North Goonyella “Structured Audit on the subject of PHMP for Gas Monitoring” 14th March 2018. What did the Mines Inspectors Audit Find?
MRE – North Goonyella – 14.03.2018 Audit Gas PMP.pdf
This Mine Record Entry is putting on record the information required, the purposes, structure and processes of the Structured Audit of the Principal Hazard Management Plan for Gas Monitoring and discussions between the Inspectors and the Site Senior Executive, Underground Mine Manager and Ventilation Officer.
The Audit will be conducted by Inspectors Marlborough, Brown and Gouldstone at a future yet to be set date.
This raises several questions
- Did the Inspectors conduct the Audit prior to September 2018?
- If so, did they provide the Mine (SSE, UMM, VO) with the Report prior to September 2018?
- Were any Directives Issued as a result of the Audit?
- Were any Substandard Conditions or Practice (SCP) Notices Issued?
- Were any Recommended Corrective Actions (RCAs ) and Mandatory Corrective Actions (MCAs) issued?
Inspector Marlborough makes no mention of the Audit in any of his subsequent MRE’s.
Not even on the last Inspection on the 30th May.
MRE – North Goonyella – 30.05.2018.pdf
Is there something in the indicated Audit that should have been addressed immediately and was not?
Are there findings in the Audit that are directly related to events of June to September 2018
Today , Wednesday 14 March 2018 at 8:30am Inspectors Richard Gouldstone and Paul Brown met with Mine personnel in Moranbah Town to explain the proposal for the forthcoming Structured Audit of the PHMP for Gas Monitoring.
We were met by –
Mr Roman Romanski (UMM)
Mr Chris Rogers (VO)
Mr Mike Carter (SSE)
The following items were discussed to allow the Mine to prepare for the audit and to limit the amount of disruption the process will generate.
1. Structured Audit Guide v Safeguard
It was explained that the intention was to conduct a Structured Audit on the subject of PHMP for Gas Management at the Mine using the Structured Audit Checklist and guidance notes later provided to Mr Romanski. The guidance notes were created simply by identifying from legislation where there was a requirement for gas management. This was provided to the Mine who can then collect all the relevant documentation. We asked that the documents be provided as soon as possible to allow pre-reading before the audit itself.
The Audit will be undertaken by Inspectors Gouldstone Brown and Marlborough a timetable for which will be provided.
The plan will be to identify crucial documentation and if legal requirements have been satisfied. We will engage a series of Mine personnel in informal interviews and cover both surface and underground locations seeking relevant evidence of current practices.
The report findings will be presented in the format established for Safeguard Audits and an explanation of the that is provided in the report. The approach differs from the Safeguard approach in that it is based only on a single topic. Recommended Corrective Actions (RCAs ) and Mandatory Corrective Actions (MCAs) will be given where necessary but only after the Mine has had the opportunity to provide any mitigating circumstances. In the event that circumstances demanding a conventional inspection approach then Directives and/or SCPs may become necessary
A copy of the Safeguard approach will also be forwarded to the Mine.
In collecting and collating the information requested by the audit checklist the Mine was asked to consider the elements contained in the safeguard audit format.
Specifically, what evidence could the Mine provide to satisfy the requirements of each element and state if an element was not relevant in the context of the audit.
Inspector Gouldstone asked, that if it suited the Mine, it could supply information incrementally and to ask if clarification on any point was required.
- Learnings from the audit for the Mine and Inspectors
The process of single topic structured audits is new for the Department. It will take a number of audits before all the learnings in regard to how best to conduct them will be identified. As part of the conclusion to the audit the Mine will be asked to provide feedback on the process and how it may be improved.
