Mining publications and videos

The Opal and gem miner's handbook (PDF, 7.5MB) provides advice to help opal and gem miners lower the risk of injuries.

SafeGuard is a safety and health management system and audit tool for the Queensland mining and quarrying industries. SafeGuard will help assess your operation's safety and health management system, measure its performance and ensure continuous improvement.

For more information read:

1. SafeGuard handbook (PDF, 396KB)
2. SafeGuard chart (PDF, 113KB).

This tool is designed to help you assess how well your operation is protected from lightning-related hazards.

For more information read:

1. Lightning protection audit tool for mines (DOC, 128KB).

This document provides information on models to adjust exposure standards for non-standard working hours.

1. Adjustment of occupational exposure limits for unusual work schedules (PDF, 205KB)

RSHQ commissioned an expert review from the University of Queensland to consider the hazards that can arise when conducting operations during lightning activity and their relative risk to the safety of resources workers.

1. 2022 Assessing the risk of operating mining equipment during lightning storms (PDF, 4MB)

A summary of this report has been outlined in the Coal Inspectorate Bulletin No 205.

Each year one Queensland underground coal mine runs a level 1 emergency exercise to test their readiness for emergencies and the learnings help the industry boost their preparedness to respond to major emergencies.

This video discusses the learnings from the 2019 Cook Colliery and 2020 Moranbah North level 1 exercises, as well as key learnings that have been gathered over 23 years of exercises.

2019 Cook Colliery and 2020 Moranbah North Level 1 exercises (PDF, 1.2MB)

In October 2019, a coal mine worker seriously injured their wrist and forearm following the failure of a cylinder head plate when repairing a broken track link on an excavator.

Analysis of the incident provides useful lessons about the management of equipment bought onto site and questions to ask about site suppliers' testing and maintenance programs.

Track press serious harm incident (PDF, 1.8MB)

Since the introduction of the Coal Mine Workers' Health Scheme, there has been significant improvement in spirometry across the Queensland coal sector.

Find out how RSHQ reforms paved the way to quality spirometry and learn about future initiatives including ResHealth – an electronic system capturing health assessment data in real time.

Checking on the lung checks: better spirometry for miners (PDF, 1MB)

Improvements to respiratory health examinations for coal, mineral mine and quarry workers include higher quality chest X-ray standards, better training for health care professionals and a recognised standard for reporting results. RSHQ has a strict process in ensuring each component of the medical screening process is working effectively.

Quality of mine dust lung disease screening (PDF, 1.1MB)

Queensland is committed to the development of renewable hydrogen production in Australia and is rapidly scaling up a hydrogen economy.

In October 2021, the RSHQ's Petroleum and Gas Inspectorate led a webinar to discuss the development of a safety code of practice for the hydrogen industry in relation to mobility.

During 2018 the Mines Inspectorate completed a series of structured inspections focusing on diesel emissions management at all 10 operational underground coal mines. Findings and opportunities for improvement are included in this document:

1. Diesel Emission Management in Underground Coal Mines (PDF, 991KB)

As Queensland underground coal mines have become deeper and longwall production rates have increased, the quantity of methane (CH4) produced by longwall operations has also increased.

The Mines Inspectorate recently completed a series of compliance audits and requested methane gas monitoring data from 8 longwall mines so that a detailed analysis could be undertaken. The audits revealed that all mines' gas monitoring systems complied with the Coal Mining Safety and Health Act 1999 but a review of gas data indicated that some mines were not reporting all incidents over 2.5% methane. Modelling of the mines' ventilation and methane emissions has shown that in some cases explosive mixtures of methane could have been present in the atmosphere flowing into the longwall tailgate.

The Mines Inspectorate expects all underground coal mines to have effective gas monitoring systems with suitably placed methane detectors to prevent explosive accumulations of methane in areas where it could be ignited. Best practices and recommendations to achieve this are outlined in the attached document for mine operations to consider.

At the time of writing this report, the Mines Inspectorate is also developing draft amendments to the regulation to prescribe minimum methane monitoring requirements, at all relevant locations in an underground coal mine.

1. Methane management in underground coal mines: Best practice and recommendations (PDF, 1MB)

1. Open Cut Examiner Seminar 2015 (PDF, 1.4MB)
2. Roles and responsibilities of an OCE (PDF, 645KB)
3. Emergency management (PDF, 729KB)
4. Explosives Inspectorate presentation (PDF, 2.7MB)
5. Geotechnical management (PDF, 2.8MB)
6. Highwall failure and misfire (PDF, 712KB)
7. Major pit wall failure (PDF, 2MB)
8. Maintaining frictional resistance on mine road surfaces (PDF, 1.5MB)
9. Specification for design and construction of mine roads (PDF, 1.2MB)
10. OCE statutory shift reports (PDF, 2.1MB)
11. Accident investigation (PDF, 623KB)
12. Light vehicle heavy vehicle controls (PDF, 1.3MB)
13. Mines Inspectorate website (PDF, 1MB)

Trailing cable damage HPI criteria were developed to deliver consistency in reporting across all mine sites. This presentation shares information about the risks associated with trailing cables, provides examples of incidents and reviews data from past performance.

Trailing cable management  at coal mines (PDF, 1.2MB)

When it comes to measuring airborne exposure, one of the biggest issues facing the coal industry is chemical characterisation and the Safety Data Sheet (SDS). It's important that chemicals are clearly identified so hygienists and safety professionals on mine sites are aware of what may be present and the monitoring required to measure them.

Isocyanate based resins - Airborne exposure, biological exposure monitoring, product characterisation (PDF, 1.1MB)

The 14 months from 15 November 2018 was one of the worst periods for fatalities in the recent history of Queensland mining. This presentation shares information about excavator access and egress systems and the hazards associated with them, focussing on findings and recommendations.

The following video is a simulation of a fatal accident that took place at Century Mine on 9 February 2004.

The following video should be used in conjunction with guidance note QGN17: Development of effective job safety analysis (PDF, 1.1MB).