New South Wales Statutory Requirements

Maintenance of Competence Scheme

The NSW Resources Regulator, in consultation with the  Mines and Petroleum Competence Board (the board), has developed a framework and descriptions of statutory functions that require a practising certificate or competence certificate. The Maintenance of Competence Scheme is designed to keep the knowledge and skills of individuals who hold a practising certificate to exercise specific statutory functions up to date.

  • The NSW Maintenance of Competence Scheme for Practising Certificates is detailed, and it is important that the NSW Quarries are aware of the changes and ongoing requirements.
  • Failure to comply with the scheme may result in suspension or cancellation of a practising certificate. This would prevent the individual from being able to fully exercise their statutory function.

In general, those holding a Quarry Manager Practising Certificate are required to undertake a minimum number of hours of professional development, over a 5 year period.

Learning must be undertaken in the following areas of competence:

  • Mining and WHS
  • Emergency Management
  • Legislation
  • Leadership and Management
  • General WHS (including a mandatory 8-hour Learning from Mining Disasters course developed by the regulator)

Minimum and maximum hours apply for topic areas, types of learning and specific learning activities.

Minimum 50% of total hours must be allocated to formal learning. (Internal training courses conducted within an organisation cannot account for more than 50% of formal learning hours claimed).

Other acceptable types of learning activities and maximum hours applicable are outlined in the guide published by New South Wales regulator.

For more information on the Competence Scheme for Practising certificates, please review the following:

 

Risk Profiling Tool 

The Resources Regulator has introduced a tiering system for quarries that will affect individuals issued with practising certificates with conditions.

The Resources Regulator will no longer issue practising certificates with a restriction to a specific site. Instead, Practising Certificates will be issued, which will allow the holder to exercise the statutory function at all Tier 2 sites. A transition arrangement is in place until 30 September 2022.

The tier of a quarry is determined by assessing the hazards of the site using a risk profiling tool.

The tool has been developed by the New South Wales Resources Regulator in consultation with the Mining and Petroleum Competence Board and Industry Representatives.

The Risk Profiling tool enables the user to calculate a mine's hazard burden and help determine the qualification for nomination as the Quarry Manager.

To obtain a copy of the Risk Profiling Tool, please click here. 

New South Wales Practising Certificate - Quarry Manager practising certificate requirements

Quarry Manager (Tier1)

 Tier-1 Experience  Qualification and PD

 Requires Practising Certificate and Certificate of Competence

Tier-1 quarries will typically be large operations with principal mining hazards (.e. multiple working benches, high walls, benching over 3 metres, drill and blast, complex vehicle operations, large fixed plant for crushing and processing) and sophisticated safety management systems.

3 years' experience as follows:

Three months work involved in the handling and use of explosives

AND

Nine months practical experience working in an above ground mine or quarry under the control of a certified quarry manager involved in any of the following mining works:

  • drainage
  • drilling
  • equipment maintenance
  • open cut or quarry production
  • overburden removal
  • plant operation
  • road formation
  • site rehabilitation
  • stockpiling

AND

Eighteen months practical experience involved in two or more of the following mining works:

  • Coal mining (limited to three months only)
  • environmental evaluations
  • equipment evaluation
  • quality control
  • sampling
  • slope stability investigations
  • supervision and safety
  • surveying
  • training
  • tunnelling (limited to three months only)
  • underground metalliferous mining (limited to three months only)

AND

Six months practical experience involved in two or more of the following mining works:

  • asphalt or concrete products
  • engineering
  • geology
  • mine design
  • rehabilitation studies

Personal participation in loading and firing 12 production blasts in above ground mine/quarry 

Bachelor of Mining Engineering

OR

Rll60115 Advanced Diploma of Metalliferous Mining Issued by a registered training organisation (or Rll60113 - superseded)

OR

Rll50115 Diploma of Surface Operations Management (or Rll50113 - superseded)

OR

Bachelor of Science AND Graduate Diploma in Mining Engineering

OR 

Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering AND evidence of study in mining subjects related to rock mechanics/mine slope stability and blasting

OR 

Bachelor of Civil Engineering AND evidence of study in mining subjects related to rock mechanics/mine slope stability and blasting

PLUS

RllERR601D Establish and maintain mine emergency preparedness and response systems (or RllERR601A - superseded)

Written exams: Paper A Legislation knowledge (1hour) and Paper B Legislation knowledge and application (2 hours)

CP of 90 hours (45 formal/45 informal) over 5 years

 

Quarry Manager (Tier2)

The New South Wales Resources Regulator is finalising the Maintenance of Competency requirements for Quarry Manager of Tier 2 quarries. Transitional arrangements are in place for holders of practising certificates with conditions to specific site, who do not meet the Tier 2 requirements (until September 20, 2022). 

Applicants will be issued with a 5-year certificate restricted to a specific site, with the condition to achieve RII40120 and RIIERR401E by 1 October 2024.

Certificates for a specific site will not be issued after 1 October 2022.

Tier-2 Experience  CPD Hours

Replaces Practising Certificate with conditions for specific site - will apply to ALL Tier 2 sites

A Tier-2 quarry will typically be medium-sized operations, where the principal mining hazards represent a medium risk

2 years as follows:

Six months' experience in a mining operation with similar inherent hazards 

AND 

Six months' supervisory experience

RII40120 Certificate IV in Surface Extraction Operations (or RII40113 superseded)

OR 

Any of the qualifications listed for Tier 1

Plus

RIIERR401E Apply and monitor surface operations emergency preparedness and response systems (or RIIERR401D - superseded)

CPD of 60 hours (40 formal/20 informal) over 5 years

 

Quarry Manager (Tier 3)

No practising certificate required, and no specific maintenance of competence required. Quarry Managers are strongly encouraged to attend Regulator and other educational forums. 

What can the IQA offer?

  • IQA events and professional development, which cover the required topic areas as prescribed by the New South Wales Resources Regulator to meet the requirements of practising certificate professional development hours.
  • Access to the mandatory  Learning from Disasters Course (for Quarry Managers at Tier 1 and Tier 2). The IQA Approved Training Provider number 0004206.
  • Detailed logbook where learners can record activity, track hours and identify if the rules for engaging in professional development are being met annually.
  • Guidance on planning learning across the five (5) year period and essential topics for professional development.
  • Access to the QMCS framework to support systematic tracking and recording of professional development.  For more information click here

Please contact the IQA on 02 9484 0577 or [email protected] for more information on courses to meet the mandatory competency requirements in New South Wales.