Aims:
- To describe the impact of heat stress at McArthur River Mine (MRM) and provide recommendations for management of heat stress.
Objectives:
- Identify incidence, causes and impacts of heat stress in the MRM workforce
- Recommend practical strategies to be embedded in workplace practices that reduce the incidence of and effectively manage heat stress
- Evaluate the implementation of the recommended strategies
Summary:
The McArthur River Mine (MRM) is a zinc-lead mine located in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Northern Territory. There is a workforce of about 1000 drawn from the near-by town of Borroloola, Darwin or other parts of Australia.
As with many workplaces, there are some jobs at MRM that require people to work in the heat. MRM actively manages the risk of heat stress through a range of strategies. However MRM would like to find out if there are ways to further reduce the impact of heat stress on the workforce to improve the working environment.
This project will determine the incidence and impacts of heat stress in the MRM workforce and identify additional practical measures to mitigate heat stress. This project is multidisciplinary in approach, combining epidemiological, sociological and physiological research
Implications for policy and practice:
The findings of this study are relevant to other workplaces in the hot and humid environments across Northern Australia.
Chief investigator:
Project manager:
Contact Information:
- Emma Field - emma.field@menzies.edu.au
Project dates:
The project commenced in September 2017 and is due for completion in December 2018.
Funders:
Collaborators:
This project is a collaboration with Northern Institute, Charles Darwin University and Menzies School of Health Research as part of the Heat Stress Research Partnership.
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Mine workers to be used for heat study
WORKERS at the Northern Territory’s McArthur River Mine will be the guinea pigs for a study by Menzies School of Health to determine the effects of heat stress on productivity.