Changes to boost safety for small mines and gas fitters

Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy and Minister for Trade
The Honourable Stephen Robertson
09/02/2010
Changes to boost safety for small mines and gas fitters

The Queensland Government has reaffirmed its commitment to improved safety and health for small mines and quarries.

Mines and Energy Minister Stephen Robertson today introduced amendments in Parliament to enhance safety and health at small mines and quarries, and to improve the efficiency of the certification of gas devices leading to better safety for consumers.

"The proposed amendments to Queensland's Mining and Quarrying Safety and Health Act are aimed at reducing fatalities in these operations," Mr Robertson said.

"Since this Act came into force in March 2001, the state's large mines have been required to develop and maintain a fully documented Safety and Health Management System," he said.

"Small mines with 10 or fewer workers were exempt from this requirement because of the significant resources and skills needed to develop such a system.

"However, a review by the state's independent Mines Inspectorate into metalliferous mine and quarry fatalities found that while fatalities at large mines had dropped from 24 in the 1990s to eight in the 2001-09 period, fatalities in small mines had increased from five to eight over the same period," he said.

These amendments to the Act will require small mine operators to develop a Safety and Health Management System.

"To assist small mine and quarry operators manage this change, the Mines Inspectorate in conjunction with the Institute of Quarrying Australia has conducted 26 one-day training seminars throughout the state on risk management techniques and development of a safety and health management system," Mr Robertson said.

"These seminars were well attended and the small mine and quarry industry has responded positively to this amendment in their pursuit of a goal of zero harm in the workplace," he said.

Amendments to the Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004 will allow some of the smaller 'mass produced' Type B devices (industrial gas devices such as small boilers) to be approved by a Type A approving body (who approve domestic gas appliances such as stoves) under modified certification scheme rules.

"This provides a more sensible approach to the certification process without compromising safety standards and will achieve better compliance outcomes," Mr Robertson said.

"This amendment is a result of working with other regulators to harmonise the approvals process across Australia."

Another amendment made to the P&G Act will ensure only individuals trained to carry out hydrocarbon refrigerant gas work will be able to do so.

"The amendment will change the licence type for work with hydrocarbon refrigerant gas (the gas used in some refrigerators) from the current requirement for an organisation authorisation to an individual occupational licence.

"This change will better reflect that it is an individual with particular trade qualifications who will undertake this type of work," he said.

The proposal also prepares Queensland regulations to potentially align with the Council of Australian Governments' agenda to establish a national licensing scheme for various trade occupations by 2012.

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Publish Date: 09 Feb 10