Examination Guide NSW Coal Competence Board
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NSW Coal Competence Board
Examination Guide
Certificate of Competence
to be a Mine Electrical Engineer
June 2011
Version 1.0Examination Guide Certificate of Competence to be a Mine Electrical Engineer
Table of contents
1. Purpose of this Examination Guide ..........................................................................................3
2. Coal Competence Board examinations ...................................................................................4
3. The learning process...................................................................................................................5
4. What will the examinations be based on? ...............................................................................6
4.1 Technical skills .......................................................................................................................6
4.2 OHS legislation.......................................................................................................................7
4.3 Other integrated skills ...........................................................................................................7
4.3.1 Ten elements of OHS management.......................................................................................7
4.3.2 Employability Skills ................................................................................................................8
4.3.3 Associated Non Technical Skills .............................................................................................8
5. What type of questions may be asked in an examination?...................................................8
Management model ...........................................................................................................................9
6. References .................................................................................................................................11
Title: Examination Guide - Certificate of Competence to be a Mine Electrical Engineer
Author: NSW Coal Competence Board
© State of New South Wales through Department of Trade & Investment, Regional Infrastructure and
Services 2011
This publication is copyright. You may download, display, print and reproduce this material in an
unaltered form only (retaining this notice) for your personal use or for non-commercial use within your
organisation. To copy, adapt, publish, distribute or commercialise any of this publication you will need
to seek permission from the Manager Publishing, DTIRIS, Orange.
For updates to this publication, check www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/minesafety
Published by NSW Department of Trade & Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services
First published June 2011
Disclaimer
The information contained in this publication is based on knowledge and understanding at the time of
writing (May 2011). However, because of advances in knowledge, users are reminded of the need to
ensure that information on which they rely is up to date and to check the currency of the information
with the appropriate officer of the Department or the user’s independent advisor.
TRIM reference: OUT11/2217
OUT11/2217 Version 1.0 - June 2011 Page 2 of 12Examination Guide Certificate of Competence to be a Mine Electrical Engineer
A guide for examination candidates, examiners and
education / training providers
1. Purpose of this Examination Guide
This Examination Guide has been developed to provide guidance on the Coal Competence
Board’s examinations for the Certificate of Competence to be a Mine Electrical Engineer. It
aims to address the needs of three key target groups, as shown in the following diagram:
Figure 1 – Target groups
Examiners Coal Education / training providers
Competence
Board
Examination
Guide
Candidates
This Examination Guide is designed to meet the needs of each of these target groups, as
follows:
1. Candidates:
o An overview of the learning and assessment process required to meet the
requirements of the Coal Competence Board
o Information on what may be included in written and oral examinations.
2. Examiners:
o Consistent criteria which may be used for setting examination questions
o Consistent criteria for assessing whether a candidate has met the requirements
to be granted a Certificate of Competence to be a Mine Electrical Engineer.
3. Education / training providers (RTOs, universities):
o Information on what may be included in written and oral examinations to assist in
preparing candidates for the Coal Competence Board examination.
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2. Coal Competence Board examinations
The Coal Competence Board’s Rules for the Conduct of Examinations for Certificate of
Competence to be a Mine Electrical Engineer contains the prerequisites for applying for a
certificate of competence. The rules can be downloaded from the Department of Trade &
Investment, Regional Infrastructure & Services (the Department) website (refer to the
References section).
Note: a Certificate of Competence to be a Mine Electrical Engineer may be granted subject
to conditions. This may be in a format such as:
• Certificate of Competence to be a Mine Electrical Engineer (underground or surface); or
• Certificate of Competence to be a Mine Electrical Engineer (surface parts of a coal
operation only).
The intent of the Coal Competence Board’s examination process is to collect evidence and
make an assessment about whether a candidate:
1. Has the required knowledge of legislation and safe systems of work in a coal
operation and can apply that knowledge safely.
2. Can apply engineering systems, technology and practices to practical mining
applications.
3. Is competent to perform the duties and functions of a manager of electrical
engineering or qualified electrical engineer under the Coal Mine Health and Safety
Act 2002 and the Coal Mines Health and Safety Regulation 2006.
