NSW Resources Regulator lists compliance priorities for Jan-June 2024

NSW Resources Regulator Lists Compliance Priorities for January–June 2024

NSW Resources Regulator has announced its compliance priorities for January–June 2024, outlining eight focus areas that will guide inspection and audit activity across the state's mining sector for the first half of the year.

According to the regulator, publishing this document promotes transparency and encourages workplaces to comply with health and safety regulations. Sharing these priorities in advance gives operators a clear roadmap for strengthening safety systems before inspections begin.

Key Compliance Priorities for January–June 2024

During the first six months of 2024, the regulator aims to complete eight compliance priorities, which include:

• Fires on mobile plant
• Lifting and cranage
• Airborne contaminants
• Audiometric testing
• Psychosocial awareness
• Blasting (explosive safety)
• Continued assessment and determination of Rehabilitation Assessment Outcome Documents for large mines
• Enabling small mines to transition and comply with new Rehabilitation Requirements

These priorities reflect a broad safety agenda spanning equipment reliability, exposure control, hearing protection, mental health, explosives handling and site rehabilitation obligations. Each item reflects an area where hazard control measures directly affect worker wellbeing.

Why These Priorities Matter for Site Safety

Fires on mobile plant remain a persistent hazard on mine sites, making equipment maintenance and inspection critical for reducing risk. Operators should reference structured maintenance procedures, such as an SOP for equipment maintenance, to keep machinery in safe working order.

Airborne contaminants and audiometric testing priorities highlight ongoing occupational health concerns, particularly exposure control for dust, gases and noise. Psychosocial awareness has also become a growing safety focus, recognising that mental health protections are as important as physical safety measures.

Blasting activities carry inherent explosive safety risks, so control measures around storage, handling and detonation remain a consistent regulatory focus. Rehabilitation obligations, meanwhile, apply differently across large mines and smaller operations, with the regulator supporting a staged transition for smaller sites adjusting to new requirements.

Supporting Compliance Through Documented Systems

Robust human resources practices underpin many of these priorities, from psychosocial risk management to training records for audiometric testing. Businesses can strengthen their approach using structured human resources management plans, supported by clear human resources policies and procedures, or a comprehensive human resources package covering documentation across the employee lifecycle.

Operators reviewing their broader compliance frameworks may also benefit from revisiting a documented compliance evaluation policy to assess how current systems measure up against regulatory expectations.

How This Builds on Previous Compliance Priorities

This announcement follows a consistent pattern of biannual reporting from the regulator. Earlier priorities, including those detailed in the compliance priorities for July–December 2023 and the compliance priorities for first half of 2023, addressed similar themes around plant safety, airborne hazards and rehabilitation obligations.

For background on how these regulatory cycles began, see our earlier coverage of when the regulator released compliance priorities for the first time.

Staying Informed on Regulatory News

Keeping up with regulatory news helps mining businesses anticipate inspection focus areas and adjust safety practices proactively rather than reactively. Regular safety news updates from the regulator also give operators visibility into emerging risks across the sector.

Businesses that monitor this safety news consistently tend to respond faster when new requirements are introduced, particularly around rehabilitation obligations for mines transitioning from older frameworks. Staying across this news also supports better planning for audits and safety reviews scheduled throughout the year.

More information on the January–June 2024 compliance priorities is available here via the NSW Resources Regulator's official website.