
SWA progresses national consistency in explosives regulation
Safe Work Australia welcomes the decision by Work Health and Safety ministers to progress reforms outlined in the Explosives Regulation in Australia: Decision Regulation Impact Statement.
This work is the result of a decision by the Council of Australian Governments to progress national consistency in explosives regulation, where there are clear benefits to be derived.
To progress this work, last year Safe Work Australia undertook consultation across the explosives industry to find out how businesses were impacted by differences in explosives legislation across jurisdictions.
Each state and territory has its own regulatory system governing explosives, and evidence gathered through this consultation indicates that variations in the administrative requirements and processes have a negative impact on business.
In October 2016, Work Health and Safety ministers agreed to progress nationally consistent approaches in four key areas: the definition of explosives, the licensing framework, notification processes and explosives authorisation process.
Safe Work Australia Chair, Diane Smith-Gander, said this is an important first step in improving the operating environment for businesses within the explosives industry.
“Differences in legislation can prevent the movement of explosives products and workers across state and territory borders and presents an additional burden and cost on business owners,” said Ms Smith-Gander.
“These reforms will address the administrative burden and deliver savings for businesses.”
Explosives regulation affects everyone who is involved in the import, manufacture, transport, storage, supply, use and export of explosives in Australia.
Safe Work Australia will now commence work on the four reform areas on behalf of Work Health and Safety ministers. This work will involve developing example provisions by mid-2017 which can then be implemented by ministers in their respective explosives legislation.
More information can be found on our explosives regulation page.