Registration is now open for the Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference 2024.
The Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference (QMIHSC) stands apart as a dedicated hub of safety across the mining industry.
QMIHSC 2024 will mark the 35th iteration of the event, which has showcased the best in mining industry safety technology and workplace culture for decades.
This year’s theme is ‘Back to the future’, which will explore whether the relative simplicity of the past can work in harmony with advancements in the present to create a safer future.
One prominent safety figure set to share his expertise at QMIHSC 2024 is Professor Arnold Dix, an Australian who made headlines late last year when he helped rescue 41 trapped workers from the collapsed Silkyara Bend-Barkot tunnel in India.
A scientist and expert in all things underground, Dix was contacted by India’s Chief Engineer and the Secretary for the Prime Minister asking for his help.
After more than two weeks spent battling the challenging and ever-shifting conditions imposed by the Himalayas (where the tunnel was being built), all 41 workers were rescued without injury.
Dix believes many lessons can be learned from the adaptive and resilient solutions employed underground to help solve most of the challenges facing the world today.
“The Silkyara rescue demonstrates that almost anything is possible when we unite and be nice,” Dix said.
What separates QMIHSC from other safety conferences is its broad scope. Last year’s theme was ‘Inside looking out’, which brought together safety speakers and exhibitions from across the mining industry and beyond.
Experts from different walks of life, including air traffic control, military, psychology, and more gave mining delegates exposure to new practices and ideas to apply to their own operations. This was so popular that it has returned to this year’s event, which will similarly feature a broad scope of speakers and exhibitors.
One such 2024 speaker is Dr Helena Popovic, a medical doctor, author and high-performance coach who has spent more than 30 years researching the brain and teaching people how to reach their full potential.
Popovic aims to help people perform at their peak throughout their career, eliminate brain fog, and avoid Alzheimer’s and associated issues in retirement. She also seeks to provide a roadmap for living a longer, stronger, healthier and happier life.
“Discovering how to boost our brain is the single most important investment we can make to achieve our goals, solve complex problems and create a fulfilling life,” Popovic said.
The QMIHSC team has also taken in feedback from last year’s event and made several improvements to the delegate experience.
This year’s conference places the guest experience front and centre, channelling the successes of 2023 and making improvements in several other areas.
QMIHSC 2024 will take place at The Star, Gold Coast, from August 18–21.
This feature also appears in the July-August issue of Safe to Work.