Western Australia’s Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety has released a draft Code of Practice: Mine safety management system, for public consultation.
The department is seeking feedback on the draft code before the consultation period closes on Friday 10 December, 2021.
Under the new Work Health and Safety (Mines) Regulations, mine operators will be required to prepare, implement and maintain a mine safety management system (MSMS) for a mine/exploration operation.
The draft code provides practical guidance on establishing and implementing the MSMS, which is the primary means of ensuring the safe operation of a mine.
The draft code brings together a number of plans, procedures and policies to enable mine operators to follow a systematic approach to establishing and maintaining an effective system to manage health and safety.
This includes risk management, contractor management, reviewing and auditing of the MSMS, and principal mining hazard management plans.
The draft code has been developed based on guidance material produced by the New South Wales Resources Regulator.
This includes the Code of Practice: Safety management systems in mines, and Guide: Preparing a principal mining hazard management plan.
The draft code was approved for public consultation by the Mining Industry Advisory Committee (MIAC).
AusIMM has expressed support for the recent regulations and stated that it is committed to improving health and safety across all technical disciplines, and supporting development of risk-responsive practices for all stages of the mining lifecycle.
The operational landscape in the industry is developing rapidly as new processes, practices and technologies are implemented, and opportunities across both established and emerging commodities are explored.
According to AusIMM, this means the nature of occupational risk in the industry is also shifting and mine safety management systems are critical for ongoing industry success.