Brisbane based Anglo American – Grasstree Mine is leading the way in mining innovation in health and safety, taking out the top accolade at this year’s 30th Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference Innovation Awards, held at The Star Gold Coast on August 22.
Signalling an end to the four-day conference, the ceremony celebrated recipients of the mining Innovation Awards as well as the Health Program Awards, as industry leaders and officials toasted to this year’s theme, ‘Realising Opportunities Together’.
Voted by a panel of six expert representatives, Anglo American received the coveted state award for its dust suppression solution innovation, currently being implemented at its Grasstree Mine site.
Achieving recognition for its forward-thinking approach to implement engineering controls that isolate the workers from the source of dust; thereby forming a safe working area has seen a 96% reduction in respirable dust particles since the trialling began in 2016.
Bolstering its long-standing mission to unearth the latest safety innovations for mine site operations, additional wins were achieved across the Innovation Award categories, with Glencore – Clermont Open Cut Mine taking out the Highly Commended Award for its Data Log Hydraulic Tuning of Excavators while Evolution Mining – Mt Rawdon Operations proved a favourite among the 700 delegates in attendance, winning the People’s Choice Award for its “Barrel Mate” Pump Barrell Rebuild Station.
Now one of the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, conference co-chair Luca Rocchi said he was thrilled to conclude the 30th Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference with a high calibre of innovative award wins, reflecting the resources sector’s ongoing vision for ‘an industry free of fatalities, injuries and disease’.
“Preventing risk or hazard onsite is paramount for the Queensland resources industry and this year’s selection of finalists certainly raised the bar in creative, practical and cutting-edge solutions to mine site health and safety,” Mr Rocchi said.
“The awards are a testament to the industry’s ongoing commitment to improving health and safety standards and we congratulate our winners and finalists who have all shown great initiative and taken a proactive approach to reducing risks and improving health onsite, as part of their daily operations.”
As part of their win, and in addition to taking home the coveted Queensland Mining Industry Innovation Award Trophy, Anglo American – Grasstree Mine will receive $5000 towards attending either a national or international health and safety related conference as approved by the Conference Committee.
Honing its focus to improving the health of workers, the awards also highlighted the best Health Program currently being implemented onsite – with Peabody not only receiving an honourable finalist mention in the mining Innovation Awards, but also cleaning up the esteemed Queensland Mining Industry Health Award Perpetual Shield and Health Program award trophy for its ‘Limiting Respirable Dust Exposure During Maintenance Activities’ entry.
Tackling current health risks involved with undertaking maintenance activities on large mining equipment, the company developed a robust industrial vacuum unit to use in place of hazardous cleaning practices, which previously saw workers blow or scrape dust from collectors and cabinets, causing dangerous airborne respirable dust exposure.
The winning submission will see Peabody receive $3000 towards the cost of attending a health related event, while BMA was acknowledged for protecting the health of its workers, by reducing exposure to diesel particulate matter emission at its central Queensland site, taking home the Highly Commended award for its Broadmeadow Mine Diesel Particulate Reduction Program.
Held at the Star Gold Coast from Sunday August 19 to Wednesday August 22, the 2018 Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference saw attendees collaborate, network and up-skill in health and safety management across the four days.
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