Dam owner forms
eNewsletter - Dams Safety Focus
Dams Safety Focus is our eNewsletter for declared dam owners and anyone with an interest in dam safety. If you'd like to subscribe, please email us at info@damsafety.nsw.gov.au.
Dams Safety Focus - October 2023
Dams Safety Focus - February 2023
Dams Safety Focus - October 2022
Dams Safety Focus - February 2022
Dams Safety Focus - October 2021
Dams Safety Focus - February 2021
Fact sheets and publications
Our Fact Sheets and publications provide useful information on key topics
Small dam safety: a guide for owners
Stakeholder engagement: why it’s important for dam owners to engage with the community
Conducting a dam emergency exercise
New dam emergency plan summary information sheet: what you need to know
Engaging a competent person or panel to review my dam reports and assessments
Provide Dams Safety NSW with a declaration of competency
Documents at a glance for declared dam owners
Finding a consultant to help prepare dam safety reports
Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management versus NSW dams safety legislation
List of mining notification areas for declared dams
Implementation of the Dams Safety Act 2015 and the Dams Safety Regulation 2019
2022 Changes to the Dams Safety Regulation
2019 Summary of changes to the Dams Safety Act and Regulation
Preparing your declared dam's Annual Dams Safety Standards Report
Guidelines
These guidelines provide information on Dams Safety NSW requirements for dam owners. Although we try to make all documents plain English, some of these documents contain technical information that may benefit from specialist advice to interpret.
Methodologies
The Dams Safety Regulation 2019 refers to methodologies that must be used to calculate societal and individual risk ratings for a declared dam, and to assess and determine a declared dam’s consequence category. Although we try to make all documents plain English, some of these documents contain technical information that may benefit from specialist advice to interpret.
Societal and individual risk rating methodology for Dams Safety Act 2015
Declared dams consequence category assessment and determination methodology for Dams Safety Act 2015
Policies and plans
These policies and plans set out how Dams Safety NSW operates.
Dams Safety NSW Regulatory policy
Dams Safety NSW Strategic Plan 2022-27
Dams Safety NSW Regulatory Oversight Committee (ROC) Terms of Reference
Dams Safety NSW Annual Reports
As part of our statutory reporting requirement, we prepare an annual report to the Minister and NSW Parliament detailing activities and outcomes for the financial year.
Dams Safety NSW Annual Report 2022-2023 (PDF, 2.02 MB)
Dams Safety NSW Annual Report 2021-2022 (PDF, 7551 KB)
Webinars
Dams Safety NSW webinars and information sessions run year-round. Sessions include information and insights from Dams Safety NSW officers, engineers and auditors about the challenges involved with owning a declared dam.
Archived guidance sheets
An archive of guidance sheets from the 1978 Act is available here for information only. The material is not currently in use.
You must not rely on this information when making dam safety decisions.
Dams Safety NSW Board documents
Dams Safety NSW comprises of six members. Five independent part-time appointed members including a Chair and Deputy Chair and the Chief Executive (CEO) of Dams Safety NSW.
It is referred to as the Board for administrative purposes.
Training
Dams Safety NSW has collaborated with TAFE NSW to deliver two three-hour online courses. They are both available on TAFE NSW's online learning platform.
Surveillance of EMBANKMENT dams - routine inspections The course will help NSW dam owners understand the activities involved in conducting routine visual inspections of embankment dams.
Surveillance of CONCRETE dams - routine inspections This course will help NSW dam owners understand the activities involved in conducting routine visual inspections of concrete dams.
PLEASE NOTE: successfully completing these courses does not mean you are a 'competent person'. You can choose to be assessed for competency against the National Water Training Package unit of competency 'NWPCAD011 - inspect and report on embankment dam safety' or NWPCAD010 – Inspect and report on concrete dam safety, for an additional fee.