NSW Regulations 2022 (M&PS)

Question 1

What is Section 189 of the WHS (M&P) Regulations 2022

Answer 1

Serious Injury or Illness

Question 2

Describe Section 189 of the M&P Regulations 2022

Answer 2

For the WHS (M&PS) Act, each of the following are a serious injury/illness:

A) injury/Illness Requiring Immediate Hospital Treatment
B) Injury/Illness Requiring Treatment for:
- Amputation of a Body Part
- Separation of Skin
- Loss of Bodily Function
- Serious Head or Eye Injury
- Serious Burns
C) Injury/Illness Requiring Treatment within 48hrs of Exposure
D) Fracture of a Bone (other than Hand or Foot)
E) Condition prescribed as serious for purposes of S36 WH&S act.

Question 3

What is Section 190 in the 2022 Regs and its definition?

Answer 3

Section 190 - Dangerous Incidients

Definition - An Incident in relation to a workplace that exposes a worker to a serious risk to the persons health and safety emminating from immediate/imminent exposure to a serious of incidents:

Question 4

What are the list of incidents prescribed under section 190 as Dangerous Incidents

Answer 4

A) Uncontrolled escape of a substance/gas or steam/ pressurised substance
B) An uncontrolled implosion/explosion or fire
C) Collision involving mobile plant
D) Failure of Ground or slope stability
E) Spon comb
H) Outburst
F) Damage to/ Failure of Shaft or winding system
G) Coal or Rockburst
I) An inital indication that part if the coal mine is subject to windblast, outburst or spon comb

Question 5

What is Section 88?

Answer 5

Inspection Plan

Question 6

Under Section 88, What are the key competes of inspection regimes for all production areas?

Answer 6

A) Inspection for the presence of flammable and toxic gas before connecting power to plant
B) Inspection of each face where coal is being extracted - EVERY 2 HRS
C) All other places where persons work - EVERY 5 HRS
D) All safely accessible places in the production area - EVERY 8 HRS

Question 7

Under Section 88, What are the key components for inspection regimes for out bye areas?

Answer 7

i) All places where persons work - Every 8hrs
ii) All roadways where persons regularly travel - Every 24hrs
iii) All safely accessible places, including all safely accessible roadways, goaf edges, shafts & drifts - every 7 days.

Question 8

What are the things a deputy should be inspecting under section 88 subsection 5?

Answer 8

D) The presence of flammable gas or contaminants in the general body of air.
E) The adequacy of:

i) Ventilation
ii) process of making roadway dust inert
iii) emergency, 1st aid & fire fighting equipment
F) The condition of:
i) VCD’s
ii) Auxillary fans
iii) surfaces over which persons may travel or vehicles may be driven.
G) The support for the excavation
H) Stability of the excavation
I) Heating of coal or other material or fire
J) Abnormal Water Inflow
K) Plant Malfunction
L) The functioning of comms and monitoring
M) Excessive accumulation of mud, water, rock or coal
N) Environmental Conditions

Question 9

What is Section 46 Subsection 2?

Answer 9

Conveyor belt inspections.

It states that conveyor belts must be inspected once per shift & to be inspected for any heating, smoldering or condition likely to cause a fire.

Question 10

What is Section 41?

Answer 10

Exposure limits of dust, DPM & CO2

Question 11

What are the 8hr TWA limits for DPM, Respirable & inhalable dust?

Answer 11

Section 41 cl(1)
The operator of the mine must:
A) As far as reasonably practicable - minimize exposure of persons @ the mine to dust and DPM \
B) Ensure no person is exposed to the 8 Hr TWA of:
- Respirable Dust - 1.5 mg/m3
- Inhalable Dust - 10 mg/m3
- DPM - 0.1 mg/m3

Question 12

What are the C02 Limits stipulated in section 41?

Answer 12

The mine operator must
a) AFARP, minimise persons exposure to CO2
b) Ensure no person is exposed to a 8hr TWA of CO2:
i) STEL = 30,000 ppm (3%)
ii) Otherwise = 12,500ppm (1.25%)

Question 13

What is Section 58 of the M&PS Regulation?

Answer 13

Minimum Standards for Ventilation Air

Question 14

Summarise the key sections from section 58.

