The NSW Minerals Council has announced the winners of its annual Health, Safety, Environment and Community Awards at a ceremony in the Hunter region of New South Wales.
The awards recognise outstanding innovations and contributions to the mining industry and make up part of the annual NSW Minerals Council Health, Safety, Environment and Community Conference (HSEC) .
Winners were announced in four categories:
- Health Excellence – Ampcontrol
- Safety Excellence – Newcrest Cadia Operations
- Environmental Excellence – Aurelia
- Community Excellence – Evolution Mining
Mining supply business Ampcontrol won the Health Excellence Award for the development of their new DRIFTEX vehicles. The DRIFTEX vehicles are a new generation of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) specifically designed for underground mining.The health benefits of the DRIFTEX system include the reduction in diesel fuel emissions within an underground mining environment.
The Safety Excellence Award was presented to Newcrest Cadia Operations for successfully tackling a challenging maintenance task related to replacing failing Stringer Chains on an underground conveyor belt system. The team at Cadia constructed a new Stringer Chain Telehandler with essential safety features such as electronic crush protection, stability safety interlocks and a modified safety cage.
The Environmental Excellence Award was presented to Aurelia for the company’s landmark Recordable Environmental Incident Frequency Rate (REIFR) measure. The REIFR measure goes above and beyond regular data collection and enhances the mine’s environmental performance. The incorporation of REIFR measure, has resulted in year-on-year improvements in environmental performance.
Evolution Mining won the Community Excellence Award for their terrific work with the local indigenous community through the Galari Agricultural Company, which helps develop skills in indigenous youth.
Since its inception, Galari has achieved significant milestones, including leasing 1,500 acres of land for livestock production, renovating a farmhouse as a cultural hub, and successfully training and employing Indigenous young people.
NSW Minerals Council Chief Executive, Stephen Galilee, said, “Our HSEC Awards are an important part of the conference as they shine a light on our industry’s efforts to deliver better outcomes for our workforce, our communities, and the local environment.”
“As always, our 2023 award entrants are of a very high standard demonstrating our industry’s commitment to improving how we operate and to continue to mine responsibly now and in the future. Congratulations to all our winners and finalists,” Mr Galilee said.
