New WHS laws for mining begin

The new health and safety laws for NSW mining, the Work Health and Safety (Mines) Regulation 2014, together with the Work Health and Safety (Mines) Act 2013, started on 1 February 2015.

The new laws replaced the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act 2002 and the Mine Health and Safety Act 2004. There will no longer be separate mine safety legislation for coalmines, metalliferous mines and extractives mines.

NSW Government trade and resources has included information about the new mine safety laws on its website, including transitional arrangements and frequently asked questions. The transitional arrangements have been put in place to allow time for duty holders to understand and comply with their obligations.

The new laws are designed to increase harmonisation between the different states and territories of Australia. They have been developed in consultation with other states, in particular the other major mining states of Western Australia and Queensland. The new mining-specific laws have also been developed to align with and build on the Work Health and Safety Act and Regulation.

The new regulation incorporates amendments to the draft regulation identified through the public consultation process. These amendments include retaining existing NSW legislative requirements that achieve consistent safety standards but do not increase regulatory cost.