Answer 14

1) The mine operator of an UG mine must ensure that the ventilation system provides air of sufficient quantity, volume & velocity to ensure general body of air has:
- O2 conc >= 19.5%
- Dust levels that are as low as reasonably practical or are not more than those in section 41
3) Section 58 does not apply to:
a) area of the mine required to be entered in emergency/ mines rescue situation or to rectify the ventilation system.

Question 15

Section 62 relates to what?

Answer 15

Ventilation Systems

Question 16

List 3 key clauses from Section 62.

Answer 16

1) The mine operator obtains air from the purest source available
2) Mine operator ensures:
a) vent circuits do not allow recirculation
b) plant & structures that regulate airflow are in working order
c) unventilated headings are not entered unless
- purpose is to re-establ. vent
- adequate vent is provided to person entering.
D) Aux Fan/ Scrubber fan is located in a way that prevents uncontrolled recirc.
H) No person starts or stops a fan unless each affected person is notified.

3) Mine Operator must ensure @ every point in areas of the mine where persons work/travel has at least 1m3/s of air.

Question 17

Section 63 of the regulations relates to what?

Answer 17

Monitoring & Testing of ventilation system

Question 18

What is Section 68?

Answer 18

Coal Dust Explosion

Question 19

In Section 68, What does the incombustible material % need to be for a panel roadway?

Answer 19

i) for dust in a panel roadway within 200m O/B the last line of ct’s - 85%

Question 20

In Section 68, What does the incombustible material % need to be for a panel roadway in a LW Need to be?

Answer 20

Maingate AND Tailagate:

ii) for dust in a 200m section of a panel roadway within 400m of the LW - 85%

Question 21

In Section 68, What does the incombustible material % need to be for a return roadway Need to be?

Answer 21

iii) for dust in a return roadway - 80%

Question 22

In Section 68, What does the incombustible material % need to be for a intake roadway Need to be?

Answer 22

iii) for dust in an intake roadway - 70%

Question 23

what is a key way we restrict the propagation of coal dust explosions so that other areas of the mine are not affected?

Answer 23

Explosion Barriers & Stonedusting

Question 24

Where are explosion barriers installed?

Answer 24

i) roadways within the face zone, other than single entries that are Returns or Conveyor roads

ii) in a place deemed relevant under a Risk Assessment

Question 25

when must we apply stone dust or other explosion inhibitors

Answer 25

i) No more than 30m of a new roadway ii) no part of the new section is left stone dust for more than 1 day. (if less than 30m cut)

Question 26

What is the standard of stone dust used as prescribed by the NSW Regulations?

Answer 26

I) stone dust is of type and grade suitable for proposed use? ii) is white in colour iii) does not contain more than 3% by mass of free silica iv) at least 95% by mass of the stone dust is finer than 250 micrometers v) at least 60% and not more than 80% of mass of stone dust that is finer than 250micrometers is finer than 75 micrometers

Question 27

What is Section 74?

Answer 27

Ventilation

Question 28

What parts of section 74 are particularly important for a deputy?

Answer 28

2)b) the volume passing through each area of a LW - not less than 4m3/s per meter of extracted height 2)c) the volume of air passing through a development heading - not less that 0.3 m/s for each square meter of CSA 2d) the percentage by volume of methane in the general body on the intake side that is 100m O/B of a LW - no greater than 0.25% 2e) the ventilation control plan for the mine specifies the minimum quantity of ventilated air for each part of the mine for power to continue to be supplied to that part of the mine.

Question 29

what arrangements are to be in place to ensure that if the minimum Q is NOT supplied to that area?

Answer 29

I) immediate action is taken to supply ventilated air to the part of the mine to above the minimum quantity ii) the supply of power to electrical plan is cut off by the quickest means possible and will not be restored until the supply of ventilated air is above the minimum quantity

Question 30

how much air must be supplied to an area where there is 1 or more diesels engines in operation?

Answer 30

the greater of: 0.06 m3/s per kilowatt of the total maximum output of the engines 3.5 m3/s

Question 31

Control and monitoring of methane levels is defined under which section in the regulations?

