Concurrent session 5: Critical Risk Management & Control Assurance
Tracks
Track 2
| Tuesday, August 18, 2026 |
| 3:05 PM - 4:30 PM |
| Gold Coast room |
Speaker
Mr Anthony Deakin
Director And Principal Consultant
Glasshouse Consulting Pty Ltd
Inside the Revised ICMM Critical Control Management Guide: A Walkthrough from a Lead Contributor
Abstract
This presentation explores the key learnings and important updates that have been made to the revised International Council of Mines and Metals (ICMM) Good Practice Guidance on Critical Control Management (2026). It is a walkthrough and firsthand account from the presenter’s experience as a lead contributor to the revision of the Guide and a trusted adviser to many companies within the mining, metals and related high hazard industries.
Despite advances in engineering, technology and operational risk management practices, fatalities and catastrophic events continue to frequently occur within the mining and metals industry. In recent years there have been ten or more deaths per year in the Australian mining industry and many more globally, including several mass casualty events. Investigations into such events reveal a recurring pattern that the controls that were crucial to preventing the event or mitigating its consequence were either absent or had failed. This pattern is why the ICMM and the wider industry continues to prioritise efforts to strengthen the identification and implementation of the controls that matter most – the critical controls.
The original ICMM Critical Control Management Guidance was published in 2015, so the update integrates lessons from a decade of real-world operational experience and feedback from ICMM members and the wider industry. In addition to further practical guidance on the retained nine-step critical control management process, it includes further role specific guidance and tools that place stronger emphasis on planning, governance, leadership and frontline engagement, performance monitoring and reporting. Reflecting that quality implementation of critical control management requires a multidimensional effort for it to be effective and sustained for the decades ahead.
Despite advances in engineering, technology and operational risk management practices, fatalities and catastrophic events continue to frequently occur within the mining and metals industry. In recent years there have been ten or more deaths per year in the Australian mining industry and many more globally, including several mass casualty events. Investigations into such events reveal a recurring pattern that the controls that were crucial to preventing the event or mitigating its consequence were either absent or had failed. This pattern is why the ICMM and the wider industry continues to prioritise efforts to strengthen the identification and implementation of the controls that matter most – the critical controls.
The original ICMM Critical Control Management Guidance was published in 2015, so the update integrates lessons from a decade of real-world operational experience and feedback from ICMM members and the wider industry. In addition to further practical guidance on the retained nine-step critical control management process, it includes further role specific guidance and tools that place stronger emphasis on planning, governance, leadership and frontline engagement, performance monitoring and reporting. Reflecting that quality implementation of critical control management requires a multidimensional effort for it to be effective and sustained for the decades ahead.
Biography
Anthony is the Director of Glasshouse Consulting and a trusted advisor on the design and delivery of operational risk and safety management practices to many tier one companies across a variety of high hazard industries.
Anthony is widely regarded as a Thought Leader in the operationalising of fatality critical controls and a key contributor to the mining industries approach to preventing fatalities. He recently led the significant review and updating of the Critical Control Management Good Practice Guide for the ICMM.
Prior to starting Glasshouse Consulting Anthony worked for Rio Tinto where he held several roles overseeing group programs relating to risk management, systems and assurance, including the design and deployment of their Critical Risk Management and Process Safety Management programs.
Prior to Rio Tinto, Anthony worked for Qest Consulting and GHD, and part of a team who leveraged their experience in working with oil, gas and chemical companies to help major mining companies gain a better understanding of their major hazards and shift their focus towards the effectiveness of risk controls.
Anthony is passionate about ensuring the safety systems and leadership practices support the safe and efficient execution of work at the front line.
Mr Simon Krismer
Managing Director
WQMS
Critical Control Management for Welding Fume
Abstract
Welding fume is recognised as a class 1A carcinogen with a time weighted exposure limit reduced to 1mg/m³ instead of 5mg/m³. As per QGN36, exposure to welding fumes is considered a Material Unwanted Event (MUE), and therefore Critical Control Management (CCM) is a legal mandate in Queensland mines and quarries.
Mines are facing significant challenges in CCM for welding fume because legacy safety protocols are no longer sufficient to manage the long-term risk of adverse health effects, and manufacturing based safety guidance is often inappropriate for maintenance welding of mining plant equipment.
Specifically, maintenance welding of plant and equipment on mine sites is very different to manufacturing of new equipment; different welding processes, different work environments, challenges with access to in-situ repair locations, and risk of exposure to other workers in the area. There are also significant issues with how the hierarchy of controls is generally interpreted and applied for welding fume. Without proper understanding, a lot of time, effort and money can be spent on controls that are ineffective, not robust, or that may actually cause new hazards.
This presentation addresses the practical realities of managing welding fume safety for mine site maintenance welding tasks to meet the requirements of Queensland Guidance Note (QGN36). We will present a practical, systemic framework for the required critical controls to effectively manage the MUE of Class 1A carcinogen hazard. The framework provides a defensible, risk-based Critical Control Management that focuses on effective controls and governance, enabling the Site Senior Executive to fulfil the statutory obligation of protecting the long-term health of the maintenance workforce.
Mines are facing significant challenges in CCM for welding fume because legacy safety protocols are no longer sufficient to manage the long-term risk of adverse health effects, and manufacturing based safety guidance is often inappropriate for maintenance welding of mining plant equipment.
Specifically, maintenance welding of plant and equipment on mine sites is very different to manufacturing of new equipment; different welding processes, different work environments, challenges with access to in-situ repair locations, and risk of exposure to other workers in the area. There are also significant issues with how the hierarchy of controls is generally interpreted and applied for welding fume. Without proper understanding, a lot of time, effort and money can be spent on controls that are ineffective, not robust, or that may actually cause new hazards.
This presentation addresses the practical realities of managing welding fume safety for mine site maintenance welding tasks to meet the requirements of Queensland Guidance Note (QGN36). We will present a practical, systemic framework for the required critical controls to effectively manage the MUE of Class 1A carcinogen hazard. The framework provides a defensible, risk-based Critical Control Management that focuses on effective controls and governance, enabling the Site Senior Executive to fulfil the statutory obligation of protecting the long-term health of the maintenance workforce.
Biography
Simon is the co-founder of WQMS, a business at the forefront of a global paradigm shift in maintenance welding and structural asset management. He applies a first-principles engineering based approach to deliver practical, systems-based solutions and training that bridge the critical gap between traditional fabrication welding standards and the complex, practical demands of maintenance welding for repairs of cracking, damage, and wear of assets to reduce maintenance costs and extend structural life. Simon also specializes in helping mine sites navigate safety risks relating to hot work safety management, welder training and VoC, and welding fume management. A recognized subject matter expert in welding safety, Simon has been a key contributor to the technical refinement of industry safety standards, including the TRG Hot Work and the development of QGN36 for managing welding fume exposure in coal mines.
