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MINING INDUSTRY HEALTH & SAFETY CONFERENCE

2000Presentation on Coal Mining Safety

and Health Regulation 2000

29 August 2000

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Please Note

• While the intention of these regulations has been agreed the actual wording is still being worked out by Parliamentary Counsel as they draft the regulations.

• Approaches could change for this reason; things that now require a Standard Operating Procedure could end up as a general requirement of the mines safety and health management system or vice versa

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Acceptable Levels of Risk

What does it mean? How is it achieved?

• If regulation applies follow it;

• If Recognised Standard tells how, follow it or;

• Control risk equally or better; or

• Other wise:– exercise reasonable precautions;– and proper diligence

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Acceptable Levels of Risk and How You Achieve it

• If a regulation exists, follow it;

• If Recognised Standard tells how, adopt the method; or

• Develop your own method; but it must control risk equally or better;

• If no regulation or Recognised Standard– exercise reasonable precautions; and– proper diligence

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The Regulations• Are about subjects specified in the Act

• Gives further details of requirements

• Can be prescriptive (tells exactly what must be

done)

• Can be enabling (tells what must be achieved and

allows choice of method)

• Cannot contradict the Act

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The Coal Mining Safety and Health Regulation 2000

The Regulations have four chapters

• Chapter 1: Preliminary

• Chapter 2: Apply to all coal mines

• Chapter 3: Applying to Surface mines

• Chapter 4: Applying to Underground mines

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The first important Definition:Surface Mine;

Schedule 3 of the Act “Surface Mine” means -

• a coal mine other than an underground mine ;or

• the surface operations of an underground coal mine

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Chapter 1: Preliminary

• Gives title: Coal Mining Safety and Health

Regulation 2000

• Indicates purpose: Prescribing ways to achieve

an acceptable level of risk

• States there is a dictionary that defines certain

words

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Chapter 2: Applies to all Coal Mines ;

11 Parts in this Chapter

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Chapter 2 – Part 1: Safety and Health Management System

• Restates elements of system

– risk identification

– hazard analysis

– hazard management and control

• Requires keeping records of risk assessment

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Safety and Health Management System: Training

• Identify training needs including tasks that

require specific training and authorisations;

• Establish training program to meet the needs;

• Program must provide for Recognised Prior

Learning and Refresher Training

• Appoint competent persons for training and

assessing

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Safety and Health Management System: Mine Emergencies

• System must provide for mine emergencies and include;

• Emergency exercises

• Aided and self rescue

• Involvement of;

– OCE for emergencies in and about surface excavation

– Deputy for emergencies involving ERZ

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Safety and Health Management System: Other Requirements

System must provide ;

• First Aid

• Fire fighting

• Safety and health communications

• Keeping bath rooms etc hygienic Emergency

exercises

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Safety and Health Management System: Other Risk Controls

System must provide ;

• Working near concealed services

• Trenching

• Working at heights

• Restricting access to hazardous areas

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Safety and Health Management System: Part 2: Standard Operation Procedures

Standard Operating Procedures are part of the Safety Management System and are defined in the Act as follows ;

A “Standard Operating System” is a documented way of working or arranging facilities at the coal mine developed after consultation with coal mine workers

See next slide for definition of consultation

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Safety and Health Management System: Standard Operation Procedures & Consultation

Consultation is defined in the Act

“Consultation” with coal mine workers is a discussion between the site senior executive or supervisors with the affected coal mine workers about a matter with the aim of reaching agreement about the matter

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Safety and Health Management System: Standard Operation Procedures; comments

SOP’s not limited to those called up in legislation

If SOP is called up in legislation but the hazard is not at the mine it is not required

Inspector under the powers provided in the Act can require mine to review Safety and Health Management System if he believes an SOP is necessary for system to be effective

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Regulations about Standard Operation Procedures

• List of SOP’s must be at the mine

• Copy must be available and readily accessible

• List and procedures in format easy to understand

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Accidents and High Potential IncidentsPart 3 of Regs

• SSE must provide a report to inspector if accident or incident of type listed in schedule of regs

