Welcome to the AREEA Member Portal

Login

Register

Is your company a member of AREEA?  Register now to access the Member Portal

Welcome to the AREEA Member Portal

News, information and resources in one location for your access to ongoing support.

From fact sheets, guides and reference libraries to breaking news, the portal is your comprehensive and exclusive reference tool.

Last chance to comment on WA FIFO Code

FEEDBACK is being sought on a draft code of practice to help promote and maintain mentally healthy workplaces for fly-in fly-out workers in Western Australia.

Input on the draft code released by the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) closes for comment on 19 April.

The Western Australian Government released for public comment its Draft code of practice for mentally healthy workplaces for fly-in fly-out (FIFO) workers in the resources and construction sectors earlier this year.

The draft code, which was developed with input from the resources sector, builds on recommendations from a 2015 Western Australian Legislative Assembly Inquiry into the mental health impacts of FIFO work arrangements.

It provides guidance on the risk management approach to identifying and addressing workplace risks that can affect the mental health of workers.

The code is designed for those who have functions or responsibilities to manage exposure, as far as practicable, to psychosocial hazards and factors at workplaces, including the implementation of appropriate controls; strategies and programs for intervention, recovery and promotion of wellbeing; and monitoring and review (e.g. statutory reporting).

Although specifically covering FIFO work arrangements, the code may also be a useful source of information for residential and other long-distance commuting arrangements.

AREEA has previously commented that the Code is not overly rigid and takes an informative and risk-based approach to dealing with the impacts on employees’ mental health from FIFO work patterns.

What is not immediately apparent is why the Code only considers the impact of FIFO operations in the resources and construction sectors on the mental health of employees, when other industry sectors have similar work patterns involving employees working away from their homes for days or weeks at a time.

AREEA is working with our members and the Western Australian Government to ensure any feedback from the resources and energy industry is represented and considered in the final iteration of the Code.

Public comments and feedback are invited until 19 April, 2018.

For more information, contact [email protected].

Create your AREEA Member login

Register