The scope of the examinations for the knowledge and skills assessed is:
A. Written examinations (may include):
• Legislation
o Coal Mine Health and Safety Act 2002
o Coal Mine Health and Safety Regulation 2006
o Coal Industry Act 2001
o Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000
o Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 2001
o Explosives Act 2003 and Explosives Regulation 2005
o relevant parts of any other legislation as they may apply to a Mine Electrical
Engineer
• Practical underground operation
o Practical day-to-day operations of a coal operations
o Application of relevant aspects of legislation and safe working
o Knowledge and application of risk management processes and practices
o Knowledge of the causes of accidents and application of processes and
practices to prevent recurrence
B. Oral examinations (may include):
• applying theoretical knowledge to the practical aspects of mining engineering
safety practices in New South Wales
• recent Safety Bulletins / Safety Alerts issued by the Department and/or other
relevant industry body
• subject matter from the question papers of the written examination
• questions relating to the candidate’s practical experience.
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3. The learning process
It is important for examination candidates (and education / training providers preparing
candidates for examinations) to recognise the learning process leading up to sitting for the
Coal Competence Board’s examinations.
Figure 2 – Learning process
Industry framework
• Legislation
• Risk management
• Coal operation’s
o HSMS
o Major Hazard
Management Plans
• Standards and Guidelines
• Safety Alerts and Bulletins
Practical experience
Education / training
• Relevant experience at a coal
• Training (RTO or uni) operation
• Assessment (RTO or uni) • Visits to other coal operations
• National qualification issued by • Benchmarking
RTO or university • Logbook recording
Mentoring by candidate’s employer
• Assisting learners with education / training issues
• Providing technical mentoring
• Supporting understanding and application of the industry framework
• Developing understanding of the mine’s HSMS and associated management
plans
Notes for education / training providers delivering prerequisite qualifications recognised by
the Coal Competence Board:
• It is important that the Employability Skills are integrated into the learning and
assessment for this qualification. These have been identified as the requirements by
industry through the process of developing the training package qualifications (refer
to section 4.3.2 below for an explanation of Employability Skills).
• It is critical that candidates visit other coal operations as part of a comprehensive
learning strategy. This is to enhance understanding of the practical aspects of
mining engineering and related safety practices, not only at the candidate’s place of
employment, but across a range of coal operations. Use of the logbook (Appendix
A), or some other form of summary document (eg in a resume format) is highly
recommended, and may be part of the information presented by candidates at the
oral examination.
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4. What will the examinations be based on?
The Coal Competence Board’s examination panel must assess whether a candidate is
competent to perform the functions of a Manager of electrical engineering (for underground
coal operations) or qualified electrical engineer (for the surface parts of a coal operation
only) under the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act 2002. To make this assessment, the
examination panel may examine candidates on any aspect covered in the learning process
shown in figure 2. However, in practical terms, the examination panel will focus on the
following components:
1. Industry framework.
2. Practical experience.
Aspects of education / training from figure 2, may be covered in examinations. This is most
likely to be in the context of assessing whether a candidate has the required knowledge of
legislation and the interpretation and application of electrical engineering principles.
4.1 Technical skills
The areas from the industry framework section from figure 2 that examinations are most
likely to focus on are (this is not intended to be an exhaustive list):
• elements of a coal operation’s Health and Safety Management System
• a coal operation’s Major Hazard Management Plan
• a coal operation’s Electrical Engineering Management Plan (EEMP)
o “covering the life cycle of electrical plant and installations, and electrical
engineering practices, at the coal operation …”, as outlined in clause 13(1)(e) of
the Coal Mine Health and Safety Regulation 2006
o Making provision for all the matters as outlined in clause 19 of the Coal Mine
Health and Safety Regulation 2006
• additional components of a coal operation’s Health and Safety Management System
• high-risk activities
• approval processes
• other specific aspects from legislation and/or a coal operation’s Health and Safety
Management System:
o risk and change management (as per AS/NZS ISO 31000:2009 Risk management
– Principles and guidelines)
o consultation
o contractor management
o emergency management system
o notifiable incidents.