• Other accidents reported on approved form• SOP required for publishing findings of

investigations– implementing corrective action– OCE and Deputy to be involved in developing SOP

if event in their area

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Fitness for Work: Part 4 of Regulations

Coal mine must provide for persons at the mine to recognise the safety and health risks associated with

• Excessive consumption of alcohol

• improper use of drugs

• personal fatigue

• other physical or psychological impairment

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Fitness for Work:Part 4 of Regulations: Alcohol Consumption

• Offence to consume alcohol except in camp;• Offence to carry out task under the influence;• Safety and Health System must provide;

– education– employee assistance– voluntary self testing– random testing – testing if any person reasonable suspects a person is

under the influence

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Fitness for Work:Part 4 of Regulations: Drug Consumption or Ingestion

Mine must provide:– Education program

– Employee assistance program

• Obligation on:

– Person to report use of medication

– SSE to of notices given regarding medication

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Hazardous Substances:Part 5 of Regulations

Mine must provide:

• Register of hazardous substances at the mine

• Have available material data sheets

• Register and data sheets must be easily accessible

• SOP for purchase, use, storage, movement etc

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Recognised Standards:Part 6 of Regulations; Part 5 of Act

Mine must provide:

• Current list easily accessible

• Copy of current standards easily accessible

• List and standards in an easily understood

format

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Mine Plans:Part 8 of Regulations

Mine must provide: • Survey plans• Plan of site of serious accidents and high

potential incidents• Mines rescue plan• Plan of surface services

• Plan of high wall excavation

• Record of deformation of surface structures

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Fixed and Mobile Equipment:Part 10 of Regulations

Safety & Health Management system must provide;

• Safe access

• Protective Structures

• Guarding

• Brake testing

• Seat belts

• Reversing alarms and pre-start warnings

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Fixed and Mobile Equipment:Further requirements

Safety & Health Management system must also provide for;

• Periodic safety checks

• Pre-start checks

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Fixed and Mobile Equipment: Tagging and Isolation

Safety & Health Management system must also provide for;

• Taking equipment out of service

• Returning equipment to service

• Isolating power sources

• Danger tags

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Fixed and Mobile Equipment: Using mobile equipment

Safety & Health Management system must provide standard operating procedures for:

• Interaction of light and heavy vehicles

• Overtaking and parking

• Using equipment near electricity

• Discharging loads

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Operator attended Dredges:

Safety & Health Management system must provide;

• Stability checks

• Methods of measuring water levels in hulls

• Alarms for minimum free board

• Barriers and hand rails

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Operator attended Dredges: Operating & relocating

Safety & Health Management system must provide standard operation procedures for;

• Safe access and control of plant hazards

• Checking and recording free board

• Controlling risk at the dredging face

• Managing hazards created by climatic changes

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Personal Protective Equipment:Part 10A of Regulations

Requirement for mine operator to provide:

• Sufficient and appropriate PPE

• Ensure equipment is readily available

• Training on maintenance and use

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Work Environment:Part 11 of Regulations; Safety Inspections

Requirement for mine health and safety management system to provide standard operating procedures for safety inspections to be :

• Carried out before activity commences

• While activity is taking place

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Work EnvironmentBathrooms, toilets, dining facilities

Requirement for mine health and safety management system to provide for:

• Sufficient potable water bath room facilities

• Clean and dirty areas

• SOP for maintaining in hygienic condition

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Work Environment:Dust exposure

Requirement for mine health and safety management system to ensure mine workers do not breath more than

• 3mg per cubic metre of respirable coal dust during a period of 8 hours, and

• 0.1mg per cubic metre of respirable dust containing free silica during a period of 8 hours

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Work Environment: Flammable and toxic gases;

( underground mines dealt with separately)

Requirement for mine health and safety management system to provide SOP’s to:

• Identify and monitor possible hazardous locations

• Determine exposure limits and develop controls

• Develop emergency procedures

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Work Environment: Noise limitations

Requirement for mine health and safety management system to:

• To ensure that mine workers are not exposed to excessive noise dosage

• Monitor and record noise levels

• Provide warning signs

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Work Environment: Other risks

Requirement for mine health and safety

management system to:

