In this article:
What is a MDG 15?
Ideagen Plant Assessor MDG 15 assessment purpose
What additional assessment requirements are needed for MDG 15?
Ideagen Plant Assessor WA mining assessment
What is a MDG 15?
If you are involved in or supply equipment to the mining and extractive industries in NSW, you will have encountered MDG 15.
MDG (or Mining Design Guideline) is a term coined by the Mines Safety Regulator in NSW, which contains comprehensive guidance on specific safety issues, and are being increasingly used outside of NSW where the local jurisdiction does not have definitive guidelines in a particular area.
MDG 15 sets out the safety requirements for the design, manufacture and operation of mobile and transportable equipment for use in mines. MDG 15 was first published in 1992 and applied to mobile plant operating on surface parts of coal mines. The aim was to improve the rate of injury to people operating mobile plant, fires on mobile plant and unplanned movement of mobile plant.
The guideline was revised in 1994, 1997 and most recently 2002, where it now applies to mobile and transportable plant in all mines (other than underground coal mines). Despite the introduction of the MDG 15, notifiable incidents still remain significant.
The guideline itself is not intended as a mandatory compliance document but it highlights areas of risk and incidents that may occur and have in the past. This type of risk assessment allows users to identify possible risk controls to consider.
Ideagen Plant Assessor MDG 15 assessment purpose
Ideagen Plant Assessor has developed a special assessment purpose which incorporates the specific additional requirements of MDG 15 over and above a standard Ideagen Plant Assessor assessment.
As this is a special assessment purpose and contains many additional inspection items, it has been made as a separate opt-in assessment purpose so as to avoid any confusion amongst users that have no need for MDG 15 assessments.
Some of the questions in a MDG 15 assessment will require reference to OEM manuals, removal of guards and covers, and in some instances confirming certain matters with the machine’s manufacturer to ensure that the requirements are met.
What additional assessment requirements are needed for MDG 15?
The table below provides an overview of the more detailed application of existing Ideagen Plant Assessor requirements and mine department specific requirements.
| Requirement |
Explanation |
| Information |
Produce a plant safety file including the following information:
- Design documents
- Design registration & item registration
- Risk documents
- Maintenance records
- Accident register
Install compliance plate on machine with the following information as a minimum:
- Date of manufacture
- Serial number
- Tare & gross of machine
- Axle loads
- Maximum number of people for which seating is provided
|
| Emergency stop devices |
Ensure that at least two emergency stop devices are installed in the normal operator area adjacent the boarding point to the machine.
|
| Fire suppression |
Ensure that fire suppression system is fitted with a manual trigger point in the operator cabin and adjacent the boarding point is fitted.
Ensure that a fail safe valve is fitted to the fuel supply line for machines with an internal combustion engine.
Ensure that automatic fire suppression system is fitted with alarm, power shut down device and engine shut down device with appropriate timing depending on machine type.
|
| Fire resistance |
Ensure that engine compartment and operator area are separated by minimum 2 hour fire resistant fire wall.
Ensure that engine compartment and operator means of egress have minimum 2 hour fire resistant shield.
|
| Fuel lines |
Ensure all fuel lines are metal or metal braided.
|
| Fluid and pneumatic lines |
Ensure that all fluid and pneumatic lines are routed separately, fire resistant and labelled.
|
| Pressure systems |
Ensure that it is possible to relieve the pressure from hydraulic systems, steering systems, accumulators and pressurised fuel tanks from the vicinity of one of the emergency stop points at ground level.
|
| Lighting |
If machine is capable of more than 8 km/hr then dual globes must be fitted to blinkers, services brake and retardation lights.
|
| Labelling |
Ensure all isolation points and emergency egress locations are labelled with instruction and warning labels.
Ensure that accumulators and spring brake chambers are labelled.
|
| Machine visibility |
Ensure machine extremities are delineated by lighting, reflectors or reflective tape. |
Ideagen Plant Assessor WA mining assessment
With many clients heavily involved with mining and mining construction in Western Australia, there has been significant interest in Ideagen Plant Assessor developing an assessment purpose specific to the WA Mines Safety Inspection Act & Regulations (1994 & 1995).
Ideagen Plant Assessor has indeed developed a special assessment purpose which incorporates the specific additional requirements of the WA Mines Safety Act and Regulations over and above one of our standard assessments.
We had the expertise of our authorised partners in WA, Asset Management Engineers (AME) in reviewing the WA Mining Purpose. AME is WA’s most experienced classified plant inspection firm and is able to conduct on-site Ideagen Plant Assessor inspections for WA clients.
As this is also a special assessment purpose and contains other additional inspection items, like the MDG 15 above, we have developed this as an opt-in assessment purpose to avoid any confusion amongst users that have no need for WA Mining assessments.
The additional assessment requirements for WA Mining are the same as the additional assessment requirements for MDG 15. See the table above for more information.
Disclaimer: This information is intended to provide general information on the subject matter. This is not intended as legal or expert advice for your specific situation. You should seek professional advice before acting or relying on the content of this information.
By Founder, Paul Dean
Originally published September 2022
Updated July 2024
About the Author
Paul Dean is the Founder of Ideagen Plant Assessor. Paul spent 10 years working in the construction industry, and 5 years in the machinery supply industry where he developed a deep knowledge about mobile plant and machinery compliance. Paul's idea for Plant Assessor was created in 2004 after working in the motor vehicle and machinery auction industry and realising the complexity and lack of standardisation when managing machinery and equipment compliance. Read More.
