Tough new laws governing mine safety include penalties of up to 20 years’ jail for mine company executives if workers die as a result of criminal negligence.
Minister for Mines, Anthony Lynham said industrial manslaughter was now an offence in the resources sector, providing better protection for the State’s 66,000 people who worked in the area.
“Workers will also have their own safety and health champion in a new independent resources safety and health authority,” Dr Lynham said.
“Sadly eight workers have died on the job in our mines and quarries in the past two years and just in May this year five miners were seriously injured at an underground coal mine,” he said.
“In the 21st century this is unacceptable.”
He said he hoped the new industrial manslaughter laws never had to be used and that instead, everyone took full responsibility for their obligations on site to protect the safety and health of workers.
The Minister said the new independent statutory body, Resources Safety and Health Queensland, had the responsibility for regulating safety and health across the State’s mines, quarries, petroleum and gas sites, and the explosives supply chain.
“The changes complement a suite of sweeping mine safety and health reforms,” Dr Lynham said.
He said they included better detection and prevention of black lung and other mine dust lung diseases; increased maximum penalties for offences of up to $4 million; the ability of the regulator to issue fines without going to Court; and powers to suspend or cancel statutory certificates of competency.
