HOACHI

Mine Rescue Personnel

Heart of Australia Corporate Health Initiative (HOACHI) offers state-of-the art respiratory health surveillance services to mineral mines and quarries operating in regional, rural and remote Australia onboard our newest mobile medical clinic HEART 5. HOACHI’s respiratory health surveillance program for coal mine workers is a “one-stop-shop” including review of occupational history, spirometry, ILO Chest X-ray and a physical examination with an emphasis on the respiratory system.

For mineral mine and quarry workers identified with abnormal findings during their baseline respiratory health surveillance, HOACHI also has the capacity to provide laboratory lung function testing, high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and respiratory specialist reviews to confirm or exclude a dust related lung disease.

HOACHI’s spirometry and radiology services are accredited by Quality Innovation Performance (QIP) and Resources Safety & Health Queensland (RSHQ), ensuring the highest quality respiratory testing standards for coal mine workers accessing the service. HOACHI’s examining and supervising physicians are also registered as approved providers with RSHQ and we have senior physicians from radiology, occupational and respiratory specialities with extensive experience in dust related lung diseases to support this program.

Please contact us to discuss your site’s respiratory health surveillance requirements and we look forward to forming a close and productive partnership with you.

Respiratory health surveillance requirements for mineral mine and quarry workers

The Mining Safety and Health Legislation (Health Surveillance) Amendment Regulation 2020 commenced operation on September 1, 2020. Mineral Mines and Quarry (MMQ) sites will have a 2-year transitional period to comply with new respiratory health surveillance measures set by Resources Safety & Health Queensland (RSHQ). 

Please find a link to the new requirements here.

MMQ respiratory health surveillance examinations must include the following components:

✓ Respiratory questionnaire

✓ Spirometry test

✓ ILO chest X-ray (if previous X-ray is over 5 years old)

✓ Specialist follow-up tests if required

For more information, please review the worker information booklet published by RSHQ.

Who is Eligible?

✓  New MMQ sector workers before they start work on site

✓ Current MMQ workers

✓ Exiting MMQ workers *

✓ Retired/ former MMQ workers **

* Exiting workers must have worked at a mineral mine for at least 3 years (for any employer) and their last assessment must have been at least 3 years ago. Requests for your assessment can be made within a 6 months period, within 3 months prior to retirement and within 3 months after retirement. For retiring miners, Employers must organise and pay for a respiratory health surveillance, including reasonable travel expenses.

** Resources Safety and Health Queensland (RSHQ) will pat for lung checks for eligible retired and former MMQ workers. Contact the Mine Dust Health Support Service on 1300 445 715 or [email protected] to confirm your eligibility so that HOACHI can pass the costs to RSHQ for your lung check. Further information is available from RSHQ about this process. 

When Might This Not Apply?

The default requirement of the Regulation is that respiratory health surveillance is required for all workers. However, the site senior executive may determine that respiratory health surveillance is not required if your exposure to respiratory hazards is so minimal, that it can be effectively managed without respiratory health surveillance.
The site senior executive can only make this decision through a risk assessment that considers current and previous exposure.

Locations

As a mobile service, our geographical coverage is broad. Subject to road and weather conditions, we have the capacity to service most mine sites in the following locations:

• Bowen Basin
• Surat Basin
• Tarong Basin
• Callide Basin
• Galilee Basin
• North West Minerals Province
• Opal and gem fields in the West and South West of Queensland
• North Queensland gold fields

HOACHI is focused on supporting the MMQ industry by improving accessibility to RSHQ approved providers of respiratory health surveillance across regional, rural and remote Australia.

Please contact us to find out when we are next visiting your area.

Choose HOACHI as your Appropriate Doctor

Respiratory health surveillance programs for MMQ workers must be completed under the supervision of an Appropriate Doctor. It is their role to ensure the examination is conducted by appropriately experienced physicians and to report to the SSE on examination findings.

HOACHI’s experienced medical team can act as your Appropriate Doctor in completing respiratory health surveillance examinations for MMQ workers. If you would like to enquire about our  MMQ respiratory health surveillance programs for your organisation, please contact us.