The 2024 Australian Mining Prospect Awards were held last night for the first time at the esteemed WA Mining Conference and Exhibition in Perth, celebrating the mining industry and those who are going above and beyond.
And with 11 awards presented last night, there was a lot to celebrate.
Indigenous & Community Engagement Award – sponsored by Sandvik
Recognising collaboration between either an Aboriginal-owned business or a community organisation, and mining and minerals processing companies operating within Australia.
The Indigenous Community Engagement category at this year’s Prospect Awards went to Buru Rehab, an Indigenous mine rehabilitation and earthwork services provider based in Western Australia.
In a partnership with Mineral Resources (MinRes), Buru Rehab was entrusted with a five-year contract to manage road maintenance and civil works at MinRes’ Wodgina lithium mine in WA.
Buru Rehab and MinRes’ partnership has led to significant community benefits, including employing an additional 12 Indigenous employees and acquiring new equipment through MinRes’ finance facility. This has expanded Buru Rehab’s capabilities, allowing them to undertake larger projects.
Discovery of the Year
Celebrating a significant discovery at either a greenfields or brownfields site.
IGO took out the top spot in the Discovery of the Year category at the 2024 Prospect Awards, being celebrated for its Dogleg nickel-copper-cobalt prospect in WA.
In 2023, IGO’s exploration team uncovered high-grade nickel-copper-cobalt mineralisation at Dogleg while targeting ‘Nova-style’ magmatic nickel-copper sulphide mineralisation in the Proterozoic belt of the west Kimberley region.
The assay results of the first Dogleg drillhole showcased high-grade massive sulphides within a broader zone of low-to-moderate grade mineralisation. The drillhole’s deposit style is extremely rare in Australia.
The new discovery could lead to multiple new nickel mines in the region, making them important feedstocks for Australia’s downstream nickel ambitions.
Excellence in Environmental Management and Sustainability – sponsored by Sefar Filter Specialists
Recognising a mine, company, or project that has developed or carried out an innovative, environmentally-focused sustainable program to protect, preserve and/or rehabilitate the natural environment, contributing to decarbonisation and/or reducing waste and/or waste emissions.
BHP’s West Musgrave project in WA took out the category at this year’s Prospect Awards thanks to its land access and disturbance permit system.
The system facilitates engagement with the Ngaanyatjarra community, the Traditional Owners of the land in which West Musgrave is situated.
It also provides the Ngaanyatjarra People with knowledge of ground disturbance activities within West Musgrave while protecting known priority flora species and fauna species within the site and ensuring compliance with government and community commitments.
Excellence in Mine Safety, OH&S – sponsored by Geographe
Recognising a mine, company, or project that has developed or carried out a program that increased safety, removes risk, or cuts worker issues on a project or mine.
The 2024 Excellence in Mine Safety, OH&S (Occupational Health and Safety) award was taken home by Gina Rinehart’s Roy Hill and its ‘Safer Summer’ program.
The ‘Safer Summer’ program was designed to enhance safety awareness and practices during the high-risk summer period.
It incorporated monthly focus topics and a competition element called the ‘We Care Team Safety Challenge’, which provided an interactive and highly visible mechanism to encourage teams to share hazard control initiatives.
The campaign has successfully reduced recordable injuries by 36 per cent compared to the previous summer season.
Excellence in IIoT Application – sponsored by ifm
Recognising an outstanding implementation of IIoT that enhances mining and minerals processing operations.
Orica Digital Solutions took home the Excellence in IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) Application award at this year’s Prospect Awards.
The company was recognised for its BlastIQ Underground, which provides quality control and improved drill and blast productivity for superior blast outcomes.
The solution enables underground operators to efficiently manage their blasting processing from planning to post-blast analysis, with user-friendly reporting, analytics, and information management.
Innovative Mining Solution – sponsored by Austmine
Recognising a mine, company, or project that has developed a unique mining solution.
IPI Australia took home the prize for its shaft alignment system to address common conveyor challenges.
Intended to be a permanent fixture to pulley bearing housings, IPI Australia’s shaft alignment system safeguards correct factory seal alignment and eliminates the need for seal adjustment when a pulley is landed on a conveyor structure.
Other benefits of the system include preventing seal displacement during transport and handling, allowing for pulley alignment directly off the shaft axis, and eliminating the need for seal adjustment when a pulley is landed on a conveyor structure.
Mine Project Success of the Year
Recognising a significant engineering and/or contract mining project that has been undertaken on a mine site.
Robson Civil Projects took home this award for the carrying out of the Maxwell underground project at Malabar Resources’ Muswellbrook underground coal mine in New South Wales.
Robson Civil Projects’ work scope included a temporary accessway, the permanent access road and conveyor trace, and the mine entry areas, the latter of which consisted of excavation and batter stabilisation of two underground portal entries.
Thanks to the project’s success, coal production was achieved in March 2023, enabling the mine to meet its first coal train milestone in June 2023.
Project Lead of the Year –sponsored by Regal Rexnord
Recognising an individual who has led a project on a mine site to a successful outcome. This could be an internal project at a mine or a project led by a supplier or contract miner.
At this year’s Prospect Awards, Claude Mocellin was hailed for his leadership in South32’s Dendrobium Area 3C expansion project in NSW.
Mocellin led a multi-year initiative that brought about significant improvements to safety, operational efficiency, and environmental sustainability.
Under his leadership, the team conducted mock emergency evacuations and rewarded strong safety behaviour, contributing to a program that experienced zero recordable injuries and was delivered on time and on budget.
Safety Advocate of the Year
Recognising an individual that is committed to ensuring safety – either for an individual site or company, or for the mining industry as a whole.
Lani Hilder, founder of Glow Getter Therapy & Coaching, took home this award at the 2024 Prospect Awards.
A steadfast advocate for safety within the mining industry, Hilder actively promotes the wellbeing of miners through her MINGUARD Pro program, prioritising mental health awareness, prevention and support.
MINDGUARD Pro has made a significant impact on the larger mining community, creating a wave of positive impact for mental health.
Australian Mine of the Year – sponsored by Bonfiglioli
The Australian Mine of the Year recognises a well-performing mine.
Roy Hill, a Hancock Prospecting subsidiary and a jewel of the WA mining scene, snapped up the Australian Mine of the Year award at this year’s Prospect Awards.
Located 1200km north of Perth in the Pilbara, Roy Hill is one of Australia’s largest iron ore mines, employing more than 3000 people across its Perth, Port Hedland, and Newman operations.
Outstanding Mine Performance – sponsored by SEW-EURODRIVE
Recognising a rock mine that is performing well and has carried out an innovative project, partnership, initiative or program.
This year saw MinRes recognised for its Wodgina and Mt Marion lithium mines in WA.
Wodgina is located approximately 120km south of Port Hedland, and Mt Marion is located 40km southwest of Kalgoorlie, both of which are iconic Australian mining regions.
During the 2023–24 financial year, Wodgina and Mt Marion delivered record shipments. Wodgina saw a 41 per cent increase to 201,000 dry metric tonnes (dmt) of spodumene and Mt Marion delivered a 46 per cent increase to 218,000dmt.
MinRes is currently transitioning Mt Marion to an open pit and underground operation, signalling an new era for the world-class mine.
Congratulations to all nominees, finalists and winners of the 2024 Australian Mining Prospect Awards.
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