Two breakthrough engineering solutions developed at Anglo American’s Aquila Mine have been recognised for setting new safety and innovation benchmarks for the resources sector.
The mine has been named a finalist in the Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference (QMIHSC) Safety Innovation Award for its Mini Face Bolter, a purpose-built mechanised solution designed to eliminate high-risk manual bolting in low seam mining environments.
Aquila Mine has also achieved four finalist nominations in the Queensland Mining Awards, recognising both the Mini Face Bolter and its Armadillo excavation system:
• Collaboration Award – Mini Face Bolter
• Safety Initiative Award – The Armadillo: Eliminating High-Risk Excavation over Live Conveyors
• Innovation Award – The Armadillo: Eliminating High-Risk Excavation over Live Conveyors
• Innovation Award – Mini Face Bolter
Developed in partnership with the Jet Group in Mackay, the Armadillo and the Mini Face Bolter evolved when the mine turned a complex engineering challenge into an opportunity to innovate.
Both ideas came from workers at the coalface and the innovations were developed through close collaboration with the mine’s workforce, engineers and industry partners to ensure the solutions were practical, effective and adaptable to other operations.
Aquila Mine general manager Braedon Smith said this recognition reflected the team’s commitment to challenging traditional approaches to improve safety.
“These nominations recognise the way our team approaches safety by focusing on eliminating risk, rather than just managing it,” he said.
“Both the Mini Face Bolter and the Armadillo were developed to solve safety challenges in our operation, particularly in low-seam conditions where traditional methods are not suitable.
“The Armadillo has delivered significant downtime reductions and a blueprint for safer underground excavation across the industry. The Mini Face Bolter represents a genuine mining safety innovation because it resolves a long-standing
industry limitation that had previously been accepted as unavoidable in these conditions.”
Vice President of Safety Heather Bell said the innovations demonstrated the value of engineering-led safety improvements alongside traditional methods.
She said prioritising engineering and technology-led solutions helped remove people from the line of fire and eliminate risk at its source.
“These projects demonstrate how engineering controls can fundamentally change the way high-risk work is performed,” Mrs Bell said.
“They highlight the importance of involving the workforce in designing practical solutions that reduce exposure and improve safety outcomes.”
The Queensland Mining Awards will be held on Wednesday, July 22 in Mackay. QMIHSC runs from August 16-19, with the safety innovation presentations earmarked for Tuesday, August 18.
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