New competency requirements for safety-critical roles in mining and quarrying came into force on 1 August 2018.
The key amendments:
- detail the requirements for a Certificate of Competence (CoC) as a manager to manage the quarrying operation specified (site specific CoC)
- define ‘workings’ of relevant types of mine, tunnel or quarry
- specify unit standard requirements for a first aid certificate.
The inclusion of site-specific requirements meets the needs of small, low risk quarries. The other requirements ensure a clear understanding of what experience in ’workings’ means, and the expected level of a first aid certificate. All three amendments were part of last year’s CoC requirements consultation.
There is also a new application form for the Manager to manage the quarrying operation specified in the certificate CoC, and a new logbook must also be used for all applications from 1 August.
An amendment guide has been published to assist CoC holders interpret what they need to do.
Broader CoC requirement changes have been postponed until the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) completes its review of how the Health and Safety at Work (Mining Operations and Quarrying Operations) Regulations are working in practice. This is expected at the end of this year.
The New Zealand Mining Board of Examiners and WorkSafe received a considerable amount of feedback on CoC requirements. This was analysed and used to assess proposed CoC requirements changes. This work will inform the required changes to CoC requirements when updated Regulations are in place.
Guide to Amendments – Notice of Requirements for Granting Certificates of Competence.