Modern Mining October 2021

HEALTH AND SAFETY

with its clients’ specific knowledge of their own projects, Thompson says it is easy to put together a medical plan that serves a wide variety of needs. Furthermore, while mining is a crucial industry that RMI serves, the company also works in many other industries facing similar challenges in terms of coor- dinating medical care for their workforces. This experience gives RMI a unique perspective that it can bring to all of its clients – whereby it can insti- tute best practices across a vast industrial sector that helps benefit everyone involved. “One essential item of this is the niche we fill as a medical company that blends best practices in healthcare with best practices for employers. RMI plays a vital role in managing illness and injuries appropriately and ethically while considering the classification of illnesses and injuries with relevant regulatory agencies. While we will never sacrifice excellent patient care, we understand and train all of our clinicians on the impacts of their clinical deci- sions,” he says. Another benefit of working with RMI is the

responsiveness and agility it brings to its clients. “We are agile in addressing our clients’ needs, especially when confronted with complex or novel situations,” says Thompson. In terms of responsiveness, the company aims continually to respond nimbly in every situation, from worker health emergencies to enqui- ries from its current and prospective clients. “I know it has been discussed everywhere, but the pandemic was a terrific example of these quali- ties. The industries we work in are essential, and RMI worked with all of our clients to initially insti- tute measures to keep them working and safe. As the pandemic continued, that initial response has morphed into continually helping organisations protect their workforces while maintaining business continuity,” he adds. Success stories Over the years, RMI has recorded some key suc- cesses in the field. Recently, one of its most experienced providers expertly evaluated and man- aged a patient with acute appendicitis. The patient had a highly atypical presentation for the diagnosis. Yet, RMI’s provider followed the patient closely on- site and reached out to the company’s Topside team of physicians early on to express his concerns over this possibility. Due to the progression of symptoms and frequent updates from the provider, the decision was made to medevac the patient to an emergency department for a complete evaluation. The patient was ultimately diagnosed with acute, uncomplicated appendicitis and successfully underwent an appen- dectomy later that day. “We recently managed a young man who experienced severe anaphylaxis after acciden- tally ingesting peanuts at lunch. Anaphylaxis was

Underground mining work.

Quick take  Employee health and safety is generally one of the top priorities for every mining company  The biggest challenge facing mines operating in remote locations – in terms of health and safety – is their remoteness  Mastering health and safety in remote locations requires a tailored approach based on the specific circumstances of each mine  Remote Medical International regularly works with mining companies and other organisations across a wide variety of industries to support their health and safety initiatives

30  MODERN MINING  October 2021