Tasmanian iron ore miner Grange Resources and engineering consultant pitt&sherry have shared the honours for an innovative solution that protects mine personnel from open pit mining hazards.
The Merlo Remote Explosive Loading Unit was crowned the Best Solution to an Identified Workplace Health and Safety Issue at the 2012 WorkSafe Tasmania Awards. The awards recognise Tasmanian businesses, organisations and individuals that are leading the way in workplace health and safety.
?Having our work recognised by WorkSafe Tasmania is a great honour for pitt&sherry and Grange Resources,? said Dan O?Toole, pitt&sherry?s director and national mining manager. ?Mining fundamentally takes place in a harsh and often hostile environment, making safety an important priority.?
In a comprehensive workplace risk assessment and control analysis, rock fall and slope failure hazards were found to be the highest risks in open pit mines.
The Merlo Remote Explosive Loading Unit was recently accepted into the minerals processing unit code of practice that recognises the safety advantages of the equipment, allowing it to be used as a minerals processing unit.
O?Toole said any mine or quarry with either highwall operations or rock fall hazards could benefit greatly from the unit.
?There is increasing pressure on the mining industry to improve safety and productivity, while reducing costs,? he explained. ?Robotic machine guidance technologies such as the Merlo provide attractive alternatives to traditional mining techniques.?
Source: pitt&sherry/Mendleson Communication