NSW Resources Regulator Releases Quarterly Safety Report for Oct-Dec 2021

NSW Resources Regulator has released its Quarterly Safety Report for October to December 2021, giving industry a clear picture of incident trends and helping operators strengthen safety management systems and undertake risk assessments at their sites.

Summary: Total incident notifications by principal hazard fell from 211 to 178 during the quarter, a 9% reduction against the four-quarter average of 190. The regulator continues to focus on high-risk hazards including vehicle operating areas, fire or explosion risks, and airborne contaminants.

Key Findings from the October–December Quarter

According to the report, incident notifications received by principal hazard dropped from 211 to 178 in this quarter, representing a 9% reduction from the quarterly average of 190 recorded across the previous four quarters.

This decline suggests that ongoing safety initiatives across NSW resources operations may be having a measurable impact, though the regulator stresses that continued vigilance remains essential.

Focus Areas for the Regulator

"As a high-hazard regulator, we focus on compliance with legislative requirements associated with principal and other high-risk hazards. Roads or other vehicle operating areas, fires or explosion, and air quality or dusts and other airborne contaminants are hazards that feature regularly in incident notifications to the Regulator," NSW Resources Regulator said in a statement.

These findings reinforce why businesses conducting quarterly objective and targets reporting should pay close attention to vehicle operating zones, fire risks, and dust exposure when reviewing their quarterly business activities.

Why This Report Matters for Safety Professionals

Technical professionals across construction, manufacturing, and resource sectors rely on data like this to benchmark their own quarterly business activities against industry-wide trends. Understanding where incidents cluster helps teams prioritise controls and allocate resources effectively.

• Track principal hazard trends across reporting periods
• Identify high-risk activities such as vehicle movement and airborne contaminant exposure
• Use findings to refine job safety analysis processes for high-risk tasks
• Benchmark internal incident data against regulator statistics

For teams managing multiple sites, comparing this report with the previous quarterly safety report can help identify whether hazard trends are improving or worsening over consecutive periods.

Read the full report here.