Tasmania Statutory Requirements

Who is the Regulator?

In Tasmania, WorkSafe regulates mine and quarries under the Mines Work Health and Safety (Supplementary Requirements) Act 2012.  They are responsible for investigating workplace incidents and auditing workplace for compliance with legislation.  

Mine Operator and Site Senior Officer

A mine holder must appoint a mine operator who:

  • Manages or controls the mine
  • Must have the capacity and resources to ensure that work at the mine can be carries out safely

A site senior officer must be appointed before any mining operations are carried out at the mine. The site senior officer must have the appropriate background, experience and competence to carry out their functions under the Mines Work Health and Safety (Supplementary Requirements) Act, taking into account:

  • the level of risk to health and safety arising from mining operations at the mine
  • the size of the mine
  • the technical expertise available to the site senior officer at the mine

While Tasmania legislation does not require specific competencies or qualifications for Quarry Managers, the legislation does require that each mine operator and site senior officer have relevant experience and qualifications.
Additionally, the mine operator and site senior officer are required to ensure the person appointed remains competent.  

As a guide, we recommend the following formal qualifications to ensure competency:

  • A Certificate IV in Surface Extraction Operations for lower risk operations
  • A Diploma in Surface Extraction Operations for higher risk operations
  • Plus, a planned program of regular and ongoing continuing professional development aligned to the categories in the IQA competency framework.

For more information, click here.

Health and Safety Management Systems

In Tasmania, the mine operator must develop, implement, maintain and review an overall health and safety management system for the mine that is commensurate with the nature, size and complexity of the mine and mining operations, and the associated risks.

In addition, there are hazards associated with mining operations that, although they have a low likelihood of occurrence, have the potential to cause very serious incidents. This category of hazard is known as a ‘principal mining hazard’.

The mine operator must:

  • identify the principal mining hazards associated with their mining operations
  • develop a specific management plan to address these

IQA Education and Membership

The IQA provides training to ensure a quarry manager maintains the required competencies. 

The IQA:

  • Provides a competency framework which identifies five essential competency areas relevant to all levels of the quarrying industry to align your education and training to.
  • Provides training to ensure a quarry manager maintains competencies. 
  • Delivers industry specific education and training courses covering a range of topics relevant to the industry.
  • Provides access to Introduction to Safety Management Systems webinar to ensure you meet the Health and Safety Systems requirement.
  • Maintains a rolling schedule of all courses. In addition, the IQA can deliver corporate programs of any course specific to a site or organisation.
  • Provides guidance on planning your training to maintain competence is available.
  • Provides access to accredited training required for quarry manager certification via Registered Training Organisation (RTO) partnerships.
  • Offers an education calendar which is regularly updated with new and/or additional courses. 

Accredited Training

The IQA has partnerships with RTOs who offer the mandatory units of competency (accredited training) and can assist you in enrolling in the required units.  Accredited training includes:

Through these partnerships the IQA is supporting access to full qualifications or units of competency. The IQA can provide advice on the requirements in each state regarding accredited training for quarry manager competencies.

Stay up to date through membership and regularly check the IQA website for available courses.

Please contact the IQA on 02 9484 0577 or [email protected] for more information on courses to remain competent in Tasmania.