Incitec Pivot Fertilisers (IPF) operates a broad range of facilities across Australia, from small distribution depots to large-scale mining and chemical manufacturing plants. Recognising the need for a unified and proactive safety approach, IPF undertook a transformation of its Safety and Health Management System (SHMS) to effectively address both process and personal safety risks across its operations.

The renewed Operational Risk Management (ORM) framework aligns with international best practices and incorporates guidelines from the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) and the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE). Key components include:
- Catastrophic Hazard Management: Processes to identify and mitigate potential catastrophic events.
- Critical Control Management: Clear protocols for verifying and maintaining critical controls.
- Integrated Risk Management: Merging process and personal safety into a single system.
- Scalability: Adaptable across site sizes and operational complexity.

Human Factors critical to effective critical control implementation were also addressed:
- Cognitive bias and complacency
- Workload and time pressure
- Communication and clarity
- Organisational culture
- Motivation and perceived value
- Psychological safety (SafeGround)

Critical control verifications are only as effective as the human systems behind them. Success depends on sound technical design, behavioural reinforcement, and cultural alignment. IPF leveraged learnings from previous QMIHS Conferences and industry insights to shape its approach.

The framework is aligned with Queensland mining legislation, supporting both physical and psychosocial risk management. It helps ensure regulatory compliance and promotes a culture of continuous improvement.

Key Program Outcomes since implementation:
- Increased frontline engagement through in-person rollouts and stakeholder involvement
- Improved hazard identification and control application
- Consistent, documented critical control checks
- Over 250 workers trained via frontline workshops
- Positive feedback on the clarity and usability of critical controls
- Improved SHMS documentation (e.g., IPF Scaffold Standard, Journey Management Procedure)

This presentation will explore the challenges, strategies, and lessons learned in building a scalable, effective safety system that integrates catastrophic hazard and critical control management

Welding fume has become a key health and safety challenge across QLD mine sites, particularly following the fivefold reduction in the regulatory exposure standard. Data from reputable literature, along with airborne exposure monitoring results from QLD mines, has confirmed that welders frequently exceed the exposure standard. This highlights that current risk management practices are often inadequate.

Given the potential catastrophic health impacts, including cancer, mines and mining services companies are actively seeking to reduce workplace exposures. However, 2 key barriers remain: the root cause of exposure is often difficult to isolate, and higher order controls can be impractical to implement.

This presentation draws on industry led findings across numerous QLD mines, benchmarking common welding tasks against the potential exposure to workers . The result is new benchmarking guidance to help sites more efficiently identify high risk tasks and prioritise effective control measures.