A NSW Government website

NSW Resources

Health and personal exposure monitoring

Health monitoring

Some prescribed hazards require health monitoring of exposed workers to be conducted. Health monitoring should be conducted by a medical practitioner with experience or training in occupational medicine.

Safe Work Australia has a range of guidance materials in relation to health monitoring:

Health monitoring may include:

  • consultation, for example, answering questions regarding previous occupational and medical history or lifestyle, for example dietary, smoking and drinking habits and discussing with the worker how this may affect their health
  • a physical examination, for example skin checks or a spirometry (lung function) test
  • clinical tests, for example, urine or blood samples
  • X-rays.

Notification of adverse health monitoring reports

Mine operators also have a duty to notify the Resources Regulator of adverse health monitoring reports in accordance with clause 376 of the NSW Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017.

Notification to the Regulator is required in the event that a worker receives a health monitoring report which indicates the worker may have contracted a disease due to exposure to airborne contaminants, or where a health monitoring report recommends remedial measures, including whether a worker can continue to carry out work in an environment where they may be exposed to airborne contaminants.

To notify the Regulator of an adverse health monitoring report complete the Adverse health monitoring section (Notification of adverse health monitoring report in relation to a mine or petroleum site) online form under the Safety and Health Reporting section of  the Regulator Portal.

Personal exposure monitoring

Controlling health risks requires operators to monitor for the existence of health hazards and monitor the exposure of workers to those hazards. 

The technical reference guide (TRG) Monitoring and control of worker exposure to airborne dust (PDF, 834.68 KB) has been developed to help mine operators fulfil their work health and safety (WHS) obligations by providing guidance on: 

  • strategies for developing personal exposure monitoring programs for airborne dust including inhalable dust, respirable dust and respirable crystalline silica (RCS)
  • strategies to control worker exposure to airborne dust.

Further information is available here:

Notification of personal exposure exceedances

Under section 124 of the WHS (MPS) Regulation (2022) mines must report all personal exposure monitoring results which exceed the prescribed exposure standards for inhalable dust, respirable dust, respirable coal dust, respirable crystalline silica and diesel particulate matter.

To notify the Regulator of a personal exposure exceedance incident complete the Incident section (High potential incident) of the online form under the Safety and Health Reporting section of  the Regulator Portal.

All exceedance incident notifications are reviewed by the Resources Regulator, and where appropriate, assessments undertaken to ensure remedial actions have been implemented.

Health control plan

All mines, quarries and petroleum sites are required to develop and implement a health control plan.

The Health control plan guide (PDF, 1.64 MB) provides an overview of steps to be taken to develop a health control plan.

Health control plan fact sheets

Health control plan resources

Health control plan resources provide information about specific health hazards, their health consequences, exposure limits and control measures.