Who must be included in the investigation of accidents or incidents in or around the surface excavation at a surface mine?
(Reg s.15(2)(a))
Act s.18
- The open-cut examiner responsible for the excavation and on duty when the accident or incident happened; or
- If it is not practicable to involve the open-cut examiner mentioned in subparagraph (i)—another open-cut examiner responsible for the excavation;
What are the five (5) responsibilities of a supervisor for a coal mine?
(Reg s.16A)
Act s.19
A supervisor for a coal mine has the following responsibilities—
a) ensuring each mine worker for whom the supervisor has responsibilities is given the supervision and help mentioned in sections 85A(2) and 85B;
b) observing each coal mine worker for whom the supervisor has responsibilities perform tasks
c) carrying out inspections of workplaces at the coal mine as required under the coal mine’s safety and health management system;
d) recording reports of, and findings and recommendations resulting from, inspections mentioned in paragraph (c) in the mine record;
e) implementing and monitoring hazard controls and risk controls as required under the coal mine’s safety and health management system.
Where can alcohol be consumed at a mine site?
(Reg s.39)
Act s.20
A person must not consume alcohol at a coal mine other than in an accommodation building or a recreation area designated by the mine’s site senior executive for the purpose.
What must the SHMS provide for testing emergency procedures on site?
(Reg s.35(2))
Act s.26
The system must provide for –
d) Carrying out emergency exercises, including testing the effectiveness of emergency management procedures and the readiness and fitness of equipment for use in emergency;
f) If the mine is a surface mine – involving an OCE for the mine in –
i. Developing and testing the emergency management procedures for activities, involving mining activities, in and around the surface excavations of the mine; and
ii. Auditing the documentation for the procedures
List four (4) things a coal mine’s SHMS must provide for when controlling risks related to fitness for work.
(Reg s.41(1) & s.42(1))
a) Excessive consumption of alcohol.
b) Personal fatigue.
c) Other physical or psychological impairment.
d) The improper use of drugs.
What must a coal mine Safety and Health Management System provide, for controlling risks at the mine associated with the excessive consumption of alcohol?
(Reg s.41(2))
The system must provide for the following about alcohol consumption for persons at the mine—
a) an education program;
b) an employee assistance program;
c) the following assessments to decide a person’s fitness for work—
i. voluntary self-testing;
ii. random testing before starting work;
iii. testing the person if someone else reasonably suspects the person is under the influence of alcohol.
What must the mine SHMS provide for regarding medication consumption for persons at the mine?
(Reg s.42(4)(c-d))
An obligation of a person to notify the site senior executive for the mine of the person’s current use of medication that could impair the person’s ability to carry out the person’s duties at the mine and an obligation of the site senior executive to keep a record of a notification given to the site senior executive.
If the majority of workers at the mine disagree with the criteria for the assessment of fitness, what will apply?
(Reg s.42(7A))
Act s.30(2-3)
If the majority of workers at the mine disagree with the criteria for the assessment, the criteria for assessment stated in a recognised standard (Recognised Standard 07) apply until an agreement is reached.
What must a mine Safety and Health Management System provide for regarding fixed and mobile plant safety checks by a competent person?
(Reg s.71(b))
Act s.31(1)(2)
a) By a person competent in recognising the hazards; and
b) Periodically and, if the plant has been stopped for at least 24 hours, before the plant is started again.
List four (4) matters that the mine isolation, lockout and tagging procedure must provide.
(Reg s.78(1))
Act s.33(1-2)
a) controlling the risk of an unplanned release of energy from plant, including positively isolating the energy source;
b) if an electrical or mechanical energy source is positively isolated—testing for zero potential;
c) taking plant out of service;
d) returning plant to service.
What action must a SSE take when they become aware that certified equipment used at the mine does not meet certification requirements or is likely to create an unacceptable level of risk?
(Reg s.81(4))
The SSE must immediately—
a) take action to ensure the continued use of the equipment does not create an unacceptable level of risk; and
b) give the chief inspector notice stating the equipment type and how many items of the equipment are in use at the mine.
The SSE for a coal mine must ensure a record is kept in the mine record of the training given to, and assessment of, which persons?
(Reg s.82A)
Coal Mine Workers at the mine and Operational ROC workers for the mine.
What are the obligations on an SSE for allocating time and resources for carrying out tasks?
(Reg s.85A)
1) The site senior executive for a coal mine must ensure time is allocated, and the mine’s resources are distributed, to enable each coal mine worker at the mine to carry out the worker’s tasks without creating an unacceptable level of risk.
