturn – A draft alert has been produced and is for comment concerning issues to look for in a vehicle that has been involved in a roll over incident. Some operators have installed inclinometers on their mobile plant that has an audible alarm.

Visits to Quarries 1 July to 30 September 2013 – There were 83 visits conducted (including dangerous goods) with 2/3 being first time visits. Traffic Management required the most improvement notices. WorkSafe is currently looking to develop Traffic Management Guidelines. The Queensland Government (IQA) has a good set of Guidelines which WorkSafe may adopt.

Incidents at Quarries June 2013 to September 2013 – There were 6 incidents at quarries in this period. However, this does not correlate with WorkCover claims. WorkSafe believes that there is under reporting of incidents by quarries.

Collection of Statistics – Data collection will now occur on an annual basis (instead of every 6 months) and will occur in January/February 2014. WorkSafe would like wording to be developed to count employees and contractors as FTEs.

Earth Resources Unit Business Plan – Will seek input from the ERTS forum for the 2014/15 Business Plan. The focus will be on high consequence/low incidence risks and OH&S claims.

Regulatory – The review of the regulations is currently being undertaken.

WorkSafe Awards – WorkSafe encourages quarries to nominate for the awards next year (2014).

WorkSafe web-site – An on-line strategy is being developed for WorkSafe including modernisation of their web-site. If members have any specific requirements for the web-site, please contact the CMPA Secretariat.

CODE OF PRACTICE FOR THE STORAGE & HANDLING OF DANGEROUS GOODS

On 11 October 2013, the Code of Practice for the Storage and Handling of Dangerous Goods 2013 came into effect. It replaces the old version of this Code (published 8 December 2000).

The new Code provides practical guidance on how to comply with the Dangerous Goods (Storage and Handling) Regulations 2012 (DG (S&H) Regulations 2012) for manufacturers, suppliers and occupiers.

It should be read in conjunction with the Dangerous Goods Act 1985 and the DG (S&H) Regulations 2012. The document is available from http://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/safetyand-prevention/health-and-safetytopics/dangerous-goods

What has changed?

Some old content has been updated to reflect the changes introduced by the DG (S&H) Regulations For more information on these changes, see above web address. A number of changes relate to structure and improved layout, for example several practical examples and diagrams have been added as appendices to help demonstrate what compliance looks like. The parts on retailers’ duties and minor storages of dangerous goods have been removed.

Important legal information

The practical guidance in this Code is not mandatory. That is, a person may choose to comply with their duties in some other way, provided the method used also fulfils the requirements of the DG (S&H) Regulations 2012. A person cannot be prosecuted simply for failing to comply with the new Code.

However, in legal proceedings, failure to observe the new Code can be used as evidence that a person has contravened or failed to comply with the DG (S&H) Regulations 2012. If a person has not adopted the method describedin the new Code, it is up to that person to show the legal requirement in the DG (S&H) Regulations 2012 has been met by an alternative method. Therefore, the practical guidance in the new Code should be followed unless there is an alternative course of action that would also fulfil the requirements of these Regulations.

The new Code was developed in consultation with employer, employee and industry group representatives, consultants, and government agencies.

NET VOLUME LICENSING

During stage 2 of the Mineral Resource Sustainable Development Act 1990 Review DEPI undertook to review and develop policy and guidelines for water management in the earth resources industry. The Net Volume Licensing report is an important input to this work. Net volume licensing differs from traditional water licensing in that it authorises access to water on the basis of ‘net use’ rather than ‘the gross volume taken’. The final report for the Net Volume Licensing Project was issued in May 2013 (and is available from enquiries@cmpavic.asn.au).

The Report:

• proposes a set of principles to govern the use of net volume licensing;
• expands upon the challenges which need to be addressed before deciding to pursue net volume licensing;
• concludes that unless management of surface water and groundwater is integrated, projects that take water from and return water to the same source and location will be better suited to net volume licensing;
• concludes that the strength of the MCA Water Accounting Framework in the net volume licensing context is the introduction of a common vocabulary for describing water use in mining.

DEPI is in the process of securing the resources to review the policies for managing water use in mines and quarries for which this report will be an input to this process.

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