With the commencement of the Work Health and Safety (Mines and Petroleum Sites) Regulation on 1 September 2022, the class exemption has been revoked for winding systems that are not design registered.
Section 187 of the Work Health and Safety (Mines and Petroleum Sites) Regulation no longer requires winding system in small gemstone mines to be design or item registered.
All winding system must now comply with specific requirements that are set out in the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017 and the Work Health and Safety (Mines and Petroleum Sites) Regulation 2022.
We've developed a fact sheet to identify some of the key requirements for winding systems, with more information available here.
The Regulator will also be hosting a meeting in Lightning Ridge to discuss the changes and general requirements for winding systems. Keep an eye on the events page on our website for details about the location, time and date.
Note 1: A winding system, for the purposes of the regulation, is defined as plant, other than a portable winch or plant that is manually operated, that is used in a shaft to lift a person to or from an underground mine or between levels.
Note 2 : These requirements do not apply to winders which are used solely for the purpose of hoisting mined material