Standard 11 Mining Induction: Queensland Coal Mines Guide (2026)

What Is Standard 11?

Standard 11 is the common name for Recognised Standard 11, “Training in coal mines”. It is Version 2.0, issued by Resources Safety and Health Queensland (RSHQ) under the authority of the Minister for Resources and gazetted on 21 July 2023. It is made under Part 5 (Recognised Standards) and section 37(3) of the Coal Mining Safety and Health Act 1999.

The standard sets out the training expected for coal mine workers in Queensland, including the Queensland Coal Mining Induction in Appendix 3. In everyday use, “doing your Standard 11” means completing that generic coal mining induction with a registered training organisation (RTO).

It sits alongside, not instead of, the site induction each mine runs. Section 4 of the standard says both the Queensland Coal Mining Induction and a site induction must be developed so that appropriate safety information reaches a coal mine worker before they start work.

Who Needs Standard 11?

The standard applies to Queensland coal mines under the Coal Mining Safety and Health Act 1999. Site Senior Executives (SSEs) are responsible for the mine training scheme, so the final say on what a new worker must hold sits with the mine and your employer.

If you are heading to a Queensland coal mine, ask your employer or labour hire company what they require before you spend money on a course.

What Does the Course Cover?

Appendix 3 of the standard says participants are trained and assessed against the following units for a surface mine:

For an underground mine the same list applies, except RIIERR203 Escape From a Hazardous Situation Unaided replaces RIIERR302.

Providers commonly describe the delivered package as RIISS00034 Surface Coal Mine Safety Skill Set. That code is provider-stated: it is not named in the RSHQ standard, which lists unit codes without version letters. Check the unit codes on your provider’s page match what your employer asks for.

How Long Is the Course?

Providers state 2 days for people new to the industry. Experienced entrants can generally do a 1-day experienced entrant or refresher course if they can show at least 3 months of resources industry work in the last 5 years, with evidence. These durations are provider-stated rather than set by the RSHQ standard.

Delivery varies. Some providers run the course fully face-to-face, and others combine online theory with a face-to-face practical or assessment day. A combined surface and underground course can run longer than the standard surface course. Compare the delivery and duration of every provider on the providers page.

How Much Does Standard 11 Cost?

Across the 13 providers that publish a new-starter price, fees run from $595 to $900. Most (10 of 13) fall between $625 to $725, with a median of $650. Prices were checked on 6 October 2026 and can change.

The top of the range ($900, Coal Train Australia) is for a longer combined surface and underground course, so it is not a like-for-like comparison with the surface course.

4 of the 17 providers we checked do not publish a full-course price on the pages we reviewed, and GST wording differs between providers, so confirm the total before you pay. If you are self-funding, it is worth asking potential employers whether they pay for or reimburse the course.

Where to Get Standard 11

Standard 11 must be delivered by a registered training organisation. Section 5 of the standard requires an RTO to make sure each person who trains or assesses on its behalf, on or for a coal mine, complies with the NVETR Act 2011 (Cth), the Coal Mining Safety and Health Act 1999 and Regulation 2017, and the requirements of the Coal Mining Safety and Health Advisory Committee (CMSHAC).

We track 17 providers with their price, duration, delivery, locations and refresher options, each linked back to its own course page.

Does Standard 11 Expire? Refresher Training

The standard does not state a separate validity period for the generic induction certificate. What it does require is refresher training. Section 8 says section 84 of the Coal Mining Safety and Health Regulation 2017 requires each coal mine worker, including supervisors, managers and certificate of competency holders, to be given refresher training under the mine training scheme at least once in every five years. The SSE is responsible for making sure it happens.

• Five years is the maximum interval. Individual mines may require refreshing sooner, and some providers state 2 years applies on some sites.
• A refresher is not always a full re-run. The standard says refresher training does not necessarily require full training and assessment against the full unit of competency, and may be partly achieved by a record of observations.
• Providers sell refreshers separately. Where a price is published it runs from $250 to $650. Some refreshers need a current Standard 11 Statement of Attainment, for example Diggerman Training (less than 6 years old) and Gold Training (a copy of your existing Standard 11 qualification).

Your mine or employer has the final word on how recent your induction needs to be, so ask before you assume an older certificate will be accepted.

What About NSW?

Standard 11 is Queensland’s standard and applies to Queensland coal mines. NSW coal mines run their own separate induction system, so if you are working in NSW, check with the mine about what it accepts. This guide does not cover NSW requirements.

Tips Before You Book

Practical, general advice. None of it replaces what your provider or employer tells you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

Last verified 6 October 2026. Facts on this page come from the sources below. Pages labelled as provider pages are provider-stated and are not part of the RSHQ standard.

• RSHQ: Recognised Standard 11, Training in coal mines (PDF)
• Queensland Government: Recognised standards (coal mines) page
• Provider page (provider-stated): Allens Training
• Provider page (provider-stated): WorkSafe Connect
• Provider page (provider-stated): diggermantraining.com.au

Provider prices, durations, delivery and locations come from each provider’s own course page, listed on the Standard 11 providers page.