The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy has made a submission to the National Mine Safety Framework (NMSF) which is piecing together a national occupational health and safety framework for the mining and minerals sector.
Last month the NMSF steering committee put its final round of strategies out for public comment.
The last four strategies in the guideline are being put under the microscope across the country and mine safety stakeholders are being asked to put forward their views on issues such as competency and compliance support and an enforcement protocol.
In its submission AusIMM said the current state-by-state system posed difficulties for mining companies working across state borders.
Currently there is no national consistent approach to safety regulations.
“Harmonisation” and a “common approach” have been touted by the lobby group as the way forward.
But it remained cautious that national legislation should not lose decades of health and safety learnings from each jurisdiction.
AusIMM wants an overarching OHS Act to incorporate high level safety principles and leave the bulk of industry-specific measures to be contained in state regulations.
High level issues such as duty of care, the role of the inspectorate and how offences are dealt with should be incorporated into the national Act, according to AusIMM.
Codes of practice on specific hazards and processes would remain at a state level.
When it comes to a duty of care on minesites, AusIMM wants the harmonisation of duties and competencies, including those of mine managers, surveyors and plant managers, across state borders.
The members of AusIMM had mixed views on a single inspectorate for all states and did not make a recommendation on the issue.
However, it did want a greater focus on guidelines for inspectors to improve their effectiveness.
Under compliance and enforcement of safety regulations AusIMM criticised the current approach to prosecutions over breaches in safety and labelled them “reactive”.
It vehemently disagreed with empowering unions with the right to prosecute and said this role should lie with the mines inspectorate.
NMSF steering group chairman and former Western Australian minister Clive Brown told International Longwall News last month the national guidelines would be hugely significant for the mining industry.
“We have people in all different occupations in the industry moving from state to state and there are differences in legislation that can cause confusion – and where you cause confusion you cannot have the best safety situation,” Brown said.
The remaining strategies which are currently under review are expected to be completed by November and presented to the ministerial council but no new legislation is expected within the year.
