The 3000th participant to officially complete the Opal Miners' Safety Course set by the Department of Mineral Resources, Rachel Holloway, was presented with a plaque to mark the course's success.
Ms Holloway, from Narrabri, said she had learned about health and safety, emergency procedures, geology, infrastructure in mines and State legislation during the course.
She said while some of the information she picked up was new to her, there were other parts of the course she was familiar with.
"Because I have an agricultural background I knew about the emergency procedures, but in terms of the mining and equipment out there, that was all new to me."
Ms Holloway said the course was fantastic.
"It is a bonus being the 3000th person in Lightning Ridge to do the course and getting to keep a plaque from the department as well," she said.
Representatives from the two mining associations in the area, the Lightning Ridge Miners' Association (LRMA) and the Grawin, Glengarry, Sheepyard Miners' Association (GGSMA), Maxine O'Brien and Pat Ellis respectively, were also present at the bowling club where the course was being held on Tuesday morning.
The pair said the mining associations had been staunch supporters of the course since its inception.
"When the course was first designed and the safety manual was written, we (LRMA and GGSMA) both provided input into it," Ms O'Brien said.
Mr Ellis said during that time many local manufacturers had also helped shape the course.
Ms O'Brien said the course had proved some good results.
"For the past six years we have had no fatalities on our mining fields," she said.
Mr Ellis said the course had also become much more significant in recent years, as the Government was working towards putting safety regulations in place.
"At present the Government is looking at repelling the Mines Inspection Act and putting a new Bill under the Occupational Health and Safety Act," Ms O'Brien said.
The two association representatives said the course had been continually updated to meet the changing needs of the industry over time. For example most injuries (23.4 per cent) relate to mechanical digger incidents.
"As the more experienced miners go through the course they are providing us with more useful feedback all the time," Ms O'Brien said.
The course designed to raise awareness of safety in local opal mines attracted 40 odd people this time around and has been running for 10 years.
Topics in the day-and-a-half course included marking out a claim, mine establishment, legislation governing mineral claims, as well as the environment, planning and ground control around the mine.
Mineral resources minister Eddie Obeid said the course has had a very positive effect on safety in this multi-million dollar industry.
"It has improved the health and safety of our mine workers."
"In 1995, the Carr Government made the course mandatory for new claim holders. By 2001, anyone re-registering an unworked claim was also required to have completed the training."
"The course is nationally and internationally recognised with participants attending from other states in Australia and around the world," he said.
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