Fly-in fly-out
Fly-in fly-out is a method of employing people in remote areas. It is often abbreviated to FIFO when referring to employment status. This is common in large mining states in Australia. [1][2]
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[edit] Overview
Rather than relocating the employee and their family to a town near the work site, the employee is flown to the work site where they work for a number of days and are then flown back to their home town for a number of days of rest.[3]
Fly-in fly-out is very commonly used in the mining industry, as mines are often in areas far from towns. Employers prefer it when the cost of establishing permanent communities (of sufficient quality to attract families to live locally) will exceed the cost airfares and temporary housing on the work site. Generally, such sites use portable buildings since there is no long-term commitment to that location (e.g. the mine will close once the minerals have been extracted).
Usually a fly-in fly-out job involves working a long shift (e.g. 12 hours each day) for a number of continuous days with all days off spent at home rather than at the work site. As the employee's work days are almost entirely taken up by working, sleeping and eating, there is little need for any recreation facilities at the work site. However, companies are increasingly offering facilities such as pools, tennis courts and gyms as a way of attracting and retaining skilled staff. Employees like such arrangements since their families are often reluctant to relocate to small towns in remote areas where there might be limited opportunities for partner's employment, limited educational choices for children, and poor recreational facilities.
[edit] Negative effects
Fly-in fly-out employment can put stress on family relationships [4] and may stifle regional development.[5]
Mining towns that once had a considerable size, like Wiluna in Western Australia, which had a population of 9,000 in 1938, have shrunk to a population of 300, with almost all employees of the local mines on fly-in fly-out rosters.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/124186/20110318/rio-tinto-flies-former-gunns-workers-to-its-pilbara-mine-sites.htm
- ^ http://www.riotintoironore.com/ENG/careers/544_fly-in_fly-out.asp
- ^ 7.30 Report - 17 October 2005: Industry supports fly in, fly out operations
- ^ Fly-in fly-out family study highlights domestic stress » ABC Goldfields WA
- ^ Storey, Keith (July 2001). "Fly-in/Fly-out and Fly-over: Mining and regional development in Western Australia". Australian Geographer 32 (2): 133–148. doi:10.1080/00049180120066616.
- ^ Garrick Moore: Mining Towns of Western Australia, page: 93, accessed: 10 January 2010
[edit] Further reading
- Garrick Moore: Mining Towns of Western Australia ISBN 1875449345, published: 1996
- Workforce Turnover in FIFO Mining Operations in Australia: An Exploratory Study A research report by Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining and Minerals Industry Safety and Health Centre Summary Report