o check inspectors
o operation of transport
o fitness for work
o change management – in particular the introduction of new systems of work
o exemption applications
• relevant Standards and Mining Design Guidelines including:
o awareness of existence
o an appropriate level of knowledge (eg AS/NZS 4804:2001 Occupational health
and safety management systems—General guidelines on principles, systems
and supporting techniques)
o some in-depth – those critical to the role of an Undermanager (eg AS/NZS ISO
3100:2009 – Risk management – Principles and guidelines and MDG 1020 –
Guideline for underground emergency escape systems and the provision for self
rescuers)
• Safety Alerts and Safety Bulletins, Guidance Notes and guidelines material
• Gazette notices.
• High-level knowledge of the three primary explosion-protection Australian Standards
– namely flameproof, intrinsically safe and increased safety – and a working
understanding of all other explosion-protected techniques.
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It is highly recommended that further technical competencies be obtained prior to sitting the
Coal Competence Board’s examination. These may include but are not limited to:
1. Electrical equipement in hazardous areas (eg as contained in National Competency
Standard – UTENES609 (A to Z qualifier) A – Develop and manage maintenance
programs for hazardous area electrical equipment)
2. Risk management (eg aas contained in National Competency Standard –
RIIRIS402A – Carry out the risk management processes (sometimes referred to as
G2 or RIIRIS601A – Establish and maintain the risk management system (sometimes
referred to as G3).
3. High Voltage Switching Operations.
A separate Examination Syllabus has been developed to outline in more detail the topics
and issues which may be covered in Coal Competence Board’s Mine Electrical Engineer’s
Certificte of Competence examinations. This is available on the Department website (see
References section).
4.2 OHS legislation
Candidates studying for a Certificate of Competence to be a Mine Electrical Engineer should
possess a comprehensive understanding of relevant occupational health and safety
legislation as it applies to underground and or open cut coal Mines in NSW. This is available
on the Departments web-site (the web link is in the References section).
4.3 Other integrated skills
Candidates should note that aspects of the following may be examined as part of the Coal
Competence Board’s examinations:
1. Ten elements of OHS management
2. Employability Skills
3. Associated Non-Technical Skills (ANTS).
Employability Skills and Associated Non-Technical Skills, while similar, have both been
included in this guide. Employability Skills form part of the competencies framework, are
essential for successful completion of national training qualifications and are considered
necessary for effective work participation. Associated Non-Technical Skills have their origin
in safety management and are supporting skills that complement technical and management
skills and contribute to safe and efficient task performance.
These are unlikely to be examined in isolation, but may be integrated into technical, problem
solving or emergency response type questions. Even though these skills may not be
examined separately, part of the examination marks may be allocated to how effectively
candidates are able to demonstrate these skills.
The following sections contain information of these three skill areas.
4.3.1 Ten elements of OHS management
Candidates should be familiar with the concept of the statutory standard of care, as
contained in legislation. The Department has developed a list of 10 elements (sometimes
referred to as the ‘10 hurdles’) for persons to discharge their duties, which are:
1. Consultation
2. Hazard identification and hierarchy of controls
3. Risk assessment (probability x consequence)
4. Risk management including procedures, standards of engineering practice (SEP)
5. Information
6. Instruction and training
7. Supervision
8. Monitoring
9. Review
10. Revision / rectification
It may assist candidates to obtain further information on the approach to address the ‘10
hurdles’ (refer to the References section).
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4.3.2 Employability Skills
Employability Skills are defined within the industry training package qualifications which may
be used to meet the academic prerequisite requirements for a certificate of competence.
Employability Skills are also sometimes referred to as generic skills, capabilities or key
competencies. They describe generic competencies for effective participation in work. There
are eight Employability Skills:
1. Communication
2. Teamwork
3. Problem solving
4. Initiative and enterprise
5. Planning and organising
6. Self management
7. Learning
8. Technology
A copy of the Employability Skills can be accessed from the Skills DMC website (refer to
References section).
