10-Minute Drills, Zero Excuses: Nailing Mine Incident Notifications

Regulators across Australia are intensifying scrutiny of the timeliness and quality of mine incident notifications under WHS (Mines and Petroleum Sites) requirements. Here’s how a small operator tightened their Mine Safety Management System (SMS) to deliver fast, evidence-rich notifications—without chaos.

1) Introduction: The Compliance Clock Is Ticking

On a windy Tuesday, a minor vehicle roll-on at a small quarry triggered confusion: Is this notifiable? Who calls the regulator? Which controls failed? Minutes slipped. The director sighed, “We’ll sort it after smoko.” The moment passed—and so did the timeframe.

Lesson: Speed without clarity creates risk; clarity without speed is still noncompliant.

Stronger regulatory focus on evidence and critical control status
Expectations to preserve scenes and submit consistent, high-quality data
Consequences for late or insufficient notifications

2) Define Notifiable, Dangerous, and High Potential—Precisely

The challenge

Ambiguity. Supervisors debated definitions from memory, not from policy.

The fix

We updated the SMS—your comprehensive, integrated risk management system—using current codes of practice and regulator guidance as the single source of truth (e.g., WHS Act and Regulations such as SA 2012; approved mining codes of practice are practical guidance and are admissible under the WHS Act).

Notifiable incidents: serious injury/illness, dangerous incidents, and prescribed events.
Dangerous incidents: e.g., uncontrolled release of energy, atmosphere, or substance.
High potential incidents (HPI): near misses with credible catastrophic potential.

Pro tip: Embed plain‑language examples at the point of use (e.g., pit wall scaling, mobile plant collision, unplanned gas release).

Why it works

Clear categories reduce debate, enabling immediate action.

3) Assign Owners and Preserve the Scene

The challenge

Everyone felt responsible; no one was accountable. Evidence got moved “for safety,” erasing facts.

The fix

Appoint an Incident Controller (IC) on every shift with backup.
Give IC a 1‑page card: notification thresholds, call tree, regulator numbers, scene preservation rules.
Create a Scene Preservation SOP—stabilise hazards, cordon off, photograph before moving.

Sidebar: Remote workers, same instructions

Remote crews accessed the same playbook via mobile devices and offline PDFs. Instructions only work if they’re where the work is.

“Document your business or get out.” — operations manager, after the first drill

4) Standardised Templates: From Scramble to Submission

The challenge

Ad‑hoc emails and handwritten notes slowed the first notification and missed critical fields.

The fix

We implemented templates aligned to current guidance (e.g., SafeWork SA, Safe Work Australia, and the Queensland incident report manual) and made them the only pathway—our single source of truth.

Incident type (notifiable/dangerous/HPI) and triggers
Time of incident, time discovered, time notified
Critical controls: in place vs failed (with verification notes)
Photos/sketches, logs (pre-starts, permits, gas tests), and site plans
Witness details and statements
Immediate corrective actions and isolation status
Injuries, exposures, plant/material involved

Micro‑tip

Lock template fields; use free text only where narrative is essential.

5) Evidence and Critical Controls: Show Your Working

The challenge

Regulators want to see not just what happened but which critical controls were intended to prevent it—and whether they were functioning.

The fix

Add a Critical Control Status table to every notification (planned, verified, failed, unknown).
Require photo proof for control verification (e.g., berm height, gas monitor readings, exclusion zones).
Attach supporting logs: permits, pre-starts, maintenance, training.

When the story and the evidence match, investigations are faster and trust increases.

6) The 10‑Minute Desktop Drill

The challenge

Teams understood the rules but froze under time pressure.

The fix

We scheduled a monthly 10‑minute drill—no excuses, right after toolbox.

Pick a scenario card (e.g., loader near miss).
Start a timer; IC classifies incident in under 60 seconds.
Complete the notification template to regulator standard.
Capture controls in place/failed, photos, logs, witnesses, and immediate corrective actions.
Call the mock notification to a manager “playing” regulator; capture questions.
Score: time to notify, data completeness, evidence sufficiency.

By the third month, they consistently hit the timeframe with higher-quality submissions.

7) Prove It: Metrics, Reviews, and Audit Readiness

What we measured

Time to notify: incident to call/email lodged
Completeness score: all required fields with evidence
Critical control accuracy: verified vs assumed
Rework rate: regulator follow-up queries per notification

The payoff

During a regulator visit, the team demonstrated their drill, templates, and evidence packs. Feedback: “Clear categories, strong preservation, quality evidence.” No improvement notice issued—issue resolved. Bonus: your annual WHS report to the regulator compiles faster with accurate incident data.

8) Outro: Make Compliance a Habit, Not a Fire Drill

Small businesses win when systems do the heavy lifting. Put definitions in writing, assign owners, preserve scenes, standardise templates, and practice with 10‑minute drills. Do this, and notifications become routine, not roulette.

Set your first drill for next Tuesday, 7:40 a.m.
Print the IC card and scene preservation SOP.
Make your template the single source of truth.

Remember: Document your business or get out.

10-Minute Drills, Zero Excuses: Nailing Mine Incident Notifications