Reducing Water Quality Risks on Mine Sites
Safe, reliable drinking water on Queensland mine sites isn’t optional — it’s a regulatory requirement. Under the Coal Mining Safety and Health Regulation 2017, Site Senior Executives (SSEs) must ensure their sites provide sufficient potable water for all workers and that water quality meets the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG).
A critical part of this compliance is ensuring that Water Treatment Plants (WTPs) are operated by qualified personnel — not general site staff or local plumbing contractors.
Why Unqualified Operators Put Your Site at Risk
Mining clients sometimes assume that in-house maintenance staff or local tradespeople can manage a WTP. This approach may appear cost-effective — but it introduces significant legal, safety and operational risks.
Here's why relying on unqualified personnel is dangerous:
- Lack of regulatory knowledge: Plumbing or general maintenance qualifications do not include training in ADWG requirements, WQRMP development, or SHMS integration.
- Poor treatment process control: Untrained personnel may mismanage disinfection, filtration or dosing processes, resulting in unsafe water that risks microbiological or chemical contamination.
- Inadequate monitoring: Without specialist training, operators may overlook early warning signs of water quality deterioration — leading to delayed responses and potential breaches.
- Non-compliance exposure: Queensland legislation and RSHQ guidance clearly state the need for qualified (Cert III or higher) water treatment operators. Failure to comply can result in regulatory action or mine shutdowns.
- False sense of security: Unqualified operators might not identify subtle or emerging issues, giving the illusion of safe operation while risks escalate behind the scenes.
- Poor documentation and Reporting: Leading to poor plant performance and increase the risk of breaches in compliance.
Using industry-certified water treatment operators is the only reliable way to ensure safe, compliant drinking water for your workforce.
What the Regulations Require
Queensland Resources Safety & Health advises mining operations to:
- Engage certified water treatment operators (minimum Certificate III).
- Conduct risk assessments covering microbiological, chemical, and physical hazards.
- Prevent raw water from contaminating the potable network via backflow safeguards.
- Maintain robust testing and monitoring programs with records to track trends.
- Focus on health-based monitoring parameters, with secondary attention to aesthetic concerns like taste or colour.
This guidance is supported by the Coal Mining Safety and Health Regulation 2017, which places legal responsibility for water safety on the SSE.
Best Practice for On-Site Water Safety
A compliant mine-site water system should include:
- Certified operators managing all WTP operations and monitoring.
- Scheduled inspections of tanks, dosing units, filters, and valves.
- Backflow prevention in network design.
- Routine sampling and record-keeping to identify and respond to quality issues.
- Contingency planning with emergency water supplies on standby.
How can MAK Water help?
MAK Water can supply qualified water plant operators (Cert III or higher) with experience in Queensland mining regulations to ensure efficient operation of plants and associated equipment.
Our Queensland-based operators ensure your site remains compliant, your workers stay safe, and your potable water meets ADWG standards — every day.
Experience complete piece of mind with our monthly and annual performance reports including recommendations for process improvements to boost performance and reduce costs.
We assist during emergencies and plant shutdowns and can also supply critical spares and chemicals to maintain uninterrupted WTP operation.
Our team can help your mine site meet compliance.
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