Consultation on Improving Health and Safety Hazard Management in the Underground Mining Industry

Public consultation was held in April-June 2008 on the discussion paper: Improving health and safety hazard management in the underground mining industry.

The public consultation process set out a broad range of options for improving safety, and followed the Department of Labour’s review of the legislative and regulatory framework for underground mining.  The review’s context is the inherently hazardous nature of underground mining and its potential for catastrophic events, and public concern arising from two fatalities in 2006.

Consultation has now closed and a report is available that summarises the public feedback on the discussion paper.

The options in the discussion paper that had the best support were:

• Improving health and safety management systems
• Raising the minimum qualification level for managers of small mines, and
• Ensuring mine owners receive better health and safety technical guidance.

The Government used the feedback gained from this consultation to develop further measures to improve health and safety hazard management systems in the underground mining industry. As part of this, from 13 January 2011 a minimum of a coal mine underviewer certificate is now required for managers of an underground coal mine where eight or fewer people work. More information on this regulation change is available here.

Downloads

Report – summary of public submissions

• View the Summary of Public Submissions on Discussion Paper Improving health and safety hazard management in the underground mining industry[HTML]
• Download a PDF version of the Summary of Public Submissions on Discussion Paper Improving health and safety hazard management in the underground mining industry[PDF, 32 Pages, 271kB]

Discussion paper – the original discussion document that summarised the issues and was the basis for consultation

• View the Improving health and safety hazard management in the Underground Mining Industry discussion paper. [HTML]
• Download a PDF version of the Improving health and safety hazard management in the Underground Mining Industry [PDF 44 pages, 540 kB]
• Change to the HSE (Mining Administration) Regulations 1996 - raising the requirement minimum certificate for managing underground coal mines where eight or fewer people work. View the Regulatory Impact Statement. View the HSE (Mining Administration) Amendment Regulations 2010.

Further information

Please contact:
Kate Wiliamson, Senior External Communications Adviser
Kate.Williamson@dol.govt.nz
ph 04 915 4561