Duties for mine employees

Employees who work at a mine have specific legal responsibilities under the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (OHS Regulations).

Duties for all mine employees

An employee of an operator of a mine must:

as instructed by the operator, wear or use appropriate personal protective equipment or rescue equipment provided by the operator
follow instructions given by the operator in order to comply with OHS Regulations
alert immediate co-workers to any mining hazard of which they are aware
inform the operator if they observe any person who appears to be in a condition that may cause a danger to anyone at the mine
in the event of an incident occurring that involves a mining hazard, take appropriate corrective action in accordance with the instruction and training received even if this disrupts the operation of the mine

An employee of an operator of a mine must not:

enter or remain at the mine if adversely affected by alcohol or drugs
without the permission of the operator, take into the mine any alcohol or any drugs that may adversely affect the employee - whether or not the drugs have been prescribed and authorised for use at work

In addition to the duties described above, an employee of an operator of a prescribed mine must:

participate in testing the emergency plan
follow the emergency plan when it is activated, and
immediately inform the operator of anything that could possibly become a Major Mining Hazard, which is a mining hazard that has the potential to cause an incident that would cause, or pose a significant risk of causing, more than one death