Advocates warn FIFO standards are slipping on mine sites

Detailed summary

Researchers say minimum accommodation standards are dropping on mine sites, despite years of public scrutiny and industry reports.

Researchers say minimum accommodation standards are dropping on mine sites around the country.

As a result, FIFO workers are more likely to experience psychosocial hazards like isolation and harassment.

A code of practice for worker's accommodation is set to be endorsed by the WA government next year.

With six years' experience as a WA fly-in fly-out (FIFO) worker, Vicky Pellowe still remembers the creeping sense of loneliness at the end of a 12-hour shift.

"If you have had any kind of challenge or if there's anything going on at home, you are very much isolated with your own thoughts in your room," she said.

As the Australian resources sector has exploded with year-on-year production records, advocates warn basic accommodation standards on remote mine sites are slipping.

Ms Pellowe says the options range anywhere from extravagant camps to motel-style overflow to "donga" demountables.

Ms Pellowe, executive director of the FIFO Family Project, represents one of 50 organisations that submitted to the WA government about a draft code of practice for workers' accommodation.

The code outlined best practice for amenities, including deadbolts on doors, better lighting in outdoor areas, king-single beds and reliable Internet connections.

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