Summary
Principal hazards are the highest-consequence risks at a mine — the ones that can cause multiple fatalities or catastrophic outcomes. Every mine must identify its principal hazards and have management plans in place.
What This Means on Shift
As a supervisor, you need to know which principal hazards apply to your area of the mine and what controls are in place. If a control fails or a new situation arises that could trigger a principal hazard, you must act immediately.
- Know the principal hazards for your area before you start work
- Understand the controls that manage each hazard
- Escalate immediately if a control is not working
- Do not proceed with work if a principal hazard control is compromised
Where to Find It
Principal hazards are defined in the Mines Safety and Inspection Act 1994 and the associated Regulations. Your mine's Principal Hazard Management Plans (PHMPs) are the key documents — they must be available on site and accessible to all workers.
- Mines Safety and Inspection Act 1994 – s.4 (definitions)
- Mines Safety and Inspection Regulations 1995 – r.4.1 (principal hazards)
- Your site's Principal Hazard Management Plans (PHMPs)
Key Points
The common principal hazards at surface mines include ground instability, highwall failure, vehicle interactions, and fire or explosion. Underground mines add inundation, gas outbursts, and roof falls.
- Principal hazards are site-specific — know yours
- PHMPs must be reviewed regularly and after incidents
- Workers must be consulted in the development of PHMPs
- You must be able to explain the controls to your team
- Breaching a PHMP control is a serious safety failure