Answer 31

Section 76

Question 32

Fill in the blanks: the *XXXX* system for the mine provides *XXXX* that is of sufficient quantity to ensure the general body of air in which persons work has a *XXXX XXXX XXX* that: a) *X* b) *X*

Answer 32

the ventilation system for the mine provides air that is of sufficient quantity to ensure the general body of air in which persons work has a concentration of methane that: a) is as low as reasonably practicable AND b) is not greater than 2% by volume

Question 33

Methane monitoring plant must comply with 5 distinct points. what are these points?

Answer 33

a) has detection heads at points most likely to detect the presence of methane b) clearly displays the values of methane concentration at locations visible to persons having a responsibility of monitoring concentrations c) gives audible OR visual alarms if the concentrations exceed certain levels d) provides for the capture, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information related to methane concs. detected

Question 34

Section 74) subsection 4) the mine operator must ensure an internal combustion engine that operates in a return roadway is?

Answer 34

Is equipped with a continuous methane monitor that gives and audible or visual alarm when the concentration of methane in the general body is 1% by volume or greater

Question 35

Section 74) subsection 5) Based on Methane concentrations - An internal combustion engine that operates in a return roadway: does what?

Answer 35

a) is withdrawn from the return roadway if the concentration of methane is between 1% and 1.25% b) is shutdown if the concentration is greater than 1.25%

Question 36

Each face machine is equipped with continuous methane monitors that must:

Answer 36

a) gives audible or visual alarms if the concentration in the general body of air is 1% by volume or greater b) cuts supply of power to the machine if the conc. of CH4 in the general body is 1.25% or greater c) power is cut if: i) the monitor is installed at or close to the heads of a face machine ii) the concentration at the heads of the face machine is 2% by volume or greater

Question 37

Each face at which Longwall, shortwall or minimal mining is taking place is equipped with a methane monitor that :

Answer 37

a) is located so that the monitor can accurately detect methane levels where mining operations take place b) cuts the supply of power if the general body of CH4 is 1.25% or greater

Question 38

Under Section 79) requirements if air quality or safety standards not met - it lists what a mining supervisor should do if a reasonable belief about a risk regarding air quality or air safety is not met

Answer 38

i) direct all work to cease at the place of risk ii) direct all persons at the place of risk to withdraw from the place of risk iii) implement measures to prevent persons from entering the place of risk iv) takes reasonable steps to control the risk, including reporting the steps taken to control the risk.

Question 39

Section 77) related to what?

Answer 39

Gas Monitoring

Question 40

Section 77) 2) describes the points where monitoring must occur continuously. list the points in this section.

Answer 40

a) gas content monitoring at the mine automatically detects the values and trends of: i) grahams ratio (CO / O2 Deficiency) ii) the ratio of CO/CO2 iii) the ability of gas to form explosive mixtures with air b) Fixed Real Time monitoring of the products of combustion in the general body of air at the return side of each conveyor drive head c) gas content monitoring of return air at or near exhaust entries and outbye end of ventilation splits, unsealed goats and waste workings d) Fixed real time monitoring of the concentration of methane in: i) the general body of air in each main return ii) general body of air in each return airway in a ventilation split iii) air passing through the main fan

Question 41

Section 124 - duty to notify regulator of certain incidents prescribes a set of high potential incidents. List the ALL.

Answer 41

a) an event referred to in section 190 that would have been a dangerous incident IF a person was in this vicinity b) the detection of concentration of methane in the general body of air (other than a sealed golf) that is greater than 2% by volume c) an unplanned fall of ground, roof or sides that impedes passage, extends beyond the bolted zone or disrupts vent d) a failure of ground support where persons may have been present e) the burial of a machine which cannot be recovered under its own traction f) progressive pillar failure or creep g) a sudden pillar failure h) an electric arc occurring in a hazardous zone i) failure of explosion-protection characteristics of explosion protected plant j) misfire k) unplanned event that causes the emergency evacuation of 1 or more persons from the mine l) an unplanned event that causes fewer than 2 exits to be available for use M) subsidence n & o ) an injury or illness to a person causing him to be unfit for >7 days p) presence of non-explosion protected plant. q) a person is exposed to an 8hr TWA of dust or DPM that is more than the amounts specified r) a person is exposed to more than an 8hr TWA of co2 u) uncontrolled fire on mobile plant