Consultation time on new national safety laws has been slashed from six months to eight weeks, exposing mineworkers to the likelihood that some state safety regulations will be watered down unnoticed.

Of major concern to the CFMEU Mining Union are reductions for air and methane monitoring, escape ways not adequately provided, the banning of breathing apparatus – currently the only rescue equipment available, the reduction of inundation/inrush rules and no provision for ventilation officers.

Lives of miners put at risk

Andrew Vickers, General Secretary of the CFMEU Mining Union, said the drafting and implementation of the National Mining Safety Framework (NMSF) is being rushed through without due care and consultation, putting the lives of miners and the current high safety standards in Australian mines at risk.

“Mine safety laws have evolved over a hundred years in this country, more often than not based on the hard and tragic lessons learned form mining disasters, and we currently have some of the best safety regulations in the world,” Mr Vickers said.

“If New Zealand had the safety laws of NSW or Queensland, the Pike River mine disaster that killed 29 miners would never have happened. And their Government is reversing the weakening of their safety laws in recognition of this, even before the findings of the Royal Commission are announced.

Governments being careless

“Yet our Governments are being careless and trying to rush through safety laws without proper checks and balances just to meet a politically expedient deadline, risking the safety of hard-working miners for political brownie points.”

The NMSF is about creating consistent safety regulations across all Australian states and territories. Each jurisdiction currently has its own regulations and standards.

The national standards are due to be enforced from 1 January 2012, and were due to be completed and open for public comment for six months from February this year.

Instead, incomplete and previously unseen codes were released for public comment in July for just eight weeks, in an attempt not to miss the 1 January deadline.

Implementation of the laws should be delayed

The CFMEU wants the Government to delay the implementation of the laws by six months to ensure they can be properly reviewed before they are implemented.

A letter requesting the public comment period be extended has been written to all culpable Minister’s, including the Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Senator Chris Evans, responsible for the OHS Harminisation Process, Resources Minister Martin Ferguson, all Ministers who attended COAG, and every Minister who sits on both the Workplace Relations Ministers’ Council and the Ministerial Council on Mineral and Petroleum Resources.

“It’s impossible for anyone to adequately review about a thousand pages of regulations and codes of practice and properly address and find solutions for their concerns in just eight weeks,” Mr Vickers said.

“Worse yet, the Government hasn’t given themselves enough time to properly consider the feedback that comes in through the public consultation period.
“This disgraceful rush to draft and implement the codes and regulations, without the proper oversight and scrutiny they require, puts at risk worker safety, and is an indictment on all involved.

To rush this process is asking for disaster

“Consistency of OHS legislation throughout Australia is a great and welcomed initiative, but we must be sure that the process is thorough so in the end we have the highest possible safety standards for miners across Australia. We don’t want to allow the process to develop into a race to the bottom.

“We’re talking about safety in one of the most dangerous areas of work. To rush this process and leave gaps in the regulations risks is just asking for disaster. It’s absurd that the Government thinks meeting this deadline is more important than protecting the safety of hard-working Australians.”

The Australian Workers Union, the Australian Council of Trade Unions and the Mineral Councils of NSW, Queensland and Western Australia all have given their support to postpone the implementation of the NMSF to ensure a thorough review of the document can occur.