Emergency Response Qualifications

Key Stages

Submission Documents

Outcomes

Review and update of the RII Emergency Response qualifications

On 19 August 2026, Skills Ministers endorsed updates to the RII Resources and Infrastructure Industry Training Package.

The endorsed changes were published on the National Training Register on 2 September 2026.

Project overview

This project revised existing Emergency Response qualifications and units to address changes in risk management practices and emerging technologies within the resources and infrastructure industries.

The update includes revisions to the Certificate III in Emergency Response and Rescue and the Certificate IV in Emergency Response Coordination; revisions to 9 units of competency; the development of a new unit of competency addressing incidents involving energy storage systems; and updates to 4 existing skill sets.

AUSMASA collaborated with BuildSkills Australia on this project. Responsibility for the maintenance and review of training products within the RII Training Package is shared between the 2 JSCs: AUSMASA for mining-related products and BuildSkills Australia for products that impact civil construction.

Key outcomes

RII Resources and Infrastructure Industry Training Package:

2 qualifications updated with major updates
Additional 6 qualifications with minor updates
4 mine safety skill sets updated
9 units of competency reviewed and updated
1 new unit of competency created.

How we got here

The review began with a comprehensive assessment of Emergency Response qualifications and skill sets in the RII Training Package to ensure they remained current with industry needs. Units of competency were examined against real work functions and current practice, with particular attention to changes in risk management and emerging technologies.

AUSMASA also considered how proposed updates could affect other workforces and training packages that use RII units. The resulting qualifications and units were developed to meet the Standards for Training Packages, Training Package Products Policy, and Training Package Products Development and Endorsement Process Policy. Before endorsement, the updated products were assessed for anti-discrimination compliance, reviewed by Senior Responsible Officers, and examined by the Training Package Assurance Body.

Stakeholder engagement

Extensive national consultation informed the review process, drawing on input from industry representatives, employers, unions, RTOs, peak bodies, regulators and government stakeholders across all jurisdictions. Educational expertise, including occupational health and safety in mining, helped ensure the review reflected current practice, workforce needs and regulatory expectations across mining, civil construction and related sectors.

A Technical Advisory Group (TAG) of subject matter experts was established to assist with scoping and to review draft products. All feedback was recorded in a detailed Consultation Log, including stakeholder comments, key themes, and how issues were addressed.

We thank the many industry representatives and stakeholders who contributed their time, expertise and insights to support this work.

Implementation information

Skills Ministers endorsed the updated training products on 19 August 2026. These are now published on the National Training Register.

An updated Companion Volume Implementation Guide (CVIG) is available to assist RTOs and industry with implementation. This guide provides information on changes to qualifications and units, pathways and prerequisite requirements, regulatory and licensing considerations, and workplace health and safety implications.

Transition arrangements

When a training product has been superseded, removed or deleted from the National Register, there are specific timelines that RTOs must follow to transition from the superseded training product to the current training product. The allowable transition period differs depending on the type of training product and the type of change being made.

For further details, refer to the ASQA RTO Standards How to transition webpage.

Further information

Updated training products

Qualifications

Previous Code	Previous Title	New Code	New Title	Type of update (Choose one)	Category of Change	Equivalent / Not equivalent (updated products only)	Release
RII20120	Certificate II in Resources and Infrastructure Work Preparation	RII20120	Certificate II in Resources and Infrastructure Work Preparation	Updated	Minor	Equivalent	4
RII20320	Certificate II in Underground Coal Mining	RII20320	Certificate II in Underground Coal Mining	Updated	Minor	Equivalent	3
RII20520	Certificate II in Resource Processing	RII20520	Certificate II in Resource Processing	Updated	Minor	Equivalent	3
RII30719	Certificate III in Emergency Response and Rescue	RII30726	Certificate III in Emergency Response and Rescue	Updated	Major	Not equivalent	1
RII40120	Certificate IV in Surface Extraction Operations	RII40120	Certificate IV in Surface Extraction Operations	Updated	Minor	Equivalent	3
RII40426	Certificate IV in Underground Coal Operations	RII40426	Certificate IV in Underground Coal Operations	Updated	Minor	Equivalent	2
RII40520	Certificate IV in Resource Processing	RII40520	Certificate IV in Resource Processing	Updated	Minor	Equivalent	4
RII41319	Certificate IV in Emergency Response Coordination	RII41326	Certificate IV in Emergency Response Coordination	Updated	Major	Equivalent	1

Skill Sets

Previous Code	Previous Title	New Code	New Title	Type of update (Choose one)	Equivalent / Not equivalent (updated products only)	Release
RIISS00033	Underground Coal Mine Safety Skill Set	RIISS00133	Underground Mine Safety Skill Set	Updated	Equivalent	1
RIISS00034	Surface Coal Mine Safety Skill Set	RIISS00134	Surface Mine Safety Skill Set	Updated	Equivalent	1
RIISS00029	Leading Hand - Coal Mining Skill Set	RIISS00029	Leading Hand - Coal Mining Skill Set	Updated	Equivalent	5
RIISS00051	Supervision of Diverse Work Teams Skill Set	RIISS00051	Supervision of Diverse Work Teams Skill Set	Updated	Equivalent	3

Units of Competency

Previous code	Previous title	New code	New title	Type of update	Category of change	Equivalent/Not equivalent (updated products only)	Release
RIIERR201E	Conduct fire team operations	RIIERR201	Conduct fire team operations	Updated	Major	Equivalent	1
RIIERR305E	Control underground fires	RIIERR305	Control underground fires	Updated	Major	Equivalent	1
RIIERR307E	Extricate casualties from underground incidents	RIIERR307	Extricate casualties from underground incidents	Updated	Major	Equivalent	1
RIIERR308E	Extricate and transport people involved in incidents	RIIERR308	Extricate and transport people involved in incidents	Updated	Major	Equivalent	1
RIIRIS301E	Apply risk management processes	RIIRIS301	Apply risk management processes	Updated	Major	Not equivalent	1
N/A	N/A	RIIERR312	Respond to incidents involving energy storage systems	New	Major	N/A	1
RIIERR302E	Respond to local emergencies and incidents	RIIERR302E	Respond to local emergencies and incidents	Updated	Minor	Equivalent	2
RIIERR404D	Apply and monitor underground Metalliferous mine emergency preparedness and response systems	RIIERR404D	Apply and monitor underground Metalliferous mine emergency preparedness and response systems	Updated	Minor	Equivalent	5
RIIERR601E	Establish and maintain mine emergency preparedness and response systems	RIIERR601E	Establish and maintain mine emergency preparedness and response systems	Updated	Minor	Equivalent	2
RIIERR301E	Respond to work site incidents	RIIERR301E	Respond to work site incidents	Updated	Minor	Equivalent	2