Mine Ventilation Management SWMS (Underground)

Underground mine ventilation management governs the delivery of breathable air, dilution of contaminants, and removal of heat across active workings, development headings, and production stopes. Ventilation is a recognised principal hazard under the WHS (Mines) Regulation 2022 Part 6, meaning the mine operator must prepare a Principal Hazard Management Plan supported by task-level SWMS for every activity that alters airflow, monitors atmosphere, or exposes workers to airborne contaminants. This SWMS covers anemometer traverse surveys, auxiliary fan and duct integrity assessment, gravimetric DPM sampling for elemental carbon, methane and oxygen monitoring in dead-end headings, and emergency re-entry following blast or fire events. Work occurs in confined return airways, near rotating fan plant, and in atmospheres that can transition from breathable to immediately dangerous to life or health within minutes. A SWMS is mandatory because this work meets multiple high risk construction work under section 291 triggers and engages the principal hazard duty under s26 of the Mines Regulation.

Hazards identified

7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.

1. 1Elimination — Where reasonably practicable, eliminate worker entry into oxygen-deficient or post-blast atmospheres by deploying tele-remote gas monitoring drones before any personnel re-entry is authorised.
2. 2Elimination — Eliminate diesel emission sources at the face by transitioning development fleet to battery-electric loaders and trucks, removing the underlying DPM hazard at its origin.
3. 3Substitution — Substitute low-emission Tier 4 Final diesel engines with diesel particulate filters in place of legacy Tier 2 fleet to reduce elemental carbon generation at source.
4. 4Substitution — Substitute rigid steel ducting for flexible layflat duct on auxiliary fan runs exceeding 200 m to reduce leakage and improve face quantity delivery.
5. 5Engineering — Install fixed real-time tube-bundle gas monitoring with SCADA integration for CO, CH₄, NO₂, and O₂ at every active heading, with automatic trip of production at trigger action levels per Mines Reg Part 6.
6. 6Engineering — Guard all auxiliary fan inlets and outlets to AS 4024.1 machine safety standard with interlocked mesh preventing impeller access during rotation and lockout verification before maintenance.
7. 7Administrative — Conduct quarterly anemometer traverse surveys using calibrated vane anemometer per AS 2243.1 method, with results logged in the ventilation management plan and reviewed by the ventilation officer.
8. 8Administrative — Enforce post-blast re-entry exclusion of minimum 30 minutes plus gas clearance confirmation by handheld multi-gas detector before any worker enters the blast zone, as per the emergency response procedure.
9. 9PPE — Issue personal multi-gas monitors (O₂, CO, CH₄, H₂S, NO₂) with audible and vibrating alarms set to statutory trigger levels, worn in the breathing zone for every underground entry.
10. 10PPE — Provide P2/P3 respiratory protection for DPM sampling tasks, self-rescuers (W65 or equivalent) on person at all times, and high-visibility flame-resistant coveralls compliant with AS/NZS 4824.

Applicable Codes of Practice

Worked example

At a fictional underground gold mine in a remote operating region, the ventilation officer is scheduled to conduct a quarterly anemometer traverse of the main return airway and a DPM gravimetric sampling shift on the 1200-level development crew. At the 6:00 am pre-start brief in the surface crib room, the officer opens this SWMS on a tablet and walks the two-person team through the hazard register. They identify oxygen deficiency in the inactive 1180-level stub heading as a HIGH priority and confirm the control: tele-remote drone sweep before entry, supported by personal multi-gas monitors worn in the breathing zone. The team reviews the methane trigger action level of 1.25% and rehearses the withdrawal route. Each worker signs onto the SWMS digitally, confirming P3 respirator fit-test currency and self-rescuer inspection dates. Mid-shift, the auxiliary fan on the 1200 heading trips on overcurrent. The supervisor pauses the gravimetric sampling, refers to the SWMS administrative control requiring re-establishment of statutory air quantity before resumed entry, and isolates the fan to AS 4024.1 lockout standard before the fitter inspects the impeller. The SWMS is annotated in the field with the fan trip event, the revised sampling window, and the supervisor's signature — creating the contemporaneous record required for the ventilation management plan review.

Related legislation

• WHS Act 2011 (model)
• WHS Regulation 2025
• Code of Practice — Hazardous Manual Tasks

Frequently asked questions