2) Without limiting subsection (1), the site senior executive must ensure the coal mine worker is given the supervision, and help from other competent persons, necessary to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
The SSE for a coal mine must ensure Coal Mine Workers are supervised to the extent necessary to ensure what – and what sort of communication must this include?
(Reg s.85B)
1) Without limiting section 85A(2), the site senior executive for a coal mine must ensure the coal mine’s activities and coal mine workers are supervised to the extent necessary to ensure each worker—
a) is not likely to be exposed to conditions beyond the worker’s capabilities; and
b) is not likely to be affected by the conditions in which the worker is working in a way that adversely affects the worker’s fitness to perform critical tasks; and
c) has the resources necessary to undertake the work without being exposed to an unacceptable level of risk; and
d) is working within the limits of the worker’s fitness and competence; and
e) complies with the worker’s safety and health obligations.
2) The supervision must include communication, including direct contact, between the supervisor and the coal mine worker at appropriate intervals.
What must the SHMS provide for controlling risks associated with working near a body of water or other liquids?
(Reg s.93)
The system must provide for the use of a buoyancy aid by a person carrying out the work if a risk assessment identifies a risk of the person drowning.
What are the five (5) legislated principal hazard management plans required for a surface mine?
(Reg s.102A)
A surface mine must have principal hazard management plans that provide for at the least the following—
a) roads or other vehicle operating areas;
b) ground or strata failure;
c) airborne dust or any other airborne contaminants;
d) fire or explosion;
e) any other principal hazard identified by the coal mine operator or site senior executive for the surface mine.
Where must an OCE conduct inspections?
Reg s.106(1))
An open-cut examiner for a surface mine must inspect a surface mine excavation and the part of the mine near the excavation where activities, including mining activities, are to be, or are being carried out, to decide whether the level of risk is acceptable.
When must an OCE inspect a surface mine excavation?
(Reg s.106(2))
Reg s.39
The inspection must be done—
a) before the activities start in or around the excavation; and
b) periodically, as required under the mine’s safety and health management system.
What must the OCE do prior to carrying out an inspection?
(Reg s.106(3))
Before carrying out the inspection, the examiner must—
a) read the latest open-cut examiner’s report in the mine record for the mine; and
b) acknowledge, in writing, in the mine record, that the examiner has read the report.
List four (4) actions that an OCE must take if he/she decides an unsafe thing in the mine causes and unacceptable level of risk?
(Reg s.107(2-5))
2) If it is practicable, the examiner must ensure the thing is made safe immediately.
3) If it is not made safe immediately, the examiner must immediately notify persons at the mine who may be exposed to the risk.
4) Until the thing is made safe, the examiner must—
a) erect a barrier to prevent persons from unknowingly entering the part of the mine where the unacceptable level of risk exists; and
b) stop coal mining operations in, and withdraw all persons from, the part.
5) If the thing is not made safe by the end of the shift in which the inspection was made, the examiner, at the end of the shift, must report the matter to the following persons—
a) the examiner’s immediate supervisor at the mine;
b) an open-cut examiner who is required to make a similar inspection during the next shift;
c) if an operational ROC worker has provided information used to make a decision in relation to the matter—the operational ROC worker who is responsible for the provision of the information.
Who may give technical directions to an OCE?
(Reg s.109)
A person must not give a technical direction about a safety and health matter to an open-cut examiner unless the person has competencies for the matter at least equivalent to those of the open-cut examiner.
The specification for the design and construction of mine roads must be developed through a form risk assessment, what are five (5) provisions that must be provided for the roads?
(Reg s.s128 (3-5))
a) barriers;
b) curvature;
c) grade;
d) guideposts;
e) pavement shape;
f) safety berms;
g) signs;
h) surface material;
i) width.
4) The specification must provide for appropriate control measures for preventing persons and vehicles from falling over road edges with a vertical drop of more than 0.5m.
5) For a primary haul road regularly used for 2-way traffic, the specification must provide for a road width at least 3.5 times the width of the largest vehicle regularly using the road.
What is one of the main hazards that must be addressed by the SOP for watering and maintaining roads?
(Reg s.129)
A surface mine must have a standard operating procedure for maintaining and watering mine roads, including dealing with hazards caused by excessive watering of roads.
What is required to be included in the SOP for safety inspections?
(Reg s.141)
1) A surface mine must have a standard operating procedure for carrying out safety inspections of workplaces, including an inspection by an open-cut examiner under section 106, at the mine.
2) The procedure must require—
a) a safety inspection to be done before an on-site activity is carried out at a workplace, and periodically while activities are carried out at the workplace; and
b) the results of the inspection, including details of hazards and recommended corrective action, to be made available to the mine’s coal mine workers.