• Provide protection against lightening strikes

• Minimise risk from falling and slipping

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Chapter 3:Surface Mines

Note definition

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Chapter 3; Part 1: Open Cut Examiner

• At least one OCE must be present at a surface mine when mining activities are taking place in an surface mine excavation

• OCE must be contactable by person working in or around surface mine excavation

• Main responsibility of OCE is safety and health of persons working in surface mine excavation but can have other duties

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Important Definition: Surface Mine Excavation

Is defined in the Act, Schedule 3

“Surface mine excavation” means an area where extraction operations are being conducted and includes an area beyond the main working face-– in which shot holes are being charged; or– being prepared for the extraction of coal

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Another Important Definition: Mining Activity

• Defined in regulations :

“Mining Activities” are activities that relate to the winning of coal and include: – preparing for extraction of coal or overburden– preparing for and the firing of shots– loading and transportation of overburden or

coal– dumping of overburden on spoil heaps

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Open Cut Examiner: Duties and responsibilities

• Inspection of activities in and around surface mine excavation including mining activities;

• Before activities start

• Periodically

• Must read previous OCE report

• Acknowledge in mine record report read

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Open Cut Examiner:Obligation if unacceptable level of risk

If unacceptable level of risk detected OCE must:

• Rectify if possible and inform any affected persons

• Prevent exposure of others at the mine• Inform supervisor and place in mine record• Must inform supervisor before leaving site

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Open Cut Examiner:Other provisions relating to OCE• Only person with at least equal competence

can give technical directions to an OCE

• OCE to be involved in developing provisions in Safety and Health Management Plan relating to Surface Mine Excavation

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Part 2: Person in charge of Electrical Activities

When electricity is used at the mine the SSE must appoint a suitably competent person to control and manage the electrical engineering activities at the mine.

• Required competencies are:– Mine electricians certificate of competency;or – Competency recognised by the Advisory

Council

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Person in charge of Electrical Activities: General duties

• Design, installation, maintenance of electrical equipment

• Safe operation of electrical equipment

• Control of work and electrical activities close to electrical installations

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Part 3: Explosives

The mine safety and health management system must provide for the use of explosives including:

• Manufacturing, storing, transporting, using

• Accounting for explosives used

• Identifying deteriorated explosives

• Security of explosive

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Part 3: Explosives: other requirementsNote: Explosive Act applies to Coal Mines

The mine safety and health management system must provide for :

• Identify and controlling hazards associated with the use of explosives

• Recovery and disposal of misfired explosives

• Records of misfired explosives

• Determination of allowable sleep times

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Part 4:Ground Control

The mine safety and health management system must provide for SOP’s to ensure acceptable level of risk and include inspection and monitoring:

• Spoil dumps and excavated faces

• Unstable hazardous or broken ground

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Part 5: Highwall Mining: Abnormal circumstance declaration

• A person must not enter a high wall mining excavation unless a abnormal circumstance declaration is in force

• Abnormal circumstance declaration is issued by SSE stating requirements and conditions and placed in mine record

• SSE must revoke as soon as possible

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Part 5: Highwall Mining:Operating Requirements

A mine safety and health management system must provide SOP’s for:

• Persons entering surface mine excavation;• fire fighting;• Working in risk areas:

– Adjacent to highwall;– Adjacent to highwall mining excavation;

• Communications;• Monitoring atmosphere at cutting face

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Part 6: Mine Roads

A mine safety and health management system must provide for;

• Construction in according with regulations

• A specification for the construction of the roads

• A SOP for maintaining and watering the roads

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Part 7: Prohibited Articles

A mine safety and health management system must provide for classifying materials or objects as prohibited articles

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Part 8: Stockpiles and Waste Dump Operations

A mine safety and health management system must provide for machines operating on stockpiles:

• Automatic shut down of engines

• Automatic fire suppression system

• SOP’s for safe operation on stockpiles

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Part 8: Stockpiles and Waste Dump Operations

A mine safety and health management system must provide for:

• Fire detection and recovery in recovery tunnels

• SOP’s for people working in and about– tunnels, bins, below or near stockpiles

– areas liable to spontaneous combustion

• Safety berms when dumping over edges