Protoblast – Take control of your blasting process

THE WA Opposition Leader has introduced a motion to Parliament calling for an urgent inquiry into suicides among FIFO workers following a spate of recent deaths in the industry. WA Labor leader Mark McGowan’s motion called on the Parliament’s Education and Health Standing Committee to look into reasons behind the high suicide rate in the FIFO workforce and to recommend initiatives industry and government could take to reduce its prevalence. The push for the inquest came weeks after a worker took his own life on Barrow Island and just over a month after a man was found dead in his room in South Hedland in another suspected suicide. Four FIFO suicides last year were referred to State Coroner Ros Fogliani...

Autonomous trucks at Rio Tinto’s West Angelas mine. Image: Christian Sprogoe Photography.   By Elizabeth Fabri CANADIAN-based Global Mining Standards and Guidelines Group is taking a leaf out of Australia’s book by developing a new international guideline for autonomous mining, based on documentation released by the WA Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP). Published in 2015, the DMP’s Safe mobile autonomous mining in Western Australia was a world-first code of practice focused on safe autonomous mining technologies such as loaders, trucks, drills and dozers. Senior Inspector of Mines Peter O'Loughlin would be appointed on the committee for the new guidelines following his coordination of the WA code of practice. "This reflects Western Australia’s global leadership in the field of autonomous...

GOLD-focussed explorer Ramelius Resources has announced completion of a mineral resource estimate for its Water Tank Hill deposit in WA’s Mount Magnet, with plans to start the mining operation process. The Water Tank Hill satellite deposit, opposite the company’s gold mine, is estimated to contain 63,000 ounces of gold. Together with the St George resource, Ramelius has a total resource of 125,000oz at a grade of 5.2 grams per tonne of gold which can be accessed by the St George decline. “Ramelius believes that there are now sufficient resources within close proximity of the St George decline to justify commencing a mining study to demonstrate the economic viability of a mining operation,” a company statement said. The study for Water...

$250m deal to supercharge renewables in the Northern Territory The Federal and Northern Territory governments have signed a $250m deal as part of the Rewiring the Nation Program. Through the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, the funds will create hundreds of new jobs and see the power grid upgraded and expanded across the Territory, supporting major transmission projects and bolstering grid strength. The $250m investment will also accelerate the rollout of transmission projects across the Territory, with the first wave of these to be completed before 2030. The Northern Territory has also signed...