Newlands Rehabilitation Project – Engineering Innovation: Dozer Trunnion Installation Tool
At the Newlands Rehabilitation Project, a workplace incident involving the manual installation of a dozer trunnion bearing triggered a reassessment of an industry-standard maintenance practice. Although aligned with OEM guidance and widely used across the mining sector, this method exposed workers to a combination of heat, weight, and pinch-point risks. In response, our team developed a certified engineering control that eliminates the need for direct manual handling, embedding safety into the task by design—not by instruction.

Incident Context
On 7 February 2025, during the manual installation of a 36kg, pre-heated trunnion bearing on a D11T dozer, a contract boilermaker sustained a crush injury to his left-hand index finger. The bearing—heated to over 170°C—was being lowered onto a cryogenically cooled spigot when it slipped, pinching the worker’s fingertip between the bearing and shaft. The task was performed in accordance with accepted practice and under procedural controls, but the combination of thermal exposure, reduced grip, and reliance on precise hand placement proved inadequate.
This incident highlighted the limitations of procedural safeguards when dealing with inherently hazardous manual tasks. The event was not the result of deviation or failure to follow process; it was the process itself that needed to change.

Rethinking the Work Methodology
The incident triggered a full review of the task design, supported by a cross-functional team comprising engineering, maintenance, and health and safety personnel. The objective was clear: eliminate the need for physical interaction with the bearing during the fitment process.
The task was previously considered routine, and its risks managed through PPE, team lifting, and timing. However, the engineering team recognised that no amount of procedural control or supervision could offset the hazard of placing hands near a 36kg heated object during a critical alignment phase. The solution had to eliminate the exposure entirely.
Through multiple design workshops, risk assessments, and field observations, the team identified an opportunity to mechanise the task while preserving precision and efficiency. Several concepts were modelled and reviewed before progressing to prototyping and trials.

Engineering the Solution
The outcome was a custom-designed Dozer Trunnion Installation Tool that replaces manual lifting and placement with a safe, engineered process. The tool features:
• Split-ring containment design to allow positioning around the trunnion shaft
• Dual guide rails for controlled, vertical alignment during installation
• Stabilising cross-braces to eliminate lateral movement
• Engineered lift points compatible with overhead crane systems
This system allows for consistent, hands-free placement of the bearing, removing exposure to pinch points, burns, and awkward lifting positions.
The design also allows for the task to be completed in the same operational footprint and with minimal change to upstream or downstream steps. This was key to ensuring adoption by tradespeople and seamless integration into existing maintenance plans.

Development and Implementation Process
The project followed a structured lifecycle:
1. Risk Identification – Using root cause analysis from the incident investigation
2. Conceptual Design – Co-designed with end users and maintainers
3. Prototype Fabrication – Including iterative field testing and modifications
4. Engineering Certification – To ensure compliance and mechanical integrity
5. Training and Deployment – Task-specific instruction delivered to relevant personnel
The team also collaborated with other Glencore sites during the design process to ensure compatibility and capture broader operational perspectives.

Impact and Industry Relevance
The implementation of this tool represents a step-change in how trunnion bearings are installed across mining maintenance operations. By replacing a procedure long seen as "just part of the job," the team has delivered a model for how serious incidents can catalyse meaningful, systemic improvements.
This is not just a reactive solution to a single event. It redefines the benchmark for how industry manages high-risk tasks involving heat, heavy components, and constrained positioning.
Key outcomes include:
• Eliminated exposure to crush and thermal contact hazards
• Reduced manual handling and the associated risk of musculoskeletal injury
• Improved task accuracy and repeatability, contributing to overall maintenance quality
• Strengthened team engagement through inclusive design and ownership of the solution
• Standardisation of a previously variable and high-risk task

Scalability and Sustainability
This engineered control has now been embedded into Newlands’ standard work instructions and is undergoing replication discussions across other Glencore operations. Its low-complexity, high-impact design makes it suitable for rapid deployment, and it serves as a reference point for re-evaluating other maintenance tasks traditionally managed through procedural controls.
By moving up the hierarchy of control to eliminate exposure at the source, the Newlands team has demonstrated what practical innovation looks like when driven by frontline experience, supported by engineering, and championed by leadership.
This solution doesn’t just manage the risk—it removes it.

Being a contractor in the mining industry is unfortunately a risk factor for increased chance for fatality and serious injury. This shouldn’t be so, so our goal was to understand why that happens and why the current controls for contractors were less effective. Our goal was to help bring contractors home safe.
Contractor Risk: Understanding the reasons came easy, as there were two professional reports published. Former Mines Inspector Graham Callinan presented a report at this very forum in 2016. In his report, he noted that 6 out of the last 7 mining fatalities were contractors. 9 out of the last 10 HPI’s in his report involved contractors. Of the fatalities unapproved work and unsuitably-trained actors were the most common link between the events. The actors were trained in their roles, but not for the specific tasks.
The Brady Review corroborating these findings. From Brady’s Report, more than half of the 47 fatalities examined were contractors, and more than 60% were involved in serious accidents.


