A report has highlighted that serious injury frequency rates across New South Wales’ mining sector remained comparatively low in 2024–25, bolstered by ongoing regulatory oversight.
The annual Mine Safety Performance report published by the NSW regulator also showed continued industry engagement, with 2168 incident notifications lodged during the year.
Inspectors issuing a substantial number of notices aimed at strengthening compliance and risk controls were also found in the report.
Coal operations accounted for the largest share of hours worked and incident reports, while metalliferous and extractive sites also recorded active monitoring and enforcement activity.
Across the sector, 106 serious injuries and 260 lost-time injuries were reported for the year. In total, 841 injuries met the threshold for recordable classification.
The industry also recorded one work-related fatality during the reporting period on a coal mine, compared with zero the previous year. This is the first fatality recorded on a coal mine site since 2018–19.
While fatality numbers remained low in historical terms, the regulator emphasised that even a single death underscored the inherently high-risk nature of mining and the need for sustained vigilance.
The report indicated that injury frequency rates have fluctuated over time but remained well below historic peaks. It highlighted the importance of maintaining strong principal hazard management plans, effective supervision and workforce engagement to prevent serious harm.
Overall, the 2024–25 data suggested that while progress continued in several areas, consistent focus on critical controls and learning from incidents remained central to improving safety outcomes across NSW mines.
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