The Western Australian government has released the world’s first code of practice for safe autonomous mining including robotic mining and exploration.
Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Marmion said autonomous mining systems are not specifically covered in the Mines Safety and Inspection Act 1994 and its associated regulations.
"In many circumstances, this is where the industry is heading," he said.
"With WA already at the forefront of autonomous and robotic mining and exploration, it makes sense we also take the lead in the safe implementation of these technologies.”
He said the code has been 18 months in the making and has been developed by the Department of Mines and Petroleum through a working group of Western Australian industry experts, with input from technical experts from across the globe.
In September 2014, the International Organisation of Standardisation technical committee on mobile autonomous mining systems met in Perth to discuss global safety standards.
"Our code of practice was an important part of those discussions," Minister Marmion said.
"This also gave us the opportunity to hear from international experts and share our collective knowledge around safety in autonomous mining."
It aims to ensure companies are able to safely introduce and manage autonomous mobile mining systems in their operations.
"This code will complement further development of autonomous mining systems in WA, promoting increased diversification of our technology sector," he said.
"This sort of expertise also helps build our tech export base, with the State already producing well over half of the world's mining software."