The New South Wales Minister for Resources and Energy Anthony Roberts said he became concerned about the statistics and wanted to institute a systemic response to the fatalities.

“On 18 June, 2014, I wrote to the chairperson of the Mine Safety Advisory Council (MSAC) due to my concern that, in the previous eight months, there were five fatalities at NSW mining workplaces,” he said.

“Each incident is thoroughly investigated by the Division of Resources and Energy (DRE), however I wanted to ensure that, as the regulator, we were quickly identifying and responding to any systematic and underlying issues that could contribute to a serious incident.”

The report found no common link between the incidents, with each involving widely varying activities from mining, construction, surface transport and ancillary underground activities.

“The NSW government, through DRE, works to ensure mining operations are carried out in the safest possible environment,” Roberts said.

“I have endorsed the report’s recommendations which include the need for an improved data collection of all accidents and incidents in mines to allow an analysis of trends and patterns of safety related issues.

“The protection of workers is paramount.

“That is why DRE is constantly working to ensure NSW has the world’s highest safety standards to minimise risks in the mining industry.”