The course has been developed to meet the needs of proposed legislative requirements for maintenance of competence and has been divided into three, one-day courses to cover topics over a three-year period.
The course will provide deputies with an opportunity to refresh their technical skills, knowledge on compliance and risk-management strategies, keep up to date with changes in legislation and technology, and prepare for proposed changes to maintenance of competence legislation.
Maintenance of competence is vital for those in safety-critical roles, such as for those holding statutory certificates under mine safety legislation, Mines Rescue general manager Paul Healey said.
The consequence of not maintaining competence in safety-critical areas leads to a failure to perform at an acceptable level with serious potential consequences for the safety and health of all employees.
“We believe this course will be of significant benefit to industry. Up until this point there has been no formal ongoing training support for deputies to remain current with changes in regulation and technology,” Healey said.
“The importance for statutory managers to maintain competency is of the utmost importance in maintaining the high safety standards that exist in NSW.”
The first course will be held at the Newcastle Mines Rescue station on 25 March 2014.
Courses will run throughout 2014, across all Mines Rescue sites in NSW, including Singleton, Wollongong, Lithgow and Newcastle.
For more information visit Mines Rescue website at www.minesrescueservices.com.
