The Regulator's Coal Team operates out of our Maitland, Lithgow and Wollongong offices and covers all underground coal mines, open cut coal mines, coal handling and preparation plants, and coal exploration sites in NSW.
The team is led by Principal Inspector Bill Barraclough and consists of 19 Inspectors and our administration officer Karen Rivers. Recruitment is underway for 2 more inspectors to join the team.
The coal team also lends support to other units in the Regulator, with Craig Harris currently in the Central Assessment Unit (CAU), Mark McColl in the Emergency Management Unit and Tim Martin in the Subsidence Unit.
The major focus of the coal team is implementing the Incident Prevention Strategy. In the 12 months to the end of May 2022 the team has, as part of this strategy, undertaken 726 assessments of major hazards, 5 targeted interventions and deployed to 40 incidents that were reported through the CAU. Reports are generated for each assessment, each major hazard program and for each targeted intervention.
Inspectors are also active in writing safety alerts and bulletins. Additionally the team does joint inspections with the engineering teams on the Explosives Control Plan and Airborne Dust and assists with Australian Standards and licensing work. Some inspectors are also involved in competency examinations for the industry.
The team is also responsible for arranging the annual Site Safety and Health Representatives Conference and are active on SHR training days.
