BHP and Austmine seek novel solutions to achieve goal of fatality elimination

BHP, in partnership with Austmine, have launched the Next Steps Towards Fatality Elimination Program.

A central component to BHP’s safety improvement initiative is to assess industry best practice and to gather a broad range of insights, experience and innovation to achieve the goal of fatality elimination.

To that end, BHP and Austmine are inviting organisations or individuals to put forward emerging solutions and innovations that can enhance safety and reduce workforce risk at BHP’s global operations.

The program provides an opportunity to:

• Increase visibility of your products, services and solutions within BHP’s product owner team.
• Understand the current focus areas for BHP and engage in future conversations as they strive to eliminate fatalities and reduce risk at operations globally.
• Utilise this engagement as a starting point to becoming a potential preferred supplier further down the track in the safety initiative process.
  
  

The program invites solution submissions via two options:

Option 1- Open Submission

BHP has established key areas for safety initiatives to be implemented across the next 18 months. These focus on BHP’s top ten risks:

1. Vehicles and mobile equipment
   1. In pit
   2. Underground
   3. Off-site
2. Dropped or falling objects
3. Electrical (including arch flash or blast)
4. Fire and explosion
5. Energy release (excluding electrical)
6. Fall from height​
7. Geotechnical failure​
8. Lifting​
9. Entanglement or crushing​
10. Loss of containment​

If you have a solution that can eliminate or reduce any of these 10 risks, BHP and Austmine want to hear from you. Please complete this open submission form and briefly outline your solution and its benefits.

To prepare your responses, please see the open submission form questions here.

You can attach a case study to your submission. Download the template here.

Option 2 - Challenge Submission

Within the top 10 risks, BHP has identified specific challenge areas that they would like solved. They invite submissions for targeted solutions to these challenges by completing this challenge submission form.

Find more details and submit for the current challenges:

1. Multiple risks or all categories
   Improve understanding of hazards within the work environment
   Improved understanding of control application
   
   
2. Dropped objects, lifting and fall from height
   Exclusion zone identification and management
   Identification of changes within the task environment
   Reduce exposure of personnel to tasks at height
   Setting and Monitoring Load Limits
   
   
3. Vehicles and mobile equipment
   Maintaining Separation Between Person and Vehicle
   Ensuring a Vehicle does not Roll Away
   Ensuring the Use of a Mitigating Control
   Working Near Edges
   Avoid Distraction of the Driver During Shift Hours
   Ensuring Operation of Equipment Within Safe Limits for Road Conditions
   Improving Roads, Intersections, Signs and Information
   
   
4. Geotechnical, fire & explosion & loss of containment risks
   Exclusion Zones
   Identification of Geotechnical Hazards
   Compliance to Geotechnical Design
   
   
5. Electrical, energy release, entanglement/crushing
   Use of incorrect blueprints or piping and instrumentation diagram
   Personnel alert to the presence of electrical energy
   Reducing energy transference from operating equipment

Submissions close on Thursday 24^th September 2020.

Companies and individuals can submit multiple solutions.

Find more information about the program by viewing the recording of the launch webinar here.

For further details, head to Austmine's website here and BHP's website here.