Onsite clinics for mining and industrial sites

When your site needs an onsite clinic

Mines, smelters, construction projects, and plantations are often far from the nearest hospital or community health centre. Getting to a health facility can take a long time, especially in bad weather or at night. In these conditions, first aid and initial assessment have to happen on site, by medical staff who are actually stationed there.

An onsite clinic becomes relevant when:

• the site has a sizeable workforce working in several shifts;
• the referral facility is far away or access is not always open;
• the work carries injury risks or hazard exposures that need monitoring;
• the company needs orderly worker health records for OHS and audits.

An onsite clinic does not replace a hospital. Its role is to handle everyday complaints, stabilise emergencies before referral, and keep worker health data on record.

What we set up

Work starts with a site survey and needs assessment. We look at the size and work pattern of your workforce, the risks on site, the distance to referral facilities, and the facilities you already have. From there we draft a proposed scope: the clinic's format and layout, the number and type of medical staff, equipment, medicines, and ambulance needs.

Once the scope is agreed, we prepare the clinic until it is ready to use: building or fitting out the space, procuring equipment and medicines, and writing SOPs for daily care, emergency response, and referral. Visit records and regular reports are set up so your HSE team and site management can see the state of worker health without waiting for a major incident.

We also map the referral route: the nearest health facility able to handle serious cases, the route and estimated travel time, and how to coordinate when a patient has to be evacuated. The route is rehearsed with the site team and updated when conditions change, for example when the rainy season makes certain roads hard to pass.

Container clinics for remote locations

Not every site has a building that can serve as a clinic. For these locations, a container clinic is often the practical choice: the unit is prepared in advance, shipped to site, then installed and fitted out. A container clinic is also easier to relocate when the work area moves.

Whatever the format, we make sure the clinic has an examination room, a treatment room, proper medicine storage, and a clear path for moving patients to the ambulance. Building and licensing requirements for company clinics are covered in our article on mine site clinics.

Medical staff on your roster

Remote sites usually run on a roster system, and their medical staff need to rotate on the same pattern. We schedule doctors, nurses, and paramedics so the clinic is staffed on every shift, including during roster changeovers. How to work out the numbers is explained in our article on calculating medical staffing for a 10:2 roster.

When a member of the medical team is on leave, sick, or otherwise unavailable, we arrange a replacement so care is not interrupted. Every staff member is briefed on the site's SOPs, work risks, and referral routes before starting duty.

Regular reports cover the number of visits, the most common complaints, and the cases referred. Workers' personal medical data stays confidential and is shared only as far as necessary.

ADR Medika is a new company, founded in 2026. That is why we choose to work openly: scope, schedules, and responsibilities are written down clearly from the start, then reviewed together regularly once the clinic is running.

Discuss your site's needs