Current data from the RSHQ show the last 5 recorded fatalities in the industry were all contractors.

Contractor Management, traditionally, saw that the process was limited to the trading of Excel documents between Contractor Admins and the Site Teams. High Level Work was “authorised” by the signing of a documents by people usually nowhere near the work.
Once in place, there were no controls for adherence to this agreement. Execution Supervisors that were bound by the rules or conditions that were agreed to, had no knowledge of those rules, and almost no engagement in the process. Contractor CMWs suffered the same exclusion. These documents and their contents sat ostracised to the site SHMS and were used to “meet compliance” to the legislation.
These forms were also accompanied by a resources list. People, Equipment and Chemicals lists whose compliance was managed via an honesty system. Tick the box, make it green, now it looks compliant. We knew we could do better.

We needed to shift the industry from a “compliance” mindset to a “safety” mindset.
We developed the CMP software to digitise the process and push the legislative intent to the actual execution floor. We took a Full Spectrum Approach. What’s the point of knowing only part of the story?
We wanted to build a system that doesn’t just get a worker in the gate and then abandons them. We wanted to build a system that tells them their approved task, your supervisors name and contact details, your shifts, your teammates, your equipment status, chemicals, the entire scope.
We manage all these dynamics via our JobCard system. The first task JobCard solves is an industry first. The JobCards show everyone the originally agreed scopes of work, and compare it against the tasks being performed, providing regular scope checks protecting the original Work Authorisation. This simple innovation protects SSE and Managers against unauthorised work.
The second phase of the JobCard focuses on the resources executing the authorised work. Are the People correctly trained, is the Equipment maintained and compliant, and are the Chemicals used authorised?
People: Other systems get people “gate ready” and then wish you luck. JobCard checks the person against the authorised task. Going all the way with the auxillary skills such as Light Vehicle authorisations, W@H and the specific trade/production roles. This is instantly reviewable and editable by the supervisor supporting realtime decision making. (Show stacked skills)
Equipment: Hire Equipment is notoriously hard to examine. They’re not in the site asset lists, they’re rarely listed in the Quote or commercials, and they don’t have to swipe in to get on site. We manage these dark arts as well. The CMP software creates full maintenance and statutory calendar for all equipment types. Users have to upload evidence to obtain compliance ticks, not just tick a box. Several Vendors are now using our system as their equipment management system to keep everything mine compliant. We publish the results in the same compliance manner in the JobCard. Supervisors have full realtime access to certifications, service histories, latest brake tests.
Chemicals: Finally, an easy one. We check intended chemicals against the site authorisations lists and publish the results.
JobCard has enabled Supervisors to, at a glance, fully manage work authorisations and the compliance of non-site resources. While the JobCard summary may appear to be an administrative tool, some of our customers, including BMA Coal, have linked work authority to gate access, making it an engineering control. We’ve shifted a huge portion of the industry from an honesty based checksheet to engineering controls.

The Problem
Dozer rollover incidents rank among the top three most frequent rollover events in the surface mining industry in Australia. A coal stockpile dozer engulfment event poses a significant risk to our people and assets, with existing critical controls heavily reliant on processes and reactive measures.

Dozer operators frequently encounter hazardous situations when operating near voids or open edges, such as on stockpiles. The current operational methods necessitate coal mine workers to manage risks through human-dependent administrative controls, which increase vulnerability to human error, especially when dozer operators work near voids or open edges.

BMA/BHP and the broader Queensland surface coal mining industry have experienced several significant incidents related to dozer operations over the years. Regrettably, one of these events include the 2018 fatality at Saraji Mine where a dozer rolled from a bench, as well as the 2023 incident at Saraji Mine where an operator sustained injuries after another dozer rollover. Furthermore, there have been over 21 dozer rollover incidents across Queensland from January 2022 to December 2024 alone. One such event occurred at a coal mine in November 2022, where a dozer fell backwards into a coal valve void during train load-out operations. The Coal Inspectorate provided several recommendations, including the implementation of engineering systems. In August 2023, the Coal Inspectorate released a bulletin on dozer rollovers, identifying key issues and recommendations for mine operators to implement, with potential repercussions for non-compliance.

