The 2024 Australian Mining Prospect Awards were held this week 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…
Read More: Introducing the 2024 Prospect Awards winners