4.3.3 Associated Non Technical Skills
Associated Non-Technical Skills (ANTS) are essential supporting skills that complement
technical and management skills and contribute to safe and efficient task performance.
These skills include:
1. Situation awareness
2. Decision making
3. Communication
4. Teamwork
5. Leadership.
Further information on Associated Non-Technical Skills (ANTS) is available on the
Department’s website (refer to the References section).
5. What type of questions may be asked in an examination?
Examiners will typically aim to assess a candidate’s ability to solve a workplace-based
problem. A candidate may be asked to demonstrate skills and/or knowledge at one or more
levels:
1. Describe (eg knowledge, facts, formula)
2. Apply (eg comprehend, calculate)
3. Interpret (analyse, process)
4. Evaluate (appraise, judge).
To assess these areas, questions may be based on:
o Relevant aspects from legislation (mainly in written examinations)
o A typical workplace problem which may be encountered by a Manger of Electrical
Engineering (for underground coal operation) or a Mince Electrical Engineer(for the
surface parts of a coal operation only) in performing their duties
o A recent incident relevant to an underground operation (coal or non-coal), and
publicised by the Department through a Safety Alert (or similar notification).
Note, that in the written examinations, questions may be either closed book or open book.
Examples of examination questions can be found in the past examination papers, which are
available on the Department’s website (refer to the References section). The website also
contains Examiner Panel Reports from past examinations.
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Management model
It is essential that candidates for the mine electrical engineer examinations are able to
explain and use in answering questions a management model. This is a key framework that
candidates need to demonstrate that they can work within.
The essential components of a management model are:
1. Planned management cycle – ie plan, do, check, review (PDCR)
2. Unplanned management (eg when a major incident occurs), ie regain control and
then use the planned management cycle.
The key components of the PDCR management model are shown in figure 3 on the
following page. It should be noted that there are other version of this management model. A
notable variation on the four-step PDCR management model is the framework in AS/NZS
4804 – Occupational health and safety management systems— General guidelines on
principles, systems and supporting techniques. This is a five-step OHS management
system model, with the steps being OHS policy; planning; implementation; measurement
and evaluation; management review.
The OHS management system model is shown in figure 4.
Figure 3 – Management model
PDCR cycle Unplanned events
Respond / Isolate
Assess (Identify hazards, Assess risk, Plan)
Respond
Regain Control
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Figure 4 – OHS management system model (AS/NZS 4804:2001)
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6. References
Coal Competence Board examinations – Rules, Requirements and Applications, Past
Examinations and Examiner Panel Reports
www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/minerals/safety/resources/qualifications
SkillsDMC - for information on:
• Vocational Education and Training Qualifications recognised by the coal industry
• Latest version of RII09 Resources and Infrastructure Industry Training Package
• Employability Skills
www.skillsdmc.com.au/Training%20Packages/RII09%20Resources%20and%20Infrastr
ucture%20Industry%20Training%20Package/Qualifications.aspx
The 10 hurdles
www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/182260/Nichols---OHS-MAP2DN.pdf
Associated Non-Technical Skills (ANTS)
www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/minerals/safety/world-leading-ohs
OUT11/2217 Version 1.0 - June 2011 Page 11 of 12APPENDIX A – LOG BOOK FOR VISITS TO COAL OPERATIONS
Start a separate page for each visit If required, use more than one page for each visit Extra notes may be attached
Type of coal What are the objectives for the visit? Did you
Your Name ............................................... operation achieve the
..... objectives?
Date of visit / Open Cut 1.
Name of Coal ...............................................
/ Underground 2.
Operation ....
CHPP 3.
What did you do during your visit? Who did you meet / see? What did you learn?
Name Issues discussed with From observations in the From discussions
Position this person workplace with people
Verification of site visit - to be signed by manager at visited operation or
trainer from the Training Provider (if visit was organised by the Training Name Signature Date
Provider)
Note ‐ this sheet may be used:
o as a Cover Page for more comprehensive notes /information on visits to coal operations, and /or
o for visits to OEM’s or attendance at conferences – if applicable.You can also read
