August 4, 2022

Hopefully, everyone operating in the resources sector knows that the Western Australian Government’s new Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws have now come into effect as of the 31st of March 2022. The law will improve protections for the state’s workers, including those in the mining and resources sector, and will recognise modern work relationships such as subcontractors and gig economy workers, and introduces the term ‘person conducting a business undertaking’. This means anyone who engages a WA worker has a duty to protect their health and safety.

‘Geotechnical structure instability’ is one of the matters that must be considered in developing control measures to manage the risks of geotechnical structure instability, outlined under Schedule 19 – Principal mining hazard management plans in the New WA Work Health & Safety Laws.

Schedule 19 Section 1 provides a comprehensive list and considers items such as how:

  • we understand and describe the natural setting (rockmass, stresses, hydrology, major structures)
  • mining is done (how the pits and waste dumps create the mining landscape we know)
  • rockmass response to void formation (slope stability excavation, control, mine seismicity)
  • the nature of rockmass response can be time-dependent
  • the waste products from mining are placed and disposed of, and
  • ultimately we monitor our geotechnical structures and how we respond when they don’t behave as forecasted.

MineGeoTech brings all these requirements together under The MGT Way.

Schedule 19 – Principal mining hazard management plans – matters to be considered 1. Geotechnical structure instability | WHS Law Regulations
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Work Health and Safety (Mines) Regulations 2022 >
Our engineers incorporate The MGT Way in everything they do, which includes staying on top of ongoing industry and legislature changes and how these may impact your project. To see how The MGT Way can add value to your project, contact us >
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The information provided in this article is of a general nature only and is based on MineGeoTech’s interpretation of laws existing at the time and should not be relied upon in place of appropriate professional advice. Those laws may change from time to time. Although every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of the information contained in this article, MineGeoTech, its officers, employees and agents disclaim all liability for any error, inaccuracy in, or omission from the information contained in this article or any loss or damage suffered by any person directly or indirectly through relying on this information.
The MGT Way is engineering advice
grounded in rigorous data analysis, enabling robust design.

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