Occupational Health
A high-precision GPS system that draws an invisible line between safe ground and disaster is helping one of Indonesia’s largest mining contractors keep trucks – and their operators – out of harm’s way in high-risk dumping zones.
When John Stacpoole, inspector of mines at the NSW Resources Regulator, took the stage at the Life of Mine | Mine Waste and Tailings 2025 Conference in Brisbane, he didn’t waste time on pleasantries.
New rules, stricter enforcement and a state-wide crackdown are forcing South Australian mines and quarries to radically rethink how they manage crystalline silica exposure - or risk being shut down.
From the outside, the conversation around digital mining often gets framed in broad terms - automation, Information of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) but for those working underground or in control rooms, the real question is more practical: how do these tools actually solve the daily challenges?
For Stewart Johnston, Account Manager - Mine Electrification and Automation at ABB Australia, the key lies in making information usable, timely, and connected across the mining value chain.
In an industry where safety is non-negotiable and downtime is costly, one Western Australian firm is taking a precision approach to mine maintenance.
A state-wide mine safety blitz has revealed widespread compliance issues in New South Wales operations, with mechanical engineering control plans emerging as the most significant area of concern.
In open-pit mining, some of the biggest productivity gains can come not from buying more trucks, but from loading the ones you have with greater precision.
In an era where emerging technologies promise to transform mining operations, from AI-driven optimisation to fully automated systems, the real challenge is not finding the next breakthrough.
A new study in Occupational Medicine has found that respirable crystalline silica (RCS) exposures in the Western Australian mining industry are now so low that the risk of silicosis is negligible - even in job categories traditionally considered high risk.
A new compliance crackdown by the NSW Resources Regulator will see underground coal mines, tailings dams, and small-scale quarries come under fresh scrutiny as part of a statewide push to address safety risks and regulatory non-compliance from July through December 2025.
