The 2015 CME Surface Mines Emergency Response Competition was held in Kalgoorlie on the weekend
| Date: | Monday, 04 May 2015 |
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Eight teams competed across eight events in this year’s MERC
The team from Norton Goldfields took top honours in this year’s Chamber of Minerals and Energy (CME) Surface Mines Emergency Response Competition.
The 2015 event saw eight teams from across the Eastern Goldfields and Murchison compete in eight events aimed to test emergency response skills.
Focus Minerals hosted this year’s competition, which was held just outside Coolgardie.
Representatives from the Department of Mines and Petroleum’s Resources Safety Division were on hand to provide support for the competition.
“This year the department sponsored the HazChem scenario, provided adjudicators for the incident management scenario and compiled a photographic record of the competition,” Acting Resources Safety Executive Director Ross Stidolph said.
“Such competitions are an important test of industry’s emergency response capabilities.”
Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Marmion said Western Australia has recognised the importance of such events for more than 100 years.
“They give invaluable experience, especially for the teams who also provide vital emergency response capacity in WA’s remote and regional communities,” Mr Marmion said.
CME Chief Executive Reg Howard-Smith said the event was focused on training industry personnel to respond to hazards present in the resources sector.
“Our people work hard in challenging conditions and we want to make sure they go home safe and healthy every day,” Mr Howard-Smith said.
“The event prepares teams to respond to any emergency situation, while sharpening the skills they hopefully will never have to put to use.”
More coverage of this year’s competition will be available in the June edition of Resources Safety Matters magazine.
