New laws have been passed in Queensland. Image: Michael Evans/stock.adobe.com
New safety standards have been passed in Queensland, which will affect the quarry’s safety and health management systems.
The Queensland Government has passed the Resources Safety and Health Legislation Amendment Bill 2024.
As a result, quarries will be required to introduce critical controls into their safety and health management systems with ‘enforceable undertakings’ introduced across Queensland’s resources sector. Previously, these critical controls have been voluntarily applied to the resources sector.
By definition, an enforceable undertaking is an alternative to prosecution. In this situation, the individual and/or company would make an undertaking to the regulator for breaches of safety and health legislation. However, this is not allowed in matters involving workplace deaths.
“The most important thing to come out of out of any workplace at the end of each shift is its workers, and that is why safety is my number one priority,” Queensland Resources and Critical Minerals Minister Scott Stewart said.
“Our goal for these reforms was to improve the resource sector’s safety and health performance, and to reduce the number of fatalities and serious accidents.”
As part of the legislation, Resources Safety and Health Queensland’s petroleum and gas inspectors will now be able to compel relevant people to give information or answer questions. This was a recommendation from the coroner after its inquest into the tragic death of Gareth Dodunski.
These changes are from the final recommendations of Resources Safety and Health Queensland from the Queensland Coal Mining Board of Inquiry which investigated the Grosvenor mine explosion. The changes will be phased in across the next five years to help with industry implementation.
“This legislation implements the final recommendations for Resources Safety and Health Queensland which is incredibly important,” Stewart said.
“The resources industry is a key driver of the Queensland economy, but we can’t have a thriving resources sector without robust safety measures in place.
“This has been a monumental effort and I want to thank everyone who contributed to these reforms, in particular the parents of Gareth Dodunski, Michelle and Phil, who bravely recounted the devastating loss of their son during the Committee hearings.”
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