Geographe’s BSBIRT named finalist in 2026 Prospect Awards for mine safety innovation
Geographe has been named a finalist in the 2026 Australian Mining Prospect Awards for Excellence in Mine Safety, OH&S for its new Ball Stud Bearing Installation and Removal Tool (BSBIRT).
The finalist nomination comes off the back of an additional finalist nomination in the Exceptional Innovation in Mining category at the recent 2026 Global Resources Innovation Expo (GRX).
Winners of the Australian Mining Prospect Awards, in partnership with SEW Eurodrive, will be announced on 16 September at a black?tie event at Frasers in Kings Park, Perth.
What is the BSBIRT?
The BSBIRT is a purpose-built hydraulic system designed to safely remove and install steering arm bearings on Caterpillar 785, 789 and 793 haul trucks, replacing high risk manual methods with a controlled, single operator process.
Traditional bearing change outs often rely on sledgehammers, heating, jacking, liquid nitrogen or removal of tie rods and steering cylinders. These techniques can expose maintainers to crush, strain, noise and projectile hazards and can tie up multiple people for hours. The BSBIRT eliminates hammering and hot works, encapsulates the worn bearing during removal to prevent projectiles, and uses a in built guidance system to ensure perfect alignment during installation.
What results did the field trials show?
In Western Australian field trials with a Tier 1 miner, the BSBIRT used alongside Geographe’s award winning Ball Stud Removal Tool (BSRT), helped crews maintain all four steering arms in a single 12-hour shift.
This reduced a two-shift job down to just one. Individual bearing change outs that previously took up to six hours were completed in around 15 minutes, representing major gains in uptime and labour efficiency.
“We introduced the Geographe Ball Stud Removal & Install Tool, which uses a controlled hydraulic process to remove and install ball studs without impact force,” said Brittney Pritchard, Specialist Improvement at BHP.
“The tool eliminates the need for sledgehammers, significantly reducing risk while also reducing task duration and enabling the job to be completed by a single maintainer.”
The BSBIRT can apply up to 10 tonnes of force in confined spaces under the truck and follows a simple, standardised procedure:
- Safe removal
- Precise setting
- Perfect installation.
It is manufactured in Australia from forged, heat treated high tensile alloy and is supplied with accessories in a waterproof wheeled case for ease of use and storage.
Where can I learn more, and request a demonstration?
Mine sites and workshops interested in demonstrations or early access can register via www.geographe.com.au/bsbirt
About Geographe
Geographe designs, engineers and manufactures Replacement Parts, Enhanced Performance Wear Parts™ and Specialised Tooling™ for the global mining industry. Its solutions focus on improving safety, reducing downtime and extending the life of Heavy Machinery and Fixed Plant Equipment. Its products are used across Australia, the Americas, Africa and Asia.
