Mining safe practice at LiftEx Gold Coast 2024
Increasing industrialisation and economic growth around the world is generating more lifting activity in Australia’s Mining Industry and, therefore, more risk for its workers. Given lifting in this sector often takes place in environments that exacerbate the risk, ensuring safe practice is vital.
The impact of accidents is potentially devasting for people involved and to the mining businesses they work for. It makes clear sense for mining operators to take every possible step to reach the ideal goal of zero accidents and injuries. Furthermore, avoiding the resulting disruption caused by accidents also builds resilience in mining supply chains.
It is important to adopt a safety culture, not only among those who actually use, or are in proximity to, lifting equipment but also among senior management because they, ultimately, will be the ones with legal obligations and culpability for any practice that is unsafe.
LiftEx Gold Coast – which is being held on 12th & 13th September at the Event Centre, Star Hotel on Australia's Gold Coast – offers a great opportunity for finding lifting equipment as well as improving knowledge and learning techniques to help mining operators seeking safer lifting practice. The two-day exhibition and conference brings together lifting and height safety equipment suppliers with end-users engaged in operating, inspecting, and testing lifting equipment in Mining and many other industries.
A conference at the event provides complimentary vertical-market case studies, thought-provoking panel sessions, and professional development training workshops. Among the speakers will be Brant Webb, one of two miners who survived the tragic collapse at the Beaconsfield gold mine in 2006. His story of survival and resilience is nothing short of extraordinary. Brant and fellow miner Todd Russell were trapped one kilometre underground for two weeks after the mine collapsed, killing a third miner, Larry Knight. Brant and Todd’s condition was unknown for a full five days before rescuers found them alive. They had survived on just one muesli bar and ground water.
Brant’s experience has given him a unique perspective on safety, resilience, and the human capacity to endure. His story serves as a stark reminder of the importance of safety protocols and procedures in high-risk environments.
LiftEx visitors will also discover an exhibition show floor of cutting-edge technologies from local and country-wide suppliers of lifting and height safety equipment – many targeting the mining sector. For example:
Andromeda Industries manufactures Superflex steel cable, slings and steel flat woven slings to meet industrial applications, such as mining. All of its steel slings and cables are stringently tested to meet and exceed Australian standards giving customers peace of mind for any lifting application.
Yoke is a Taiwan-based manufacturer of lifting fittings for chain, wire rope and webbing slings. Safety is the core element for all its safety hook products, with the company embracing the pursuit of quality perfection, constant innovation and development, sustained management improvement and creation of customer satisfaction.
Pacific Hoists delivers lifting and material handling solutions throughout Australia and New Zealand. Its range includes hoisting equipment from leading brands such as Hitachi, Vital, J.D. Neuhaus, Yale and CM Lodestar. The company also provides customisation, servicing, repairs, inspections, testing and after-sales support.
Vector Lifting has undertaken a variety of engineering projects both locally and abroad. The company’s locally engineered product, coupled with its range of aluminium Reid Lifting dual use portable gantries and portable davits, allows it to offer solutions to most lifting, materials handling, height safety and confined space access needs. It also offers specialised engineered solutions for major project needs.
Townley Drop Forge manufactures a range of high quality lifting and rigging components. The company’s products are routinely used in many of the country’s largest mining and infrastructure projects, where performance and reliability is paramount. The company can also custom design and manufacture steel forged products to a customer’s exacting specifications.
WireCo manufactures wire and synthetic ropes. Its distribution centre on the northern Gold Coast carries large stocks of wire ropes for cranes, mining and general industry. It also offers synthetic ropes for lifting and vehicle recovery as well as general lifting gear including chain, shackles, and round / webbing slings. Its engineering and technical-know-how is matched by an in-depth knowledge of rope and lifting equipment performance and applications.
LiftEx Gold Coast is organised by The Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA). Safety underpins everything the association has been doing throughout its history and will continue to do going forward, with zero accidents and injuries being its prime goal. Staff will be on hand to discuss why the LEEA logo carried by members is a recognisable global benchmark of best practice and safety for all sectors including mining.
To attend the ideal event for networking, connecting and engaging with the Australian lifting sector, as well as enhancing safe lifting practice, register at events.leeaint.com/liftex-gold-coast.
For more information contact:
Justin Boehm justin.boehm@leeaint.com / Leah Phelps leah.phelps@leeaint.com
