COPING WITH COMPLEXITY In every industry, and mining is no exception, plant and processes
increase in complexity over time and managers and operators
need correspondingly more knowledge. The mine manager has
to delegate details to operators, engineers, metallurgists,
accountants, safety specialists, personnel officers and the rest. Is
it reasonable then, to expect the Mines Inspector to be competent
to judge the conduct of all these operations against the criterion
of the regulations? Obviously not, but what are the alternatives? One is a
superficial inspection where the inspector goes on a hazard hunt
for broken steps and missing handrails. Another is one in which an army of specialist inspectors
marches on a mine, sometimes outnumbering the staff. Each is
competent to assess some part of the operation and if he or she
can find an opposite number among the mine staff, they can
discuss details. But what good does it achieve? The system acts to remedy
present defects and to make recommendations which, if only they
were followed, would prevent the same things happening again.
Given that this process has been going on since the first Factory
Act of about 1840, how is it that there are any more defects left to
put right? The answer of course is that defects keep appearing,
and new defects arise as fast as the old ones are found and
corrected. Further progress can only be made by preventing
defects at their source.