Reporting a safety and health complaint

 

 

Contact can be made with the department by telephone or in writing. If you have a complaint and choose to telephone, you will be asked for a number of details, including if you have attempted to resolve the issue through your supervisor or manager or with an elected safety and health representative.

If you choose to enquire about issues in your workplace in writing, some basic information needs to be provided to enable the matter to be handled in an appropriate and timely manner.

It is useful to provide:

• name of the mine operator
• specific location
• company name of your employer
• when the issue(s) occurred.

Sufficient information about the matter you are raising also needs to be provided to enable the inspector to establish that there is a problem and deal with it appropriately. If insufficient information is provided then the matter may not be able to be resolved to your satisfaction.

It is important to provide some contact details to enable the inspector to confirm the issues raised (if required), seek clarification and, if needed, provide feedback on the actions taken. Such details would include your name and a contact phone number (an after-hours number is often useful for off-shift contact times) or mailing address. This information is not disclosed to the employer.

You can complain over the telephone or in writing. If you write, your letter or e-mail should briefly set out the details of your complaint, such as:

• exactly what you think the issue is
• times and dates
• locations of issues (i.e. site, area, plant)
• what has been done to date to resolve the matter
• the names of people you have dealt with
• the outcome that would be acceptable to you.

An inspector has an obligation to inquire into complaints and to take such steps as he or she considers necessary to investigate the matter. However, the name of the person who complained will not be disclosed. This is not to say that you will remain anonymous within the workplace environment. Workplace gossip or known previous complaints made directly by you may lead others to make assumptions about the source of the complaint.

An employer is prohibited from discriminating against an employee because that person has made a complaint to them, a fellow employee, an inspector, a safety and health representative or a member of the safety and health committee.

The report marked ‘Private and confidential’ with any supporting documentation can be emailed to Safety@dmirs.wa.gov.au

Or mailed to

Director – Mines Safety
Resources Safety
Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety
Mineral House 100 Plain Street
East Perth WA 6004

Or lodged in person at:

Resources Safety
1 Adelaide Terrace,
East Perth WA 6004

For enquiries please contact an inspector of mines
Phone: 1300 307 877
Email: Safety@dmirs.wa.gov.au

To contact the relevant inspectorate office, use Regional inspectorate boundaries for mining operations.