CFMEU Mining & Energy Industry Safety & Health
The CFMEU employ Industry Safety & Health Representatives to ensure that all safety precautions at mine sites are followed to ensure the safety of all mine workers.
The Industry Safety and Health Representative is a person who is appointed under the Coal Mining Safety and Health Act 1999 to represent coal mine workers on safety and health matters and who performs the functions as listed below:
- To inspect coal mines to assess whether the level of risk to the safety and health of coal mine workers is at an acceptable level;
- To review procedures in place at coal mines to control the risk to safety and health of coal mine workers so that it is at an acceptable level;
- To detect unsafe practices and conditions at coal mines and to take action to ensure the risk to the safety and health of coal mine workers is at an acceptable level;
- To participate in investigations into serious accidents and high potential incidents and other matters related to safety and health at coal mines;
- To investigate complaints from coal mine workers regarding safety and health at coal mines; and
- To help in relation to initiatives to improve safety and health at coal mines.
Site Safety & Health Representatives are also required to help the ISHR’s at the actual mine sites. The SSHR is the coal mine workers representative for the safety and health of all coal mine workers employed at the mine. He/she should endeavor to meet with the safety representatives on a regular basis to ascertain whether there are problems or issues being experienced on any shifts. They should also establish a system of inspections on a regular basis through negotiation. It is also their responsibility that all incidents that are likely to endanger workers at the mines need to be reported to the ISHR, whether the matters have been rectified or not. They should also attempt to investigate and rectify problems that are encountered by fellow workers. If he/she finds that a particular matter is too complex for them to satisfactorily handle, he should immediately notify the ISHR and request their assistance. Contact details of the SSHR’s in Queensland can be requested through Tahlia Mills (OH & S Assistant) in Brisbane on (07) 3839 8588.
Board of Examiners
Eligibility for examination, details of the Board’s examining schedules, information sheets and application documents are available by contacting the Board of Examiners’ Secretariat (Phone 07 3224 7755 or 07 3237 1631, Fax 07 3237 1242).
The Functions of the Board of Examiners are:
- To decide the competencies necessary for holders of certificates of competency;
- To assess applicants, or have applicants assessed, for certificates of competency;
- To grant certificates of competency to persons who have demonstrated to the Board’s satisfaction the appropriate competencies necessary to hold the certificates; and
- To ensure the competencies under the above acts are consistent with the competencies required by other States for the holders of certificates of competency.