The AME Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) committee is completing the final touches on a new, online, interactive risk management tool developed for junior exploration companies. The idea grew from discussions within the EHS committee and the project is being championed by Chair Kim Bilquist, Teck Resources Limited, Vice Chair Holly Keyes, Rio Tinto Exploration, and Jonathan Buchanan, Director, Regulatory and Technical Policy at AME and staff lead for the EHS committee.
Emboldened by the success of the helicopter slinging training developed by the EHS committee two years ago, the committee decided to adapt a risk management presentation, delivered by Bilquist as part of AME’s Project Manager workshop in 2018, at a regional workshops in Kamloops and AME MinEx Talks last spring, into an interactive presentation available to members on the web.
“The principal audience for this tool is junior explorers,” said Buchanan, “It is developed particularly for companies that don’t have their own suite of risk management tools.”
The presentation outlines why risk management is important and defines the terms used to describe risk. It then steps the participant through a project risk assessment process and the subsequent controls put in place and their effectiveness. The presentation then drills down to assess the risks associated with specific tasks.
“There are also printable tools, such as a job safety analysis template, and links to useful video resources,” said Buchanan, “We’ve taken what we learned making the helicopter training tool in 2017, and the feedback we heard from members who used it, and stepped it up a notch with this new tool.”
The EHS committee are working with ICOM Productions, a company that develops training tools that also developed the helicopter slinging training, to automate and add a voiceover to the presentation. It will be mobile compatible, and if you are on a mobile device or desktop, the presentation will also pause in place and resume where you left off.
The tool is designed to be viewed by individuals, or by a leader presenting to a group which can also be downloaded and viewed offline for presentation in remote locations.
“It is specifically tailored to mineral exploration,” said Buchanan, “We found that when tools are fairly generic, they don’t get the same level of engagement from our members.”
The development of this EHS tool is part of a wider effort by AME to provide custom-designed tools for its membership.
“One of the areas that AME has always been active in and is reinforced by the 2018-22 strategic plan is membership benefits and services. As part of that, one of the things that AME is trying to achieve is providing the best tools and services for members. Certainly, this risk management presentation is one of those.”
The EHS committee is currently evaluating which tools to develop next year. The new EHS tool will be available on the AME website this summer. Become an AME member to utilize these great benefits.
Photo Credit: Matt Fraser