A 16 per cent decrease in incident notifications is among the safety improvements the NSW Resources Regulator recorded in its quarterly safety report from October to December 2025.
This decrease accounts for a total of 501 incident notifications received by the division, which is also a nine per cent decrease from the equivalent period a year prior.
In these reports, there was a single fatal incident involving the unintentional detonation of an explosive device, which resulted in two deaths.
Likewise, the division noted that assessments conducted decreased by 13 per cent overall in that quarter, from 1199 to 1044 across the coal, metalliferous, and extractives sectors.
Safety notices issued also decreased in the period from 707 to 542, with s191 improvement notices accounting for nearly two-thirds (318) of all notices issued.
Looking at the broader 2024–2025 annual report by the division, it detailed a total of 2346 mine safety incident notifications across 6431 active mines.
The Resources Regulator oversees compliance and enforcement across the mining, extractives and petroleum sectors in NSW, operating under legislation such as the Work Health and Safety (Mines and Petroleum Sites) Act 2013, the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, and the Mining Act 1992.
The regulator conducted more than 5138 safety assessments during the reporting period, forming the foundation of its inspections, audits and industry guidance activities.
For the 2024–25 reporting period, key focus areas included risk management and supervision at open-cut coal mines, airborne contaminants in metalliferous mines, and the use of work platform attachments on multi-purpose mobile plants.
Enforcement measures were also a key component of the regulator’s safety oversight.
During the financial year, 2680 safety notices were issued, including improvement notices, prohibition notices and notices of concern.
Investigations also remained a priority for the regulator, with 13 investigation information releases and eight full investigation reports published to help industry understand the causes of serious incidents and implement improved controls.
According to the regulator, these investigations and enforcement actions form part of a broader strategy aimed at promoting behavioural change and ensuring mining operators meet their obligations to protect workers, communities and the environment.
The regulator said transparency and information sharing remain central to its approach, publishing investigation findings and safety guidance so lessons learned from incidents can be applied across the sector.
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