Resilient Minds for Explorers
Mental health is an essential pillar of any health and safety program. Specific challenges, including extensive travel, prolonged fieldwork, gender and diversity imbalances… Read More
BC Wildfire Support 2023
Snapshot of fires in BC, Aug 22, 2023 At the time of writing, wildfires are burning across Canada, impacting people, property and the environment in a myriad of ways. Visit Emergen… Read More
105 Years of Learning
For 105 years, the Association for Mineral Exploration (AME) and its predecessors have been offering learning opportunities to the public and our members. It was in 1918 that the… Read More
H&S Update June 2021
Black Bear Attack in Northern BC The BC Conservation Officer Service responded to a black bear attack at a remote mineral exploration camp north of Prince George. The attack took p… Read More
Back to the Bush 2021
“Don’t underestimate the level of effort required” to manage COVID prevention in addition to managing the usual risks Spring is in the air, and for BC’s mineral explorers, this me… Read More
Safety in the Sky
How a fatal helicopter incident in July 1980 set AME on the path to building a Safe Day Everyday culture for explorers in British Columbia That distinctive tick-tick-tick and whir… Read More
Field Gear
What's in Your Backpack?
“Be prepared to spend the night out.” This has been a key piece of advice for preparing a backpack delivered at AME’s annual Introduction to Exploration Safety Workshop, which ret… Read More
AME Annouces 2018 Safety Award Winners
Leaders in safe workplace practices were recognized at the Roundup 2019 Conference
Heli-portable drill setup on northern B.C. copper project. The Association for Mineral Exploration named its 2018 safety award winners January 30 during the Roundup 2019 confe… Read More
Tales From the Field
Use anecdotes and personal accounts to make your safety message compelling
Hectoring your employees and contractors about safety doesn’t work; nobody likes being told what to do. But brief and simple personal anecdotes describing how somebody averted… Read More
Sling Training
AME and PDAC collaborate on new online training tool
AME and the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) have released their first joint safety training initiative: helicopter slinging training. Both AME and P… Read More
Safety Training Workshops
Every spring, AME BC offers two workshops in workplace safety: “Exploration Safety for Management” and “Introduction to Exploration Safety.” Each workshop lasts one day, with… Read More
Young Drillers Speak Up
An evolving culture is saving lives and making the industry safer for everyone
On Brian Maeck’s first day as an underground drillers’ assistant, he was asked to hold a wrench onto a drill bit while the driller rotated the drill. If all went according to plan, th… Read More
The Survey Says…
Canada's mineral exploration industry releases its state-of-the-industry safety report
A decade ago, the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) collaborated with the Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia (AME BC) to conduct its… Read More
What is a risk assessment?
Five essential steps make all exploration projects safer
Everyday conversations about risks and hazards, together with a culture of ongoing learning, are key to saving lives and reducing incidents during mineral exploration project… Read More
Closing the Loop
How to reduce, reuse and recycle water at drill sites
Protecting waterways is a top priority and key requirement for any exploration drilling program. Each and every drill site needs to source large volumes of water to run the drill,… Read More
Baby, it’s (Already) Cold Outside!
Carbon monoxide and other Fall hazards
Ensure smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are functioning…maintain a clean camp! As all Canadians know, fall can be cold! Placer miners in the Cassiar gold rush certainl… Read More
The Right Care at the Right Time
Employing paramedics on remote worksites means more efficient medical attention and fewer lost-time incidents
Occupational safety is of paramount importance in our offices, warehouses, camps and worksites; safe working conditions promote job satisfaction while keeping workers on the… Read More
Safety Overseas
Have a safe day, every day - and everywhere
Remote travel in Africa has its hazards At the time of writing this article, I have just returned from the field, serving as a member of my local search and rescue team – so the hazards… Read More
Safety First, Year after Year
BHP Billiton sets a safe example for potash exploration
Receiving a health and safety award is an achievement for any mineral exploration company, but being a recipient two years in a row is doubly rewarding. BHP Billiton Canada Inc. wa… Read More
Safe Sledding
Are you prepared to weather a storm?
Blizzard conditions are common in northern climates, but how one acts in a mineral exploration setting can make the difference between a postive outcome and a tragedy. In the case… Read More