Towards 2020 vision

Towards 2020 Regulatory Strategy vision

What is our vision?

The Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety's vision is for a safe and healthy resources sector.

How do we achieve this?

Safety compliance cycle
Safety and health compliance cycle

The department is the primary safety regulator for the minerals, petroleum and dangerous goods industries in Western Australia.

There are two main ways the regulator interacts with industry to achieve compliance with the legislation.

Firstly, the safety regulator is tasked with raising awareness of safety and health matters. People need to be aware of their roles and responsibilities, and understand what they need to do to ensure that their workplace is safe.

Secondly, there is the traditional role of the inspectorate, which is to seek compliance with the legislation (e.g. auditing is a proactive tool) and enforce it when necessary.

What are our goals?

The vision of a safe and healthy resources sector is supported by three key goals:

  • world-leading regulation
  • smarter systems
  • well-informed industry

Each is built on core elements, that work together to achieve the overarching goal, and ultimately the department's Towards 2020 vision.

For more information visit Towards 2020 goals

What were the drivers of Towards 2020?

Under the 2009 Reform and Development at Resources Safety (RADARS) strategy, the State Government and the department committed to working with industry to help reduce the number and severity of serious accidents and incidents, and provide support in achieving a positive cultural change.

Find out more about reform and development at Resources Safety at What is RADARS?

The adoption of the Towards 2020 strategy was reinforced by the recommendations made in the 2016 Mines Safety Branch resourcing and funding independent assessment undertaken by Deloitte.

2016 Mines Safety Branch resourcing and funding independent assessment report - recommendations and DMP response - 6235 Kb

An independent assessment of the Mines Safety Branch funding and resourcing conducted by Deloitte in March 2016.

What is the purpose of Towards 2020?

Towards 2020 is the first of a series of high-level three-year rolling strategies to guide the department’s efforts to raise awareness and seek compliance in the Western Australian resources sector, going beyond the day-to-day inspectorate activities.

It describes the goals, focus areas and measures of success for safety and health initiatives undertaken by the regulator.

The strategy is presented as a live online resource that is easily accessible and can be updated as emerging issues are identified.

It will provide an overview of the regulator’s commitments so industry can better understand why focus areas are targeted, the desired outcomes, measures and achievements.

Progress on commitments will be reported annually.