Health & Safety Trust

Overview

Continual research and development are essential in maintaining the safety and wellbeing of workers as the coal mining industry navigates the complexities of evolving technology, work practices, health trends, and environmental challenges.

The Coal Services Health & Safety Trust (the Trust) is committed to enhancing the health and safety of coal mine workers, operators, and the broader mining community.

The Trust invests in projects and research to improve the industry. It helps applicants turn their ideas into practical solutions and shares their insights with the coal mining community.

Our applications are open to a wide range of contributors, including organisations, companies, researchers, not-for-profit entities, charities, community groups, and individuals.

Strategic priorities

Our strategic approach for the years 2023-2025 is to fund projects that address significant medical and other issues that affect the health and safety of coal industry workers and local communities. Our priorities include:

• illnesses caused by dust and other airborne contaminants.
• mental health
• obesity
• musculoskeletal injuries
• serious injury causal factors
• fatigue

We will also accept and consider grant applications that address other significant industry health and safety issues if the proposal makes a strong case for their importance.

Grant program objectives

The Health and Safety Trust Grant Program targets enhancing workplace safety and health through strategic funding. Its core objectives include:

• Cultivating a proactive safety culture to combat workplace complacency and disengagement.
• Optimising job designs by analysing work schedules and rest cycles.
• Aligning productivity with worker wellbeing, addressing potential conflicts between them.
• Boosting safety awareness and education at all levels for cultural change.
• Adopting best practices from other sectors to tackle challenges and uphold business values.
• Supporting related businesses and contractors with knowledge and assistance.
• Investigating root causes of health issues from work practices.
• Developing leadership skills for effective health and safety management.

Trustees

As outlined within the Trust Deed, the Trust must have a minimum of three Trustees and a maximum of six Trustees.

The current Trustees are:

• Shane Thompson (Chairperson / Mining & Energy Union)
• Andrew Davey (Mining & Energy Union)
• Lucy Flemming (Managing Director/CEO, Coal Services)
• Frank Fulham (NSW Minerals Council)
• Jodi Goodall (Independent Trustee)
• Renata Roberts (NSW Minerals Council)

The background and experience of the individual Trustees ensure the research, projects and initiatives funded by the Trust are relevant to the Australian coal industry.

Coal Services manages the projects on behalf of the Trust.