QUEENSLAND Parliament has introduced legislation aiming to make the state’s mines safer.
The Clean Energy Bill, though focused on boosting clean and efficient energy use, also includes provisions to require mines to provide information about serious or fatal accidents.
The bill’s proposed amendments to the mining and quarrying safety and health legislation aim to ensure timely information would be provided to investigating officers for fatal and other serious mining accidents.
The amendments were prompted by the fatal underground accident at the BHP Billiton Cannington mine on 17 January 2008. During that incident, mine workers refused to provide the location of the accident to the mines inspectors investigating the mine.
Investigators were only provided with the relevant information enabling them to commence investigation after 28 hours.
The new legislation will amend the Coal Mining Safety and Health Act 1999 and the Mining and Quarrying Safety and Health Act 1999. This will require persons with relevant knowledge about the location, time and circumstances of a serious mining accident to provide that information to investigating officers.
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