Queensland Consolidated Acts

COAL MINING SAFETY AND HEALTH ACT 1999 - SECT 21

21 Meaning of coal mine operator

(1) A
"coal mine operator" for a coal mine is—

(a) the holder; or

(b) if another person has been appointed as the coal mine operator under section 53 and the appointment is notified to the chief inspector under section 49 , the other person.

(2) If—

(a) another person mentioned in subsection (1) (b) is appointed as the coal mine operator for a separate part of a surface mine; and

(b) the appointment is notified to the chief inspector under section 49 ;

the person’s responsibilities and safety and health obligations under this Act as a coal mine operator for a coal mine are limited to the separate part of the surface mine.

(3) If—

(a) 1 or more persons are appointed as coal mine operators for separate parts of a surface mine; and

(b) the appointments are notified to the chief inspector under section 49 ;

the holder’s responsibilities and safety and health obligations under this Act as a coal mine operator for the coal mine are limited to the part of the mine to which the appointments do not apply.

(4) For this section, a part of a surface mine is taken to be a
"separate part of a surface mine" only if—

(a) the part is geographically separated from the rest of the mine; and

(b) there is no physical overlapping of coal mining operations between the part and the operations in another part of the mine; and

(c) the coal mine operator for the part is in control of—

(i) the coal mining operations carried out in the part of the mine; and

(ii) the resources associated with the operations.

(5) A person may be appointed coal mine operator for more than 1 mine or separate part of a surface mine.