Supporting the WA Mine Safety Management Systems Draft Code of Practice Discussion

Health and safety is imperative for our sector and our ability to deliver enduring social and economic benefits for the community.

AusIMM 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.

Indeed, the operational landscape in our industry is developing rapidly as we implement new processes, practices and technologies, and explore opportunities across both established and emerging commodities. This means the nature of occupational risk in our industry is also shifting and mine safety management systems are critical for ongoing industry success.

A Draft Code of Practice: Mine safety management system has been released for public consultation by the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety.

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 a mine operator to follow a systematic approach to establishing and maintaining an effective system to manage health and safety, including:

• risk management 
• principal mining hazard management plans
• contractor management
• reviewing and auditing of the MSMS.

The draft code has been developed based upon guidance material produced by NSW Resources Regulator:

• Code of Practice: Safety management systems in mines
• Guide: Preparing a principal mining hazard management plan

The Mining Industry Advisory Committee (MIAC) has approved the draft code for public consultation. 

To support AusIMM’s contributions to this analysis, we encourage members to contact the Policy team via policy@ausimm.com by Friday 12 November 2021.