Apply
Stage 1 - Application
You must submit a written application on the application form along with the mining legislation questionnaire (stage 2). You will be notified of the outcome of the application and, if successful, you will be invited to undertake stage 3 of the assessment process - the oral examination.
Your written application must include supporting documents, where possible, as evidence that you satisfy each of the following prerequisite requirements. Some prerequisites are mandatory, while others are optional and may simply support your application:
- a minimum total of one year's relevant practical experience
- current first aid certificate, plus details of any relevant mining qualifications
- blasting experience if explosives are used at a mine
- identity verification.
All supporting documentation must be certified as a true copy by an authorised certifier.
Stage 2 - Written Examination
The written examination consists of a questionnaire attached to the application form (and a second questionnaire if you're practising certificate is for a mine site where blasting takes place).
It should be submitted with your application form. The questionnaire is to be answered by you, and you alone, in your own time. The questionnaire is an open book assessment and you are allowed to refer to any material that you need, such as legislation. Use the words from the legislation or your own understanding of the legislation, unless otherwise stated.
A Mine Safety Inspector will assess your application and questionnaire and, if successful, will contact you to organise a suitable time to conduct the stage 3 - oral examination.
You will receive a one-year credit for a pass in the assessment. At the end of this one-year period, the credit will expire. During the one year you must successfully pass the stage 3 - oral examination to be eligible to receive a practising certificate.
Stage 3 - Oral Examination
The oral examination will relate to mining conditions and safety practices in NSW surface mines or quarries. The department assessing officer may ask questions relating to your practical experience.
In order to pass the oral examination, the examiner must assess you as being 'competent' to carry out the statutory function of a quarry manager in accordance with the practising certificate you are applying for. If you are found 'not yet competent' at your first oral examination, you will be allowed to attempt the oral examination two more times within one year of passing the written examination. However, if you fail three attempts of the oral examination, you must re-apply and pass the written examination before you will be permitted to make further attempts at the oral examination.
