A look at recent WorkSafe WA award winners reveals how mining companies are designing human exposure out of the maintenance equation.
Maintenance in mining has entered a decisive new phase. No longer confined to tools and shutdown windows, it is increasingly the domain of engineered systems, automation and purpose-built technologies designed as much for safety as for reliability.
Across projects and operating infrastructure, mining companies are redesigning how assets are lifted, cleaned, cleared and inspected. The most effective solutions are not incremental procedural tweaks – they remove people from exposure altogether. That philosophy sits at the core of innovations recognised at WorkSafe Western Australia’s annual Work Health and Safety (WHS) Excellence Awards, and it is defining what next-generation maintenance looks like. Last year’s awards highlighted how far this thinking has progressed, while earlier winners show the foundations of the shift.
Past winners
At the 2025 WHS Excellence Awards, maintenance-focused innovations from two mining companies stood out: South32 Worsley Alumina and Innovative Mining Services (IMS), which both demonstrated how engineered solutions can fundamentally transform high-risk work.
At South32 Worsley Alumina, removing and reinstalling a 3.6-tonne cage mill rotor had traditionally involved a complex, multi-stage lift using fabricated cradles and crane handling. Each transfer point introduced potential for the uncontrolled movement of heavy rotating equipment, with crushing hazards, equipment collapses risk and extended exposure during a complicated handling sequence.
Rather than tightening procedures around that system, the Worsley team redesigned the task. Its bespoke lifting jig engages directly with the rotor’s internal bar structure, creating a positive mechanical connection. An integrated mechanical lock prevents uncontrolled rotation and maintains security even in the event of hydraulic failure. Designed for lift-and-tilt positioning and forklift compatibility, the jig removes the need for crane-based, multi-stage transfers altogether.
The result is a simplified maintenance activity with engineered control of the load at every stage. Uncontrolled rotor movement during removal and installation has effectively been eliminated, while positioning precision and efficiency have improved.
In mineral processing, the awards recognised IMS for tackling another entrenched risk: manual cleaning of filter presses.
Working with Queensland Alumina Limited, IMS developed the Kelly Filter Press Automated Washdown System, a semi-automated, remotely operated solution for a task that had been historically carried out in elevated, confined areas using hot caustic water. With dozens of presses operating and cleaning required every 8-12 hours, exposure to heat, chemical mist, and repetitive strain was systemic rather than occasional.
The IMS system integrates spray bars, shielding and logic controls with the press cycle, delivering a controlled wash during scheduled cooling periods while operators manage the process remotely. Guarding contains splashing and reduces atmospheric exposure. Beyond safety, consistent automated wash cycles support equipment availability, stable flow performance and improved repeatability, while the ability to address multiple presses simultaneously reduces downtime.
Together, these most recent award winners underline a decisive move towards eliminating exposure through engineering design rather than relying primarily on administrative controls.
Previous editions of the awards recognised innovations that foreshadowed this same direction, particularly in remote and robotic intervention.
BHP, a past winner, addressed one of mining’s most persistent unplanned maintenance scenarios: clearing jammed crushers. Mechanical debris lodged in crushers stores significant energy, and traditional release methods, including crowbars and thermal lancing, require personnel to work close to the machine while introducing additional heat into an unstable environment.
BHP’s remotely operated thermal lance feeder shifted that work away from the line of fire. Mounted to rock breakers or support structures, the system mechanically feeds the lance while operators control the process from a safe location using remote controls and a camera positioned near the lancing point. Auto-igniters remove the need for manual torch lighting, and oxygen and control lines are routed away from the crusher area. A task once performed at arm’s length from stored energy can now be conducted from tens of metres away, behind shielding or in separate structures. Importantly, BHP has shared the solution royalty-free to support broader industry adoption.
Similarly, Nexxis, previously recognised, has advanced robotic inspection with its Magneto autonomous crawler. Designed for hazardous and confined environments, from elevated structures to underground and chemically aggressive spaces, the climbing robot can traverse complex geometries and carry a range of non-destructive testing sensors and remote visual inspection cameras. By enabling internal inspections without sending people into confined or dangerous spaces, the platform supports more frequent, higher-quality condition monitoring while reducing exposure risk.
A system-level shift
Viewed together, recent and past WHS Excellence Awards winners show a clear trajectory. Maintenance is evolving from reactive, labour-intensive work to integrated systems combining mechanical design, automation, robotics and remote operation.
For new mining projects and infrastructure upgrades, this has implications well beyond individual tasks. Maintenance requirements are increasingly influencing design decisions from the outset. Provision for automated cleaning, remote intervention, purpose-built lifting tools and robotic inspection is becoming part of the asset blueprint, not an afterthought.
The awards continue to share these advances. The common thread across both recent and earlier winners is not only technical ingenuity but also demonstrable elimination or isolation of risk through design.
With nominations for the 2026 awards open until May 29, mining companies under the jurisdiction of WorkSafe – part of the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety – developing similar next-generation maintenance solutions have an opportunity to contribute to this growing body of practical innovation..
“These awards are a terrific opportunity for WA businesses of all sizes to showcase their workplace health and safety initiatives and to receive well-deserved recognition,.” WA Industrial Relations Minister Simone McGurk said. “I encourage companies and individuals to consider nominating for the awards and taking advantage of the opportunity to have their workplace health and safety achievements publicly recognised.”
This feature appeared in the Autumn edition of the Mining Magazine.
