Safety blitz in NSW mines finds rotating equipment hazards leading compliance breaches across coal, metalliferous and small mine sectors

A NSW mine safety blitz has uncovered widespread compliance issues, with mechanical engineering control plans and equipment hazards topping the list of concerns.
By Staff Writer on August 15, 2025
Safety, Occupational Health, Safety Training, Incident Reporting, ESG, Regulatory Adherence, Audit and Inspection, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation
Australia, New South Wales
Lead, Base Metals, Copper, Zinc, Energy Minerals, Coal (Thermal and Metallurgical)

A state-wide mine safety blitz has revealed widespread compliance issues in New South Wales operations, with mechanical engineering control plans emerging as the most significant area of concern.

The Mine safety high visibility campaign 2025, conducted by the NSW Resources Regulator between 23 June and 4 July, saw 48 inspectors visit 144 mine sites across the state, including coal, metalliferous, extractive, and small mines. Over the two-week period, inspectors issued 244 compliance notices to 96 mine sites, with a large proportion linked to high-risk equipment hazards.

Mechanical engineering control plans lead non-compliance list

Of the 174 improvement and prohibition notices issued under sections 191 and 195 of the Work Health and Safety Act, 80 related to mechanical engineering control plan (MECP) topics. Nearly half of these—43 notices—were triggered by the material unwanted event (MUE) of unintended interaction with rotating or moving equipment, a persistent hazard across both surface and underground operations.

The Regulator reported that 31 of these notices were issued to surface mines and 12 to underground mines, underscoring the widespread nature of the risk.

Other high-priority hazards identified

Ground or strata failure hazards accounted for 22 notices, while electrical engineering control plan deficiencies were cited in 20. The campaign targeted issues linked to recent incidents and previous compliance notices, with the aim of reducing the likelihood of repeat events.

Sector breakdown

  • Coal mines: 30 notices were issued to 17 of the 40 coal mines inspected, with underground operations accounting for 25 of those.

  • Metalliferous and extractive mines: 115 notices went to 33 of 39 sites, 44 of them related to MECP deficiencies.

  • Small mines (tier 2): 99 notices were issued to 46 of 65 sites, with MECP issues again leading at 34 notices.

Focus on prevention
The high visibility campaign forms part of the Regulator’s incident prevention strategy, aimed at assessing how mine operators manage critical controls to prevent serious incidents. Inspectors also delivered safety presentations to supervisors and workers in the small mines sector, focusing on conveyor and crushing system safety devices.

The full consolidated report is available from the NSW Resources Regulator.

A NSW mine safety blitz has uncovered widespread compliance issues, with mechanical engineering control plans and equipment hazards topping the list of concerns. Photo source: Consolidated report – Mine safety high visibility campaign 2025 published by the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.
coal mines , electrical engineering control plan , ground strata failure , mechanical engineering control plan , metalliferous mines , mine inspection campaign , mine safety , mining compliance , mining hazard prevention , mining industry NSW , mining risk management , mining safety compliance , NSW Resources Regulator , rotating equipment hazards , small mines

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