The Solution
In early 2024, BMA launched a non-line of sight (NLOS) dozer project as part of its broader remote control dozer portfolio. This initiative stemmed from the incident cause analysis method (ICAM) investigation into the dozer rollover at Saraji Mine in January 2023 and was conducted under the Fatality Elimination (FEL) Program which was established as part of a global BHP objective. The program focuses on enhancing human performance and optimising the control environment at BHP to achieve a fatality-free workplace.
From April 2024 to December 2024, the BMA Asset Engineering Dozer Project team collaborated with Saraji Mine to deploy three NLOS CAT D11T dozers on the coal product stockpile. This project required substantial support from site and functional teams to expedite delivery, including the construction of a purpose-built control room, wireless network, and an advanced thermal imaging closed circuit television (CCTV) system to provide operators with situational awareness in all conditions, day and night. The accelerated implementation aimed to reaffirm BMA's commitment to safety and to inform future decisions by demonstrating the technology's suitability and capturing lessons learned before a broader rollout to other assets.
The project has achieved the following objectives to date:
1. NLOS kit successfully commissioned on 4 x D11T dozers.
2. Upskilled 12 x coal handling and preparation plant (CHPP) dozer operators in the use of the technology.
3. Verification and validation of the system safety controls identified in our hazard identification activity (HAZID).
4. Successfully demonstrated the operational use of the system on a coal stockpile, including train loadout and night shift trials.
5. Collected feedback from CHPP dozer operators and leadership regarding the technology and hosted Caterpillar subject matter experts to further explore continuous improvement opportunities.

Benefits / Effects
BMA’s Saraji Mine is the first site in the southern hemisphere to implement Caterpillar’s NLOS dozer technology on a coal stockpile. This technology enables operators to remotely control the dozer from the safety of a purpose-built control room on site. Therefore, eliminating exposure to potential fatalities and whole-body vibrations associated with traditional dozing methods.

During the initial validation activities, the project and site teams collaborated to demonstrate the system's capability to successfully operate the NLOS dozers in production. This included pushing material into a stockpile feeder with multiple dozers, while validating the system's layers of protection and other controls identified during a risk assessment conducted with a cross-section of coal mine workers.

A dedicated training and commissioning area was constructed near the stockpile to facilitate initial verification and operator upskilling activities. This approach allowed for a safe, progressive introduction of the system and operators to the coal stockpile, minimising potential impacts on normal operations.

The purpose-built on-site control room was designed with safety and ergonomic considerations, addressing dust and environmental factors that affect traditional dozing activities. This involved implementing pressurisation, dust filtration systems, and sound attenuation to meet operator requirements.

Transferability
Following the successful deployment of NLOS dozer technology at Saraji Mine, the project team has commenced a study phase at BMA’s Peak Downs Mine. The proposal includes the implementation of five D11T dozers for both raw and product stockpiles. This initiative aims to significantly reduce operators' exposure to high-risk dozing activities and whole-body vibrations.

Furthermore, the NLOS dozer technology has the potential to improve safety across the following in-pit operational use cases:

• Drill preparation:
• Working within primary stand-off area, edge or near bodies of water
• Ripping / working in blocky areas
• Dragline assist:
• Cleaning top of coal / low wall toe
• Working in the key
• Other use cases
• Dump maintenance
• Hot and reactive ground
• Sump, drainage works
• Recovery process from incidents

This technology can be used across the entire Australian mining industry and any bulk material handling operation where dozers are used, particularly in high-risk environments.

Innovation
Traditionally, stockpile dozer operators are exposed to hazardous situations when performing high-risk activities near edges or voids, such as during train load-out operations. Although NLOS dozer technology has been available for several years, its unique application on a coal stockpile at night, utilising thermal imaging allows operators to control the dozer from the safety of a purpose-built control room on-site.

Future opportunities for using NLOS technology on coal stockpiles could involve integrating video and other sensor inputs to provide specific operator assistance or semi-autonomous functions for train load-out, rather than relying solely on situational awareness and manual controls.

The AutoVent Ancillary Ventilation System ensures continuous ventilation to workplaces when auxiliary fans stop, preventing potentially dangerous gas accumulations.
The Air blowers made of non-ferrous material hard-mounted inside the fan and connected to a solenoid valve: The system is linked to a charged airline from the main air range, with a UPS and solenoid for automatic activation.
The solenoid valve, powered by a UPS, automatically opens to allow airflow when the electric motor loses power. It remains active until the fan motor restarts or the UPS is turned off.
The solenoid closes when the fan motor starts and reactivates upon motor trip or stop, ensuring continuous ventilation.

When completing a crusher main shaft (mantle) rebuild or crusher concave liner replacement, epoxy resin is poured into the rear internal cavity of these components. This resin comes in 10L buckets, the main shaft (mantle) takes 42 buckets to fill the void, and the concave liners take 148 buckets to fill. Every bucket has to be hand mixed with an electric hand mixer which is extremely arduous and messy.
Jake identified a potential solution to the manual handling task when having to mix the drums to make it quicker easier and safer for all.
Jake fabricated a frame to support the mixer which is attached to a counterweight system to support the weight of mixer, this takes 90% of the weight of the mixer off the operator. The mixer runs up and down on a roller system along the frame upright structure this allows for the mixing attachment to be taken in and out of the buckets easily. The main frame structure has a splash guard to prevent the operator from being covered in epoxy resin whilst mixing and the operator can stand behind out of the way of moving components making it safer to use. The 10L resin bucket drops into a support ring to lock it in position to stop it from spinning when being mixed and once mixing is completed is easily removed and the next bucket installed ready for mixing.