Michelle Ray
CEO and Founder, Certified Speaking Professional, Lead Yourself First Enterprise
Born in Australia and now residing in Vancouver, Michelle is a health and safety speaker renowned for her expertise on leadership, accountability, influence and building outstanding safety cultures.
Michelle has worked with hundreds of leaders and their teams in diverse industries including occupational health and safety within private and public enterprise, construction, mining, as well as oil and gas. She demonstrates a deep understanding of team dynamics, interpersonal communication and personal responsibility.
As an in-demand conference presenter, Michelle utilizes a dynamic, interactive and highly engaging style. She has earned the Certified Speaking Professional Designation, held by less than 800 people worldwide.
You may also like
Adrian Clarke
SHE Manager, Anglo American
A proactive safety culture is the desired end state for Anglo American’s Dawson Mine. The journey relies upon the initiation of a strong system to promote embedding the desired safety behaviours within the organisation.
At Dawson Mine, this system is “Recognition and Reward Scheme”. The scheme relies on hazard reporting and innovation drives, aligning with the core values of Safety and Innovation. Hazard reporting and associated rectification is critical to improve safety ownership. Prior to implementation, 60% of hazards were reported by the general workforce. This has now increased to 90%, with a total increase in hazard reporting of 20%. The success of the scheme can be attributed to two main factors; firstly, an easy to use system, responsive to feedback, and secondly an immediate reward implication, with those crews achieving high rates of genuine hazard notification receiving recognition.
The second success of the scheme is the increase in innovation from the workforce. Innovations are submitted to the site’s Safety, Health and Environment Committee with nominees and award recipients celebrated quarterly across the site.
The “Recognition and Reward Scheme” develops a culture of intervention and ‘speaking up’, encouraging employees not to be a bystander but be fully involved in behavioural safety.
Dr Snezana Bajic
Technical Services Manager, Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy (Simtars)
Reliable gas monitoring is a key element to ensure that the mine based controls are effective.
Coal mines in Queensland and New South Wales have been facing issues in controlling tailgate methane levels and recently there have been two serious spontaneous combustion events. Legislation and Australian standards make specific requirements for the installation and maintenance of gas monitoring systems.
This paper discusses the issues related to gas monitoring, tailgate methane control, alarm set points and proposals for feedback loops on alarm notifications and acknowledgements. The paper will not discuss individual mine events but will focus on reliable gas monitoring to enable early detection and proactive actions to be taken.
Professor Jianming Wu
Visiting Professor of University of Wollongong and Director of AST Australia
A/Professor Ting Ren</br/>Director of Centre of Infrastructure Protection and Mining Safety, University of Wollongong
Spontaneous combustion (sponcom) of coal remains a major safety issue for underground coal mining operations. Recent heating incidents in Australia further highlight the need of improving current knowledge and practices of sponcom management to ensure safety and productivity of coal mines extracting coal seams that are prone to spontaneous heating.
This presentation will provide some the fundamental theory and practices in the early detection, prevention and control of spontaneous combustion of coal. Case studies based on Chinese and Australian coal mines will be presented to demonstrate a range of techniques, including radon detection, jel and fly ash injection materials, that can be practically used for coal heating and fire management.
The presentation will also include studies of goaf gas flow dynamics based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling. Based upon fundamental fluid flow governing equations, computational models are developed to investigate the impact of different ventilation layout and ventilation parameters on goaf gas flow characteristics and in particularly, oxygen leakage and ingress patterns, and hence identification of high sponcom risk zones. Inertisation strategies, using both nitrogen and carbon dioxide, are modelled to optimise operational parameters (e.g, injection flow rate and location etc) for active longwalls and seal-off operations.
Simon Burnett, Development Mechanical Coordinator, AngloAmerican – Grasstree Mine
In continuing with the desire from industry to share in key learnings from site-related incidents and following on from the themes of previous conferences, this session will be an open forum from people (within the industry) who will be talking about key issues and challenges faced at times on their site.
This session will be a grass roots session without “spin”. A simple presentation outlining what occurred and what changes have been implemented to ensure that things are being done differently. It is for you to consider the relevance to your site and determine if you have a similar exposure, and the controls in place to reasonably preclude a similar event.
Facilitator: Damien Wynn, General Manager and Senior Site Executive, AngloAmerican - Grasstree Mine
Sharing their Experiences:
Grader Fatality Incident and Tree Felling Multiple Injury Incident
Paul Stephan, General Manager and SSE, Anglo American Moranbah North Mine
North Goonyella Spontaneous Combustion Event
Peter Baker, Senior Vice President, Underground Operations, Peabody Australia
Drill Rig Incident at Bulgar Open Cut, New South Wales
Jeff Kelly, Operations Manager, Glencore
Natascha Viljoen
Group Head of Processing, Anglo American
Natascha is responsible for Group Processing, a specialist technical services and support function that ensures safe, responsible and optimized processing performance, through step-change technologies and operational excellence.
With a Metallurgical Engineering degree from North-West University and an Executive MBA from the University of Cape Town (Cum Laude), Natascha also serves on advisory boards at the Universities of Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Pretoria and Queensland University’s Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre, having previously held a non-executive position on Anglo American’s Kumba Iron Ore Board.
Natascha has previously worked with ISCOR, Anglo Gold, Anglo Platinum, Samancor Chrome, BHP Billiton and Lonmin.
Brandt ‘Bugsy’ North, Safety Ambassador/Choices and Consequences Presenter, Downunder Group Solution
Mark Parcell, Sole Director, Mine Safety Institute of Australia (interviewer)
Daily Introduction by Master of Ceremonies
Russell White, Managing Director, Driver Safety Australia
Welcome by Principal Sponsor – Anglo American
Tyler Mitchelson, CEO Metallurgical Coal, Anglo American
Presentation of the Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference Legends Award for 2019
Paul Spinks is the Game Changer: The Wake Up Call: Paramedic + Trauma Counsellor + Speaker
Paramedic Paul Spinks intention was never to be just another stereotype wellbeing speaker, but to throw a hand grenade into the audience to make life changes.
A third party wrote:
“My husband attended your seminar through Glencore. You struck a chord with him leaving nothing but praise and wanting our two sons to hear your message.
He felt so strongly the relevance it had to him and his co-workers.
This is to thank you for being able to get through to an average man and to prioritise himself”.
Introduction by Master of Ceremonies
Russell White, Master of Ceremonies, Managing Director, Driver Safety Australia
CONFERENCE WELCOME
Greg Dalliston, Chair, Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference 2019
CONFERENCE OPENING
The Honourable Dr Anthony Lynham, Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy