Safety
Ventilating one of Australia’s deepest underground builds was never going to be easy—but with ingenuity, modelling and a few oversized fans, Murray Jamieson made it work.
Three dangerous incidents in New South Wales mining operations – and two tragic fatalities overseas – have once again sharpened focus on frontline safety risks and the critical role of systems, supervision, and situational awareness.
As the mining industry pushes deeper and demands faster, safer, and more cost-efficient development methods, tunnel boring machines (TBMs) are emerging as a compelling alternative to traditional drill and blast (D&B) techniques.
In a decisive move that rewrote its approach to underground ground support, Tomingley Gold Operations has phased out twin-strand cable bolts in favour of Falcon Bolts—an innovative self-drilling, mechanically anchored system developed by Jennmar Australia.
A recent ammonia leak at a Western Australian manufacturing site has brought renewed attention to emergency release systems and operator response protocols after a shear coupling failed during a routine loading operation—triggering a toxic release that could have resulted in serious harm.
As underground mining continues to push the limits of depth, temperature, and stress environments, traditional geotechnical design tools are being pushed just as hard.
In the high-stakes world of underground mining, where rotating drill steels and mobile equipment operate in confined, often unpredictable environments, safety remains paramount.
A new technical reference guide released by the NSW Resources Regulator is aiming to reduce serious injuries and fatalities linked to fluid power systems used in mining plant across the state.
At the 2025 AusIMM Underground Operators Conference in Adelaide, one of the most compelling conversations wasn’t about new technologies or production targets—it was about rethinking how safety is integrated into mine design from the ground up.
Three serious workplace incidents involving mining operations in New South Wales have prompted fresh calls for vigilance, with the state’s Resources Regulator issuing its latest Weekly Incident Summary for the week ending 28 March 2025.
