Challenging accepted risk through smarter engineering

For FMS Group, being named Contractor of the Year at the Queensland Mining Awards is recognition of a culture that has been part of the business for over two decades. If there is a safer, smarter or more efficient way to execute a task, FMS Group knows it is worth challenging the way it has always been done.

Working across complex mining maintenance and major shutdown environments, FMS Group regularly encounters tasks where high levels of risk have historically been considered an unavoidable part of the job. Rather than simply managing those risks through established procedures, the company looks for opportunities to engineer them out.

For FMS Group chief operating officer Jason Holt, the philosophy is straightforward.

“We have always looked for better and saferways to execute work,” he said.

FMS Group’s operational teams use their frontline experience to identify tasks and interactions that could be improved. Those ideas are then developed into methodologies, supported by internal engineering, planning and verification before being introduced into the field.

The result is continuous improvement driven by practical experience rather than innovation for innovation’s sake.

Challenging an accepted shutdown methodology

A case in point is the live testing of heavy mining equipment during major shutdowns Eliminating live testing wasn’t a single fix, it required solving several engineering problems at once: a jig to allow pneumatic torque tools to spin the drum for hoist rope removal/installation, a purpose-built dipper counterweight to stop the dipper and handles falling and the in-house developed FMS skid-system to move the dipper and handles clear of the machine.

By removing live or intermittent equipment operation and reducing crane interactions, FMS Group was able to significantly reduce the potential severity associated with the task. Importantly, the safer approach also created an operational benefit.

The revised methodology saves about 24 –48 hours at the end of a shutdown, allowing electrical and systems commissioning activities to progress without the same operational interactions.

It demonstrates an important principle behind FMS Group’s approach: improving safety and improving productivity do not have to be competing objectives.

Why was it not achievable?

During work involving a Liebherr R9800, conventional thinking suggested that removing both engine modules while the machine remained supported on jacks was not achievable.

“Why was it not achievable? That’s where we started.” Mr Holt said.

Rather than accepting the conventional limitations, FMS Group set out to engineer away forward.

With access to Safety Lift Solutions (SLS), its internally developed excavator jacking system and engineering capability, the team assessed machine weights, dimensions, centres of gravity and the requirements for safely supporting the equipment.

FMS Group’s SLS jacking system incorporates continuous mechanical locking and is certified to function as both a jack and a stand. This means that even in the event of hydraulic hose failure, the mechanical locking system prevents the jacks from dropping.

Once FMS Group understands the equipment weights and dimensions, its existing knowledge, engineered systems and experience can be applied to determine what can be executed safely.

What happens behind a major shutdown?

A major hydraulic excavator or electric shovel shutdown can involve anywhere from 18 to 80 personnel, depending on the scope.

Multiple large cranes may be operating alongside specialised jacking equipment, line boring and machining systems, purpose-built jigs and tooling. At the same time, numerous work fronts need to progress without creating unsafe interactions or disrupting the critical path.

Long before mobilisation, FMS Group workswith clients to establish scope, methodologies, parts requirements, resources and specialist equipment.

Once onsite, leadership teams coordinate those work fronts to maintain safe separation, manage critical controls and keep execution aligned with the shutdown schedule.

For FMS Group, successful shutdown delivery is therefore not simply about having enough people onsite. It is about bringing together planning, engineering, specialised equipment, skilled personnel and disciplined execution in a one-stop shop of coordinated solution.

Building the next generation of frontline leaders

FMS Group’s approach also relies heavily on leadership.

“Our supervisors and leadership are the backbone of our business,” Mr Holt said.

They manage execution risk, coordinate work fronts, lead crews and often have more day-to-day interaction with clients than anyone else within the organisation.

Recognising their importance, FMS Group introduced a structured supervisor development process covering the responsibilities of the role, business systems, available support, expectations and ongoing personal development.

The result has been a significant increase in supervisors promoted internally from about 30% up to 60%.

Developing leaders from within also help ensure the company’s approach to safety and continuous improvement carries from management through to the workface.

Recognition of a culture built over 20 years

The Queensland Mining Awards recognition may celebrate specific achievements, but the thinking behind them has been developing since FMS Group was established.

The company continues to invest in engineering, technology and purpose-built solutions while encouraging its teams to question whether established processes can be made safer or more efficient.

Increasingly, that focus is also moving beyond engineered controls to the everyday choices people make, whether travelling to work, carrying out a task or looking out for the people working around them.

For FMS Group, continuous improvement ultimately comes back to a simple question:

Just because something has always been done a certain way, does it mean there isn’t a better way?

Being named Queensland’s Mining Contractor of the Year recognises a philosophy that has shaped the business for almost two decades — challenging accepted risk, engineering better solutions and finding safer, more efficient ways to execute complex mining work.

Smarter engineering. Safer outcomes. Delivering the best…every time.

Learn more about FMS Group’s equipment and engineering capabilities at

www.fms-group.com.au